Fish dead-ends of bluffs, pea gravel, chunk rock, rock slides on bluffs and channel swings in major creeks in the coldest winter months. Slowly fish a 1/2-ounce jig with a strike-tempting trailer on 12- to 14-pound-test line by crawling it on the bottom and dragging it over the rocks to catch some of the biggest bass of the year.

When warming fronts come through, the ends of bluffs, main channel points and even the secondary points in coves will produce big bass, particularly when you fish a suspended jerkbait in the shad pattern on 10-pound-test line. Use a chrome jerkbait with blue-black on a bright, sunny day and a brighter colored lure after rain in run-off water. If neither a warm front or a cold front moves through, fish soft and hard jerkbaits over deep water close to shallow water.

Jerkbaits sink slowly down to the lethargic bass suspended in a water column and entice them to bite. In open water, fish a hard jerkbait with treble hooks. However, if the bait’s falling all the way down into the cover, fish a Texas-rigged, soft jerkbait.

Fish shad-colored jerkbaits, or in stained water either a black- or purple-black-colored jerkbait on 10-pound-test line. Use a twitch-twitch-pause rhythm, and sometimes give a three-count before moving the bait.