Bass, Bluegill, Crappie, Trout... You Decide!

First I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year.

As with all new years, we tend to make our resolutions to make change for the betterment of our lives (i.e., lose weight, exercise more, etc.). You get the picture.

For me, it's always the same, "I'm going to fish more this year than last." Sometimes it works out but more often than not, it's a draw or I end fishing much less than the year before. Winter is now upon us and so our opportunities to fish different species began to narrow, starting in the fall. As water temps start to drop we find that trout is the only game in town, or is it?

Mother Nature does her little tricks to the water in lakes twice a year. There are scientific reasons for this. Have you ever noticed how trout in winter become more active and come up to the surface while warm water species like bass go deeper and slow down.

The reason is "stratification" which basically has three components; Epilimnion (top of the lake), Metalimnion (or Thermo cline, middle layer) and Hypolomnion (the bottom layer). In summer with warmer water on top, species like bass, bluegill and crappie are more active. During this same period trout are deep preferring cooler water. As fall and winter draw near and evening temperatures drop, lake water cools and becomes denser causing it to start the process of "Lake Turnover"

This gets to be an interesting time to fish because bass and trout can be in the same zones for a period of time. So you have an opportunity to fish for these different fish on the same trip. The problem is each one can be a little finicky on what they want. As winter bears down on the lake the process continues until it is complete. Soon you have cold water on top and warm water on the bottom.

Bass can still be caught during winter months the only difference being that techniques and presentation are much different. Warm water species like bass are more aggressive in warm water so you can use top water baits and baits that can be moved faster to entice a strike, however, in winter a bass's metabolic system slows down and so does his appetite. This is where fishing baits like jigs, plastic worms and vertical jigging in slow a precise way will get bites.

Trout on the other hand love cool water and feed actively throughout winter and spring. But just like bass when their comfort temperature changes they feed less and are harder to catch. The oxygen levels also play a big part in these equations. As oxygen decreases fish become less active, more lethargic and again become difficult to catch. There are lots of fishing opportunities to be had in our state as we usually don't have harsh winters and most species can be caught with a little planning and know how.

The key to this is to understand the fish you are after, what are its needs, where is it going to be and what technique and baits do I use to fool them. Remember that fish, like humans, have requirements and lucky for us fish can be predictable. Learning some basic techniques and having a good variety of lures on hand will come in handy. Just as we do not like to eat the same thing every day, fish change up what they want and sometimes change up more than once a day. I have seen fish change on the size of baits it will take, color, speed and depth, all in an afternoon. This is the challenge of fishing, we are dealing with a live creature that feels and thinks and knows what it wants. Our job is to figure it out every time we hit the water. Fishing is more cerebral than most people think. There is no substitute for time on the water, so stop reading this, grab your gear and find some fish to bother. Happy fishing!