More than a few Alabama anglers are willing to brave late fall and winter’s elements in pursuit of bass. These hearty souls may experience some harsh conditions, but their reward is often great.
Especially when they understand the Yin and Yang of retrieval speeds.

Yin, the softer side of the Chinese philosophy on dual nature, represents the traditional slow presentation. Once the water temperature drops into the 40s you need to slow your presentation to a crawl. During this period advanced anglers will use a variety of finesse techniques, but by far the most prevalent technique is slow jerking a Smithwick Rogue.

Rogues have become synonymous with fishing in cold water. Chris Elder, a Bassmaster pro and 2003 Mr. Bass of Arkansas champion, earned the reputation of being a premier Rogue fisherman on the strength of an 11.2-pound largemouth he caught February 21, 2001 on a Clown Super Rogue at Arkansas’ Lake Ouachita.

Elder said the key to fishing a Rogue is making long casts and fishing it slow. Real slow. He uses 12 lb Super Silver Thread line and makes the longest casts he possibly can over areas such as humps or points that hold moss or grass.

"Keep your boat in 18-20 foot and cast into it," Elder said. "You ideally need six to eight-feet of water above the grass. Spots that you would catch breaking fish off of in the summertime. Spots where bass concentrate year round. It goes back to memory – where you remember bass being in spring, position themselves in humps and long points. They’re back in there in the wintertime, too."

The most important part of Elder’s presentation, however, is to fish slowly. Elder said he will often pause 30 seconds between jerks of his Rogue. He said the occasional twitch of a Rogue resembles a shad dying, which is a common occurrence in most southern reservoirs each winter.
"Take two jerks to get the Rogue to its desired depth, which is three to four feet in the strike zone, then work it real slow. I’ll pull it along just a little and then stop it. Then I twitch it and bump the line just to make the line tight again. Sometimes they’ll hit it then, and other times they hit it when you start the retrieve again. Always have your rod tip down. It will feel like a worm bite. They’ll hit it so hard sometimes it will make your rod tip jump. If you’re a smoking man you can smoke a whole cigarette before you move it sometimes."

Yang, the opposite of Yin, is using the unusual approach of a fast retrieve in cold temperatures. The textbook says you don’t use a quick retrieve in cold water conditions. However, Mitch Looper, a renowned trophy bass hunter from Hackett, Ark., says fish can’t read.

Looper, whose 14.41 largemouth caught at Arkansas’ Ozark City Lake is one of the largest northern strain largemouth ever caught, said he often uses a quick retrieve in winter. Particularly when the weather is at its worst.

"Fish are more active when a front is coming through with wind, rain and clouds," Looper said. "They will eat bigger baits that are retrieved at a faster speed. In those conditions I throw a Bomber 6A or a Bomber Fat Free Fingerling or Fry and crank hard, trying to bounce the lure off as many obstructions as possible. I don't really try to pause the bait, or slow it down, other than when I sense I am about to hang up. I basically crank these baits as hard as I can and the fish eat them. Even when the water is in the 40's, these conditions make bass more aggressive, so I am more aggressive with my retrieves."

Elder said he will also Yang instead of Yin when the weather turns bad.
It is at this time that Elder will pick up a 1/2 oz. Cotton Cordell Spot and burn it across the top of inside weedlines. Ideally, he said, you should cast as close to the bank and burn it back so it touches just the tip of the grass.

Hardly the presentation he gives bass with his Rogue.
"They will stop it like you ran into the back of a train," Elder said. "The Spot is good for covering a lot of ground. If you throw it long enough you’re guaranteed to catch five good fish with it. That’s why it is such a good tournament bait during this time of year."

Cold water fishing offers great rewards for those who are willing to brave the elements and greater rewards for those who understand the Yin and Yang of seasonal bass fishing.