Finesse Time in Cold

Finesse Time in Cold

Finesse fishing is generally not my thing, but it has its place in fact, many have heard me verbalize it. It’s true I am not but a fan, however I believe we have reached a time in the coldest part of the year where working finesse baits might be your best alternative, and the easiest way to catch a fish.

All I can say is don’t shoot the messenger, the cold water will slow the bite and power fishing is hit-and-miss and it seems the best way to have success is to downsize some and slow down your presentation. The few finesse presentations I revert too is first fishing a shaky head; a small 1/8 oz. shaky head rigged with a small finesse worm or a sinko type worm fished along the grass edges will get you bites and many times it can be a good fish. Just be patient, work it slowly and find some productive water; it’s also a bait that can ignite small schools of fish, it has that tantalizing drop that ignites bites. I am also high on fishing a weightless sinko rigged with a big hook and maybe even a swivel to contain the line twist especially if you’re a spinning rod fisherman when your finesse fishing. The sinko goes back many years to the introduction of what has been called dead sticking; meaning you work it very slow, let the drop of the bait be the action and just be patient. Many times, working a sinko in grass that seems to have holes in it where the bait drops slowly into the holes especially in low light conditions can be great.

Don’t overlook the fact that both these presentations can be worked in deep water; if you scan the bottom and find a school of fish in deep water both of these presentations will catch you fish and maybe even win a tournament. It takes patience, it takes a commitment to let that bait get to the bottom, but if you can stand the wait the results are worth it. Many times on the newest Lowrance technology you can actually see the bait drop on your electronics and watch the results right before your very eyes. Technology advances make it easy! Patience make it a success.