Striped bass, that is!
Winter 2025
Article and photos by Capt. Cefus McRae
It seems the southeast experienced a longer-than-normal Dog Days of Summer this year. A very mild fall kept water temperatures a bit warmer, for a bit longer. But now that winter is finally starting to set in, and we’ve hit the magic 65-degree mark in many of our reservoirs, so it’s game-on. And as the water temps continue to dip, it will just get better.
Depending on where you live, winter may already be in full swing, or you could be right on the cusp. Either way, this cooler weather definitely helps the bite, and honestly, the cold, the better. When folks ask me the best time to go fishing, my response is usually, “Look at the weather forecast. If they are calling for snow, get the boat ready.”
Some of my best fishing days have started off with frost on the boat deck and light snow flurries. Stripers love this kind of weather, and bass don’t hate it.
And if you get as excited as I do when fish start feeding on top, this time of year can be spectacular for topwater fishing. Schools of stripers will push bait to the surface, while gulls take advantage of an easy meal from the air. And those gulls are your visual indicator of where the feeding frenzy is happening. If you see rafts of gulls sitting on the water, be patient. They will eventually take to the sky and guide you directly to the gold mine. Be careful not to blast into the school. Take a moment to see which way the birds are moving and plot an intercept course to let the school come to you. Shut down the big motor well in advance and let the boat drift to the feeding school.
My go-to baits for this kind of fishing revolve around three tactics.
No.1 Topwater – When you see the school and are lucky enough to get to them before they sound, tie on a MirroLure Top Dog or Chug Bug. Cast beyond the school and walk or chug the bait through it. And hold on!
No.2 Fleeing Prey Soft Plastic – When you see sporadic top strikes, tie on a Project-X Pearl Saucertail. Nose hook it with a 2/0 or 3/0 circle hook. Cast in the direction of the splashes and retrieve it quickly across the surface like an escaping bait fish. Stripers and bass will come up from great depths as they see the silhouette of a tasty meal skipping across the surface.
No. 3 Scattered Bait – When the action on top slows, go sub-surface with your offerings. Slow-troll Project-X X-Rigs or Capt Mack’s Mini-Mack, fully loaded with 3-inch baits. Those schools of feeding fish haven’t moved too far. They’ve simply scattered the bait and now they are chasing smaller groups of bait. These mini-umbrella rigs imitate those smaller groups of prey.
For now, it’s time to enjoy the magic. So, get out there and stretch a string!
Of course, this is also a great time for a variety of other species as well. Smallmouth bass, trout and more all love this cold weather – to a point. When the water gets too cold, like in the 40s, everything starts to slow back down. They still have to eat, but you have to change your tactics and slow your presentation and your bait choice. But that’s for another story.
Want to have a fun day fishing on Lake Hartwell? Book a trip by calling 404 402 8329 or email Cefus@NutsAndBoltsFishing.com
Capt. Cefus McRae of Hartwell is the star of the television series Nuts & Bolts of Fishing on CarbonTV and a number of other cable and internet outlets. Cefus also is a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association. He can be contacted at cefus@nutandboltsoffishing.com.