Let’s Get Vertical: The Ups and Downs of Winter Bassin’

“The ability to locate and catch wintertime bass in the South requires a distinct top-down approach.

Whoever first said, “what goes up, must come down,” was clearly not an optimist … or a bass angler. An optimist might have anticipated satellites or even space travel. Some of that stuff goes up and never comes down.

A bass angler knows that what goes up often gets eaten by a waiting bass before it can fall very far. It happens in all four seasons of the year, but especially in winter. In fact, if you had to pick a word to best capture winter bass fishing, that word would most likely be “vertical.” It applies to the best wintertime structure and cover and to the best presentation methods. If you’re not “thinking vertical” in winter, you’re not catching as many bass as you could be.

Major League Fishing standout Britt Myers agrees. He believes there are large groups of fish living in “deep” water that only leave their sanctuary to spawn in the spring. What’s more, he thinks the key to catching them in great numbers is a vertical presentation.

MYERS’ MAGIC DEPTH

“I’m an offshore guy,” the South Carolinian explains, “and I’ve learned that there are deep-water fish that hold in one area all year except during the spawn. These places have everything the bass want, so there’s no need to move. But to catch them, you must use different methods and baits depending upon the time of year.

The other magical thing about 18 feet, according to Myers, is it’s the shallowest depth he can approach with a true vertical presentation. From experience, he’s noticed that any shallower and the bass are likely to turn off when a boat hovers over them.”

The full article can be found here.

Photo Credit: Original Author

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