Falling for Hardbaits – Part 4: Cold Cranks

Kevin

Senior Fisheman
Joined
Jan 10, 2009
Location
Craig, Colorado
Best Catch
12lbs
Boat
Charger
#1
Romantics fall in love. Fools do too. Sinners fall from grace. Anglers fall for hardbaits. As do bass all year round. Even when late season water temps start to plummet, you can have smashing success with crankbaits.

PAA pro Brian Snowden of Reeds Spring, Missouri divides late season cold water cranking into two different phases, depending on water temperature:


  • 55-50 degrees – For Snowden, the first opportunity for cold cranking occurs when the water lowers into the 55 to 50 degree range in late fall.
  • 50-45 degrees – A second window opens and shuts in early winter as the water dips below 50 through 45 degrees. Snowden points out that bass are still relatively active in 50 to 45 degree water in early winter because their metabolisms have not yet shut off for the mid-winter hiatus still to come. Bass will be a little more alert and active (although not aggressive) in cold water before their systems shut down for winter versus the same (rising) 45 to 50 degree range in spring when their metabolisms haven’t ratcheted up yet.

To read the rest of the article, please click here:
http://fishpaa.com/2014/12/falling-for-hardbaits-part-4-cold-cranks/