Seasonal Fishing Techniques

Shallow, dark-bottomed bays and the north-facing banks (in sun) warm first, and fish and bait follow them. After a few sunny days a bay can be 5-10 degrees warmer than the main lake. Start there and work outward.

Cold water means sluggish fish. Use jigs, suspending jerkbaits and slow-rolled spinnerbaits with long pauses. Once water passes about 55F, switch to faster reaction baits.

Walleye, white bass, suckers and trout run up creeks and rivers to spawn. Creek mouths, current seams and the first deep hole below a dam are prime. Fish low light and be ready for crowds.

Bass and panfish guard beds in the shallows, and many states have special seasons or closures. Check your regulations, take photos quickly and release bed fish gently so the nest survives.

Dawn, dusk and night beat midday heat. Topwater at first light, then go deeper as the sun climbs. Many walleye, catfish and big bass feed best after dark.

In stratified lakes the comfortable band of cooler, oxygen-rich water sits 15-30 feet down. A fish finder shows baitfish and fish stacked at that line. Fish just above it.

Docks, laydowns, weed edges, bridges and bluff walls give shade and ambush spots. Flip and pitch jigs and soft plastics tight to cover for bass and panfish.

Dam tailwaters, inflowing creeks and wind-blown points bring cooler, oxygen-rich water and active fish. Trolling crankbaits or spinner rigs covers water fast when the fish are scattered.

As water cools, shad and minnows push into creeks and coves, and predators follow. Find the bait on your sonar, then fish the edges of the school.

Crankbaits, spinnerbaits, swimbaits and lipless cranks cover water and trigger strikes from hungry fish. Match the bait color to what the fish are eating.

When surface water cools and sinks, the lake mixes and fish can scatter for a week or two. Look for the clearest water, fish wind-blown banks and slow down until it settles.

Cool water is prime time for the big predators. Large bucktails, jerkbaits and big swimbaits worked along weed edges and points can produce the fish of the year.

No ice is safe ice. Check thickness with a spud or auger, carry ice picks, never go alone and avoid moving water and pressure ridges. See our ice fishing basics guide.

Cold fish hold near deep structure and barely move. Vertical jigging spoons and small jigs with long pauses, tipped with live bait, make the difference.

Dam tailraces, warm-water discharges and southern lakes stay fishable all winter. Trout, walleye and winter bass bite when you slow your presentation way down.

Crappie, bluegill and perch bite tiny jigs, spikes and waxworms under ice. Use light line, a sensitive rod and a spring bobber to see subtle bites.