Catch and Release

The spawn is on!  Now is the time when bass start spawning and are vulnerable because they are aggressive and hungry.
This is great for anglers and is a great and fun time to go fishing.
I would like to encourage everyone to practice catch and release at this time of year.  The big females are laying eggs or may still be carrying eggs, so it is important for the future of the species that they be allowed to spawn and protect their spawning areas until the baby bass can develop.
If it's good for the bass, it's good for all of us who love to catch 'em!

Love is in the air....uh, water!

In the south, February is the beginning of the bass spawn.  Female bass begin to move to shallow water to get ready for spawning.  This is when they are big, hungry and most aggressive, and prime for catching!
It's a great time for anglers to get out a hunt for the lunker bass of a lifetime!  One of the best ways to catch bass now is with Texas-rigged soft plastic baits.  These can be big 10 or 12 in worms, tubes or creatures like the Berkley Chigger Craw. 
Look for shallow flats near deep water with some type of cover like grass, stumps and brush.  Make fanshaped casts and drag, hop and swim these baits searching for where the bass are and which presentation they prefer.  During the spawn the bass will not be as picky and will attack anything that comes near their spawning beds!  Hold on tight because these bass will hit hard!

Invasive Species

I have read several articles and seen some fishing shows lately that gave information about invasive species.  These can be everything from the "snakehead" fish as shown in the picture, to a range of parasites.  These are species that are not native to our waters and can wreak havoc on our native fish populations.
These invasive creatures can be spread on purpose by people putting fish into their local waters or accidentally by not cleaning their boats, boots, or waders and transferring them from one body of water to another.
Another issue has been the spread of non-native aquatic plants.  These plants can get into our lakes and rivers and choke out the native plants, having a negative impact on these waters.  I know people don't think about these things, but we need to change our thinking to preserve our beloved bass, muskie and other North American fish species for future generations.
"If it's good for the fish, it's good for the angler!"

Hardcore!

As I have stated in other posts, now is a great time for some big 'ol lunker bass!  Not everyone is cut out for this kind of hardcore cold weather fishing, but if you can take it, it could pay off with a trophy!
The best way to handle things this time of year is to watch the weather.  If you can get out after a 3 day or more warming spell, the bass may be slightly more active.  Some will move up shallower and can be caught near underwater structure.
A great bait for winter fishing is a jig with a crawfish trailer. These can be cast near cover and structure and dragged or slowly hopped along the bottom.  Bass and their prey are pretty sluggish at this time of year, so go slow.  If you can find a place where the water transitions from deeper to shallower, you should do well.  Any bass in the area will hang out in areas where they have easy access to both deep and shallow water.  So if you are a hardy type, get out there and land that lunker!

Merry Christmas!

Hopefully everyone had a Great Christmas!  I hope the jolly fat man (Santa, not me) brought you all the fishing rods and tackle you have been dreaming of!
He was very kind to me, despite my status of "naughty" and left a nice shiny ultra-light rod and reel, as well as some very nice lures!
Fish4Bass wishes for all visitors and followers to have an awesome New Year also!  My resolution is simple...FISH MORE!!!

This is a great time for lipless crankbaits.  They can be cast near any underwater structure and catch bass hanging out waiting for a meal.  Watch for extended warmer stretches of weather, even a couple degrees can bring bass into shallower water to feed.  Cast these baits around cover, let it float down then retrieve it slowly.  This is very effective on bass that are sluggish this time of year.
There are many different quality lures that fit the bill perfectly, Rat-L-Trap, Strike King Red Eye Shad are a couple I really like.

Winter Shakey Fishin'

During the cold winter months, a great bass catching method is the shakey head jig.  These can be rigged with any soft plastic style of bait.

Tubes and creature baits such as the Yamamoto "Flappin' Hog" are awesome rigged this way.  However, when the water is very cold, bass sometimes prefer a smaller worm style bait.  I would strongly suggest this combination if you decide to take a winter fishing trip.

These are worked very slowly, usually with some lightweight spinning gear with 6 or 8 pound test fishing line.

If you can locate some good deep underwater structure or a steep transition from shallow to deep water, these are great places to use a shakey head.  Just cast to these areas, let the jig sink to the bottom and sit for up to 30 seconds.  You can then lightly twitch the rig and retrieve it slowly along the bottom.  This method takes patience, but can really payoff in your livewell!