KeelShield staff member gives his tips on how to get those wintertime bass.

It is getting cold in our region, but hunting season is about to wrap up.  What can an outdoorsman or woman do to pass the time this winter?  Well besides coming to all of Nathan’s Fishing Seminars on Wednesday nights, maybe this is the year to really give the Float and fly technique a fair shake. 

I’m sure many of you have tried it and marked it off as “not your cup of tea”, but if you want to consistently catch wintertime bass you need to fish the float and fly.  Plus, winter is arguably the best time to catch that trophy smallmouth you have been dreaming of.

Dacker Combs has fished for Kentucky’s black basses as long as he can remember.  Like all of us, he is skeptical when a new technique comes along and makes a stir in the angling world.  Just look at the Helicopter Lure.  So when the float n’ fly first broke onto the scene to say that he had apprehension to trying it out would be an understatement.  But thanks to persistent fishing buddies he picked up the flimsy 9-foot long rod and light line and gave it a shot.  Taking that chance has paid off, just look at the 2007 South Central Kentucky Fishers of Men standings for proof.  Believe me, when your tournament schedule starts with not one, but two, December tournaments on Lake Cumberland, you better know how to catch them in the cold.  That’s where having the confidence to slow down and fish the float n’ fly in a tournament will always pay off.

He recommends searching out bluffs, points, and rocky banks that enter the water at a 45-degree angle to find wintertime bass.  You also have to keep in mind how a bass’s metabolism slows in the winter, fishing too fast is a common mistake for beginners.  A slow, steady shake and retrieve will get the attention of those lunkers you are after.

Once the water drops below 50 degrees, you’ll find Dacker out on Laurel Lake, Dale Hollow Lake, and Lake Cumberland enticing big smallies with that duck feather fly.  The snow and wind that keeps many anglers in bed actually motivates Dacker to get out there and fish.  “Actually, snowy days with a slight chop on the water is when I’ve had my best days on the water,” he says. 

Later in the year when you get towards early spring, most anglers will start picking up a suspending jerkbait to catch transitioning bass.  Dacker warns, “Don’t put your float n’ fly up too early.  During the spring, after a cold front the float n’ fly will keeping catching suspended fish.”  The longer days in the springtime causes smallmouth to start thinking shallow, but an extreme cold front will pull them out to the first drop off and they will suspend over the deeper water until conditions even out.  This is where late-season float n’ fly will shine. 

The float and fly technique was spawned out of necessity in the wintertime.  Nothing else catches suspended wintertime bass like that bobber fishing.  The next three or four months will be your best opportunity to sharpen your float n’ fly skills, make sure you take advantage of it. 

Also, keep an eye out for Mr. Combs this March at the upcoming Bass Pro Shops Spring Classic in Sevierville.  He’s been on their Pro Staff since they have started up and really promotes getting kids out there fishing.  Also check out his other sponsors, KeelShield boat protectors and Daiichi Hooks, by visiting his website http://www.dackercombs.com/.