Your Hobie Angler Pro 14 is a great rig for winter fishing. It’s large, comfortable, and stable, making it perfect for cold weather angling. You’ll be less likely to tip it, and will have plenty of room to bring along a few extra accessories that you’ll need in the cold.
Plus, in the winter, you’ll likely have your honey hole to yourself, and many spots get less pressure as the summer crowds stay inside or take to the field to take advantage of other seasons.
But, what do you need to be successful? Here are some high level tips.
Know What to Bring
First things first, you need to stay comfortable (and safe) on the water. You won’t be catching fish if you’re so cold you can’t think straight.
- Dress in layers. Wear a warm base layer and mid-layer (wool is great because it doesn’t lose its thermal insulation properties even if it gets wet) as well as a waterproof, windproof shell.
- Make sure you bring a PFD and wear it too, if required to do so by law, as that is the case in many jurisdictions.
- Make sure you have a flashlight in case you get stuck on the water after dark.
- Bring along some food and water to stay hydrated and energized on the water.
Know Where to Fish
In the winter, it’s all about finding the fish. Here are a few tips.
- Bring electronics and look for fish suspended in the water column. When it gets cold, sometimes bass, bluegill, crappie and perch will seek the open water where they will remain suspended, moving little until something worth eating drifts by.
- Target shallow water with a dark bottom on sunny days, as the dark bottom will absorb sunlight and warm the water considerably, compared to the surrounding areas. Fish midday in these areas.
- Fish the north short of lakes in the northern hemisphere, as the north shore gets the most sunlight in the winter, which can warm the water.
- Target areas of manmade discharge, such as from power plants, where the water will be consistently warmer in the winter, thereby attracting fish.
Know How and What to Fish
Once you find the fish, or at least the areas where they should be congregating, your winter technique is going to need a little tweaking to remain successful.
- As a general rule fish more slowly, as slowly as you can. In the winter, fish move as little as possible and will tend to stay motionless unless something worth expending energy to capture gets within range.
- Following, if fishing plugs or plastics, consider sizing up your bait. Fish may be more likely to strike a larger lure in the winter because a bigger bait is worth the energy required to eat it.
- Spoons and plugs generally produce well in the winter. If fishing with a spoon, consider slowly jigging and twitching it, fishing vertically. As for plugs, choose a suspending model and twitch it very slowly.
- Spinnerbaits can produce in the winter, especially on milder days, and those with bright sunlight. Roll them slowly over thick cover where fish may be hiding, retrieving just quickly enough so that the blade turns.
- If you can’t get strikes on artificials, don’t be a snob about switching to cut bait. When fish get lockjaw in the winter they can often still be coaxed into eating a piece of real food.
Get Out There
Armed with these tips, you should be able to boat at least a few fish this winter, no matter where you fish. Now all that’s left for you to do is to mark your calendar and make it happen. Load up the Hobie Angler Pro 14, get out there and be safe!
