Hey Dan, I live in eastern North Carolina and I wanted to go up to Lake Phelps of the christmas break to fish for some largemouth bass. I was wondering if you could give me an idea as to what bait to use. I’ve been using a rat-l-trap, which has done me some good. So if you have any ideas about good december baits that would be great. Thanks alot.

As bass are cold blooded fish, it goes without saying that they will not move as much in the winter. They cannot physically move as much owing to the fact that their blood will have cooled to the same temperature as the water around them. This makes them more sluggish in terms of their general movement and far less likely to bite, as you have probably found out from previous experience! A rat-l-trap can be extremely effective, but there are other options if you care to use them. You can try other baits that work on the principle of movement, such as the torpedo. The vibration motion will directly effect the nerves of the bass and draw them to the bait itself. As such, movement is perhaps the best weapon to use during winter fishing expeditions. The torpedo is also extremely effective as a result of that because the constant vibration motion works well to attract their attention. In terms of the colouring of the bait, chartreuse will work just as well as in summer. The bass seem to love it. However, if it is a sunny day then you may want to use a metallic blue or silver bait. The winter sun tends to be rather harsh and can reflect off the bait enough to make the bass curious as to the source of the light. Combining a good colour for the conditions with a torpedo can be an excellent way to attract bass in the winter and improve your catch rate!

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