Wintertime Bass Fishing

Why Wintertime Bassin’

South Florida’s beautiful weather in the mid 50s in dead of winter – for all the northerners trying to get out of their below freezing temps and get on some fish, Florida’s the place. Florida provides a good environment for largemouth bass, which are cold-blooded fish that slow down as water temperatures drop.

While many fish species head deeper or become less active in cold water, bass in South Florida are relatively active throughout the winter months. And let’s be honest the weather can sometimes be too brutal for places like Flamingo, Florida Bay and Biscayne Bay.

If those plans get mucked due to weather being to bad – targeting bass is such an incredible back up plan and it does not require mother nature’s cooperation as much!

Where to Start Fishing

Lake Okeechobee – this massive freshwater lake is one of the best places to target largemouth bass year-round. It offers plenty of access points and plenty of options to fish for them, from lily pads to submerged structures and deep pockets.

Everglades National Park – The Everglades provide an abundance of opportunities for fly anglers. The canals, grass flats, and slow-moving rivers hold a ton of bass. Fish the deeper pockets and creek mouths for winter bass.

Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge – Near West Palm Beach, this large freshwater marsh offers excellent bass fishing, especially during the winter months. The shallow waters and darker bottom provide great habitats for largemouth bass.

Urban lakes and canals of all over Florida – Neighborhood and park lakes and canals offer insanely good bass fishing. If you can find access Florida’s urban waterways offer some of the best largemouth, peacock and exotic species fishing you can get.

Winter Bass Fishing Techniques

  1. Slow down your strip. Bass in winter tend to be less aggressive and more picky about what they eat. Slow retrieves with long pauses are more the speed. Instead of stripping your fly quickly, let it sink then slowly retrieve it with occasional pauses or long slow strips.
  2. Focus on the shallow waters in the heat. While bass may head deeper during the coldest part of day, they often hangout in shallow areas to feed during the warmer parts of the day or on cloudy, overcast days. Look for areas with submerged vegetation, drop-offs, and sunken structures where bass are normally found in summer.
  3. Target the warmest water. Bass are cold-blooded, so to regulate their body temperature they look for warmer water in winter. Look for areas where water is slightly warmer, such as areas near the shoreline, springs, or where freshwater drains into canals. During cold fronts, bass will typically look for shelter in these warmer areas.
  4. Fish during the warmest parts of the day. Bass, like many fish species during winter, are most active during the warmer parts of the day, especially when the sun is out and the water temperature rises. Try fishing in the afternoon when the water temperature has warmed up a little.
  5. Don’t be afraid to throw big flies. Wintertime fish don’t want to spend a ton of energy to eat a tiny fly. Get their attention and give them a meal they can digest for a week with something large they don’t have to expend their energy to get.

Gear

Rods
Touching on the size of rod is a little tricky. The lighter the rod the more fun the fight of the fish is. On the other hand, using the light rod makes it way more difficult to cast a larger fly.

The balance of rod size to the fly size is more important in my opinion to have a good time. I find myself using a 5 and 6 weight in the summer months and a 7 and 8 weight in the winter months to handle the larger sizes of flies in winter.

Fly Lines
The winter months I tend to find that a full intermediate or sink tip line works best early in the day, to get the fly down to fish hanging deep.

A floating line is ideal for fish sunbathing in the shallows as the day and water warm up.

Leader/Tippet
Keep it simple a 12 or 16 Lb leader is perfect. Use 16lb if you’re fishing structure or along the banks of canals (to lift the fish up the bank).
Fish 12lb if you’re fishing crystal clear water or larger lakes with less cover.

A big pro tip is to keep the leader short – especially in the wintertime with the larger flies. A 5-7 foot leader is all you need it will help you tremendously in turning the flies over in the cast.

Reels
As far as reels go, you don’t need the best reel in the world for bass – but it sure is nice to have one 😉. All jokes aside, having a super expensive reel with a sick finish like a custom Abel is not necessary. Normally bass fishing requires a lot of moving around and reels going in and out of places and they will get scratched up.

Use a reel that works and is in your budget – spend more on the rod than you do on the reel. For example, some of the reels that are perfect for bass fishing are the Lamson reels – Gurus, Liquids, and Speedsters.

Flies

Larger, weighted streamers that imitate shad, bluegill, or tilapia are best choices for targeting bass in the winter.

Focus on darker colors – black, brown, and olive, as they tend to work well in the low-light conditions normally found in winter.

Below is a list of some of my favorite flies along with our destination box that we put together for convenience and for you to have everything you need to catch peacock and largemouth bass.

Grab and go bass box

Our South Florida Peacock Bass Box is full of flies that fit the diet of largemouth and peacock bass everywhere!

Our favorite wintertime bass flies

Our favorite wintertime bass reels (8 weight)

Redington Ace Fly Reel Night Rider
Redington Ace $239.99$269.99
Lamson Liquid S
Lamson Liquid S $139.99$169.99
Lamson Litespeed F Whisky
Lamson Litespeed F $549.99$599.99
Orvis Hydros
Orvis Hydros $249.00$298.00
Lamson Guru S Blaze
Lamson Guru S $224.99$369.99
Mirage LT Blackout
Orvis Mirage LT $429.00$479.00
Tibor Everglades Black Frost Aqua Hub
Tibor Everglades
5.00 out of 5
$695.00$855.00

Our favorite wintertime bass rods (8 weight)

Hardy Marksman Z $995.00$1,050.00
Sage Salt R8 Core
Sage Salt R8 $1,100.00
Scott Wave
Scott Wave $675.00
Lamson Cobalt
Lamson Cobalt Saltwater Rod $449.99$499.99
Orvis Recon
Orvis Recon $598.00
Sage Maverick
5.00 out of 5
$650.00
Sage Payload
Sage PayLoad $650.00
TFO Axiom II-X
TFO Axiom II-X
5.00 out of 5
$429.95
Scott Sector
Scott Sector $1,045.00
Echo ION XL Fly Rod
Echo ION XL $199.99

Get started bassin'

The perfect ready-to-fish bass outfit for beginners and as a dedicated bass rod to leave in the truck.

Sign up for more fly fishing goodness like this delivered straight to your inbox

Leave a comment

You must be logged in to join the discussion.