Strategy For My Northern Brethren

[keithdog]

I know several of us northern bass fisherman would like to get out again this weekend before it gets too cold. With temps being so unusually cold, and lake water temps dropping like a rock, several anglers are wondering where to start? So I'd like to give you this account of what happened to me today. It may very well be a pattern for you to look into. I drove out to a city park located on an 85 acre lake just north of my home to try out a new reel I recieved this week. I was casting a few shallow and mid depth cranks from shore. Having recieved no action I walked over to the pier just off the beach. It's an old beach with vegitation now taking hold. I made a few casts and again nothing. Next I tied on a Rapala size 8 shallow X Rap. This lure suspends well and I worked it back with a series of short jerks and pauses from the end of the L shaped pier. Again nothing. Just for kicks, I let out about 4 foot of line and plopped the bait into the water right next to the pier and started to walk along the pier slowly while I gave the lure short pauses and twitches. I hadnt walked two feet before a pickeral nabbed the offering. Releasing the pickeral I continued down the pier working the lure the same way. About 3 foot more and a nice little chunky bass grabbed it. By now I was thinking I'd stumbled onto something. Long story short, between two piers and an hours time I landed 6 more bass, just walking along the pier and twitching that X Rap along the pier about 12 inches below the surface. The end of the piers are in rather shallow water of only about 5 foot at most. But the bass were hiding there under the piers. After several days of cold rain and record cold, I didn't expect to find them there, but they were. So I wanted to post this info incase it might help others fishing up here in the cold north to locate bass. Suspending lures worked around and under piers and wood could very well be the ticket for you too as well.