Several years ago, you could normally plan on shutting down open-water fishing by the first of December, and it wouldn’t open back up again until around March. These days, it is anyone’s guess during any time of the winter as to if there will be some open water.

Normally, when it is open, there is also some ice—but not always. No matter what it is, the water is cold and in the 30s. This throws lures and tactics to what would normally be used during very late fall/early winter, and very late winter/early spring.

I have about 4 or 5 lures that I use for bass, bluegills and crappies in these conditions. In this article, we are going to discuss those, and how they are used.

For bluegills and crappies, I mainly use ice jigs such as the Custom Jigs & Spins Wolfinkee and Tutso, because of their heavier Tungsten weight; Team Crappie Slab Caller; and Blakemore Panfish/Trout Road Runner under a float. I will also finger jig a Natural Forage Baits T-Shad and Phat Shad, both of which are rigged on 1/32- to 1/8-ounce B-Fish-N H2O Precision jig heads.

When fishing with the float, I use any wave action to work the lure along. With—and especially without—wave action, I gently bob the lure, jig it, pull-n-stop, and finger jig. All these retrieves normally have brief pauses, unless fish activity dictates otherwise. Lures are sometimes be tipped with waxworms or Crappie Nibbles, but often with the Slab Caller and Road Runner, they will be fished with just an application of Kick’N Crappie.

These are normally fished over weed and/or brush areas. The float is set so that the lure rides just above or touching whatever is being fished. If finger jigging without a float, the lure is fished above the structure; if fishing weeds, it is allowed to drop in and jerked out, which makes some commotion that will stir fish into investigating, and hopefully striking.

A pull-n-drop retrieve with a float is primarily used for the Road Runner. Pull the float about 3 feet and stop. This makes the blade spin on the way up; when you stop, the blade turns as it falls back down. The strikes mainly come at two spots: on the fall, or just as it is started to be pulled again. The addition of a Crappie Nibble is often helpful on this retrieve.

At times, especially on a windy and sunny day, finger jigging the T-Shad in shallower water of a windblown shore can spark action. While some of fish might hit in very shallow water, most will be a few feet out, or where you find a drop-off into deeper water.

When bass are very finicky, and out over winter holding spots, a lot of the panfish tactics with floats work, mainly with the Slab Caller, Road Runner and T-Shad. Again, a dose of Kick’N Crappie or Bass, with a Crappie Nibble, can help.

Now let’s get to bass. Finger jigging the Phat Shad and T-Shad have already been mentioned, but the two main lures I use are the Rat-L-Trap and Blitz Blade. The techniques used are almost identical.

For the most part, you are looking for the same areas previously described, but any weeds are a big plus because they attract fish when the lure is dropped in and ripped out.

A normal cast-and-reel is not the basic retrieve to use at this time. Instead, after casting past or into weeds in deeper water, allow the lure to go all the way to the bottom, or just to the tops of the weeds. Then pump it at various speeds and distances; hop it with quick, short jerks; or hop it with quick, medium to long jerks. Use an upward motion of the rod, or if trying to stay level with the tops of the weeds, a side sweeps of the rod.

On any day, the retrieve can be slightly different between the lures. In almost every case, the Blade will need a longer pull or jerk than the Rat-L-Trap. I’m uncertain as to why, unless it is because the Trap makes the rattling noise.

As with the lift-and-drop on the panfish lures, bass strikes are quite similar on the Blade and Trap. They hit as the lure is falling, or just as it is pulled. Many times, the strike feels like you are hung into brush or weeds, but movement soon indicates that it is a fish.

You don’t always catch a lot of fish, but the ones you do catch are normally of good quality. There is a different challenge to this type of fishing, which is a lot of fun. If they are going to hit, it will normally be on the lures and techniques mentioned. The trick is finding which one.

The next time you are faced with cold, mixed open water/ice conditions, and some good spots can be reached from shore, give some of the ideas in this article a try.

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