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!