When water temps reach into the lower forties, a bass' metabolism slows, requiring the fish to use less energy. When this happens, the fish don't feed as often and their "strike zone" - the area around the fish where they will actively attack forage of one kind or another - shrinks. The fish, being a cold-blooded animal, becomes very lethargic and slow. This requires the angler to present the fish with an offering in the slowest method possible.

Best lures in this situation are often jigs, grubs or tubes, with an occasional crankbait crawled slowly across the bottom. At most times, this is the best time to down-size baits. With jigs as small as the one-eighth ounce Bitsy Bug or Gene Larew's new smaller size Ring Shad being my favorites, I have seined some of my favorite honey holes in the dead of winter.

Which brings about another question - where?

I have found that in the winter months of late December into January, bass seem to gravitate more towards verticle structure such as the outside bends of a creek channel or along bluffs - especially when these locations are open to most of the winter-day's sun. Late afternoon can be a prime time during sunny days and may make a day worth remembering.

If rain has been present a few days prior to your trip, be sure and try to find any incoming rainwater, no matter how small the creek or drainage. The rainwater will usually be warmer than the rest of the lake, plus it washes small food items into the lake, attracting fish. When doing my TV show several years ago, I followed a hunch and traveled to the rear of Drowning Creek where I found fish in the extremely shallow, but eight-degree-warmer, waters. We made a good show and caught a lot of fish up to five pounds from skinny water.

The end of this month welcomes the start of the new season with the opening of the Tulsa Boat, Sport and Travel Show. I'll be at The Elk River Marina display where you can find me talking about my favorite ride - a Cobra Boat powered by a Mercury Outboard.

Come by and say, "Howdy!"