Cold water habits of Guadalupe Bass...

   Fish tend to be creatures of habits, and if you can pattern them, you can catch them. Therein lies the problem though, the patterns change like the clouds in the sky. As we enter the winter, the water temperature inevitable drops with the air temperatures. For cold-blooded animals like fish, who cannot regulate their own body temperature, we expect to see trends in activity based on temperature. Remember that changes in air temperature and water temperature aren't directly correlated all of the time. Don't think, that because it is sunny, the water is warming. This is generally the case, but water keeps cooler for longer than air would. 

   Also remember that presentation is key during the winter. Now is the time to hone your skills when presenting various lures. Remember that on some lures, you just can't slow down their appearance with your retrieve speed. A curly tailed grub will always appear to have a fast tail as it swirls around, and while I love these during the summer, I usually only use them during the winter when jigging pools.

   A larger fish can be a choosy fish. They conserve their energy for the perfect meal, even if this means passing perfectly presented worms. Sometimes a big bass just wants a bigger meal. Don't hesitate to throw some of your larger lures, you'd be surprised, how big a river bass can get (10+ lbs. for the Guadalupe Largemouth record).

    When we consider water temperature of a water body, we have to compare it to the average temperature, of that same water body. You can't assume that the fish in the Guadalupe move slower than in the Comal because the Comal is warmer. However, if the average temperature of the Guadalupe River below Canyon Dam is 63 degrees, and after a cold-front drops down to 56 degrees, we can reasonably assume the fish are moving slower than they would have been.

   Let's look at Guadalupe Bass for a moment. I've mentioned their habits in this post, so let's see how a decrease in water temperature effects Guads.

Colder is slower...

   Everything moves slower when it's cold outside. I do, the mailman does and the fish do. Naturally, when a cold-blooded animal is cold, they slow down, and they expect other cold-blooded animals (like their intended prey, smaller fish, amphibians and insects) to slow down also. Don't get all crazy with your lure. The slower it is, generally, the slower the presentation should be.

   When the water is shallow (6' or less) I often will take a weightless brush hog, cast it upstream and let it fall down the water column as the current drifts it back to me. Once it rests on the bottom I leave it there. Leave it for a few minutes the first few times (especially if you can sight cast a bass). I've had fish strike a lure minutes after I casted it. They'll slowly swim up to it and give it a soft nibble before inhaling it.

   If the fall and rest method doesn't work, I'll switch to a slow pop 15 seconds after my bait rests on the bottom. Usually I perform this by reeling in the slack and giving the rod tip a lift. This will raise the lure up a few inches and (depending on flow) will deposit it a few inches downstream.

   After a few seconds I start a slow retrieve, dragging the bait along the river bottom, mimicking a slow crawl. If these slow, methodical, bottom brushing maneuvers aren't working, I switch it up.

   If the water is flowing, and deeper than 6', I'll cast out and allow the bait to drop to about 2-4' off the bottom of the riverbed. I then begin a slow retrieve, just fast enough to work the action of the lure.

Find them in the pools...

   If you can find a pool, don't hesitate to use a jighead to get down to the bottom. Just remember to work it slowly across the bottom. Don't forget your diving cranks and spinners also. If the water temperature is below average I usually start off with a retrieve just barely quick enough to work the lure properly.

   Oftentimes these pools are lined with cypress roots and rock formations near the banks. Try to get a cast parallel to the bank and present your lure in a few different fashions as you retrieve down the bank. Guads love to hole up in root balls and bank washouts.

Waiting for the sun...

    This awesome song by The Doors is my theme song during the winters. We know that on a winter morning we may wake up with ice, but by 2pm it might be 65 degrees. A quick increase in air temperature livens us, and while the water temperature may not rise as significantly during that time period, the fish feel every little degree. As it warms up, so do they. Expect the bite to turn on as the cold water warms up. 

   Last weekend while fishing the Guadalupe, a morning fog kept the bite slow, but by 11am, after the clouds had lifted it turned on. I caught 19 bass, 17 after 11am (off the water by 3pm). Friends reported similar activity on the San Marcos, Comal and Colorado Rivers. The second day of full sun was just as good as the wife and I caught sunfish and cichlids all afternoon.

   Don't let the cold keep you from fishing. The fish still bite, you just have to serve their dish cold!