The neat thing about cold-water bass fishing is you only need a handful of lures to catch fish.

Each winter I unload several dozen boxes of top-water plugs, crankbaits, soft plastics lures, hooks and sinkers from my boat. I do carry a very small selection of crankbaits just in case the fish aren’t on the bottom but I rarely crank in cold water.

When I do crank, I use a Bomber model 7A or 6A. The model A’s have a slow, sluggish wobble, an action bass seem to prefer when water temps are below 58 degrees.

The majority of my winter fishing is done with three lures. A jig with some type of pork or plastic trailer is responsible for more tournament wins and tricking more bass during the colder months that any lure made. Jigs come in many sizes, styles and colors.

I prefer a heavy jig, but at times a lighter jig will produce more strikes. Choosing the weight of your lure should be determined by water depth and wind. It is impossible to keep a light jig on the bottom in 20 feet of water on a windy day. A heavier jig head will make better contact with the bottom and allow you to feel your way through the cover.

If the wind is slack and you’re fishing thin water a 7/16th ounce jig is a better choice. Occasionally bass in cold water will strike a lure on the initial fall.

If you feel the fish pecking a heavy jig as it falls, switch to a lighter jig. Color selection does not have to be complicated. A jig represents a crawfish therefore color combinations of brown, black, green, blue, orange and red will work. Crawfish in this area during the winter tend to be more of a green or olive color with a mix of brown, black and sometimes orange.

You can cast, pitch, flip and skip a jig. Presentations range from swimming the jig at mid-depths to dragging it slowly along the bottom. I drag a jig the majority of the time, especially during the winter. It’s painstaking slow but dragging a jig in depths ranging from 15 to 30 feet will produce big bass when no other presentation will work.

Jigging spoons fished vertical is my second favorite cold water lure. It’s virtually impossible to fish a spoon with success without a good sonar unit. Turn the unit on and idle around until you locate deep schools of baitfish. Drop the spoon through the bait and use a slow up and down presentation just inches off the bottom. You never know what you’ll catch when fishing the spoon. Bass, crappie, stripers, catfish, and freshwater drum will strike the spoon.

If there is any bottom moss present like hydrilla or coontail a Rat-L-Trap is hard to beat. Fish the edges of the grass. Allow the Trap to fall to the bottom and snag in the moss. Jerk your rod tip up and snatch the lure free of the moss and let it fall. Hang on. This is a deadly method for big bass in cold water.

Eddie Roberts writes a weekly fishing column for The Natchez Democrat. Reach him at

fishingwitheddie@highstream.net

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