Like most bass anglers, I am very happy to see January in the rear view mirror. Our warmer than normal water temperature kept baitfish scattering in shallower depths than usual, so big concentrations of winter bass in deep water did not occur.
Bass are harder to catch when they are scattered in a wide range of depths. Pro tournament anglers during recent big tournaments across the south from Texas to Florida have complained about this same phenomenon.
On Lake Travis our recent quality largemouth over 3 pounds are coming from 3 to 5 feet of water in areas in which we usually do well in the month of March. Other bass are scattered in the 10- to 25-foot range.
I have seen many Januarys in the past decades when our steady action came in the 30- to 45-foot depths. We would have to locate deep concentrations of bass with our sonar units and then vertically present jigs or spoons to generate strikes.
The presence of huge masses of deep shad was always the key factor in winter success. The whole scenario has changed in the past couple of years.
The adept angler knows when to adapt to changing conditions. Most anglers would prefer shallow water fishing anyway.
This February should be very interesting. An outbreak of arctic cold could send the fish to deep water. Mild weather could trigger one of the earliest spawns I’ve ever seen on Lake Travis.
Bass fishing always involves solving an ever changing puzzle. This is the reason why millions of anglers get addicted to the pursuit of black bass.
After my six decades of serious bass fishing, I’m still learning something new every year.
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