I overheard some Arkansas fishermen discussing their sport this week.
“I can’t wait until this cold weather ends and the fish start biting again,” one said.
“Me, too,” another said. “I like to hunt, but fishing is more my thing. I’m eager to get on the water again when spring rolls around.”
I wanted to interrupt their conversation and tell them the fish never stopped biting. Casting a bait or lure can be just as productive in winter as other times of year. But I decided to mind my own business.
One of the reasons I like to fish this time of year is the lack of other anglers on the water. I often have my favorite winter fishing holes all to myself — a fact I greatly enjoy. And I knew I wouldn’t bump into these two anglers if held my tongue.
I considered this when I sat down to write this article. Why should I tell you how to catch fish this season when there’s a greater chance I’ll find you on my favorite honeyhole if I share my knowledge? Well, not telling you would just be downright unneighborly of me, and I don’t want to be a poor sport. After all, Arkansas has plenty of great winter fishing holes where all of us can enjoy fishing together. So I pushed my stinginess aside and decided to tell you about three fish that bite eagerly, even on the coldest days.
You’ll have to wear plenty of warm clothes to enjoy a day on the water this winter, but if you’re a hardy individual willing to dress comfortably, you can employ some of the tactics described below and expect to go home with mess of good-eating fish for the dinner table. I hope you’re successful if you try.
Catfish
Flathead catfish don’t tolerate cold water very well. In winter, they lie inactively in deep holes in a state of semihibernation.
Fortunately, Arkansas’ other two big catfish — the channel cat and blue cat — feed actively throughout even the coldest winters. And they can be easier to catch than you might imagine.
You might try catching these whiskered warriors in one of the state’s big lakes or rivers, but for the fastest action this season, I recommend fishing a farm pond. Most ponds are stocked with one or the other species, and if you place a bait in the right spot, you’re likely to catch one fish after another for hours.
Start by obtaining permission to fish from the pond owner, then asking him or her to point out the deepest hole in the pond. During cold weather, that’s where most cats will be. Fish from a boat if you can, lowering your bait straight down into the hole. My typical rig consists of a 5/0 Daiichi octopus hook with a couple of split shot crimped on the line a foot above. When it reaches the bottom, I turn the reel handle a few cranks so the bait is a foot or so above the substrate, where cats can better detect it. When bank fishing, I use a 1-ounce Rubbercor sinker instead of split shot and add a small cigar-shaped crappie cork on the line between the hook and sinker to float the bait just off the bottom.
Chicken liver is a top bait in this situation. Cats quickly zero in on the scent and taste of poultry blood dissolving from the tissue. Some catfish anglers prefer frozen livers because they stay on the hook better, but fresh liver has more cat-attracting qualities. Weave the hook through each piece several times, and you shouldn’t have too much of a problem keeping the liver on the hook.
Don’t sit in one spot too long. If a cat is nearby, you’ll have a bite before 15 minutes passes. If you don’t, move a short distance, and try again. Once you find the sweet spot, you’ll have little trouble catching enough cats for a delicious winter fish fry.
Crappie
Arkansans love the scrappy, scrumptious crappie. Only largemouth bass and catfish equal this panfish in popularity. Nevertheless, few Natural State anglers fish for crappie in winter because finding schools can be difficult when the water is cold.
That’s no reason to avoid cold-weather crappie fishing, however. If you’re willing to spend some time using a fish-finder to zero in on good fishing spots, the crappie you find are likely to quickly gobble up a minnow or jig dropped into the strike zone.
Winter crappie often hold along creek channel drop-offs and other edge areas in lakes. You can fish such a location much easier if you mark it with several buoys. Locate the drop-off with a depth-finder; then slowly follow the edge. Throw out a marker buoy each time you cross a certain depth — 10 feet, for instance. Continue placing the buoys, about 20 feet apart, until you’ve used them all. Now you have a visible image of the edge, and can fish it more thoroughly for crappie.
Many baits and lures will nab winter crappie, but one of the best is an old-fashioned jigging spoon worked with a vertical presentation. Position your boat beside the target structure where your fish-finder shows fish; then lower the lure to the bottom. Take up slack, sweep your rod tip upward 1 to 3 feet, and slowly drop the rod tip, letting the spoon free-fall but keeping “in touch” with it at all times. Repeat, and be attentive for pickups as the lure falls.
Where you catch one crappie, there are likely to be dozens, so don’t abandon your fishing hole too soon. In winter, catching a limit can be a cinch if you find them.
Smallmouth Bass
For some real pole-bending action, a winter float on one of the state’s Ozark or Ouachita Mountain streams is hard to beat. Smallmouth bass inhabit nearly all these waters, and cold water doesn’t deter them from feeding in the least.
Many Arkansas smallmouth fans prefer live baits, particularly crayfish and minnows. However, any artificial designed to imitate the smallmouth’s natural prey will usually prove productive. Plastic worms and salamanders, crayfish- and minnow-imitation crankbaits, and the pork-frog/jig combination are all worth trying.
Try casting slightly upstream and letting the bait drift with the current on a slack line. Guide the lure past and behind as many large rocks as you can pick out, hopping it along with short flips of your rod tip. Make the retrieve slow, too.
This time of year, you’ll find a pervasive feeling of peace and quiet on most of these streams. No boats. No tourists. Just a relaxing “away-from-it-all” atmosphere. Best of all, when you set the hook on one of those cold-water smallmouths, you’ll enjoy the incomparable fun that’s sure to ensue when the bass goes airborne and tailwalks across the water. It only takes a few fights like that to warm you up and make you forget all about the winter cold.