Many Ohio lakes have been drawn down to winter pool, leaving dry & exposed the normal shallow water areas bass hang out in. So, where do bass hang out until the lake fills back up in the Spring? Here are a few tips on finding bass in winter pool/ drawn down lakes.
First of all, don’t look too far from where you normally fish. Bass don’t swim too far away from their full pool area. Most likely, they are hanging out in nearby waters. Its a good likelihood you will find bass right at the break from shallow flats (which may be out of the water ) to deeper waters.
Deeper docks are now your shallow docks. Many of these are passed up during the summer, so they may be less pressured. Skipping a slow sinking lure under the dock may trigger a strike from a nearby bass. Give these sluggish fish a minute to take the bait. They move much slower in colder water. Steeper banks also indicae deeper water you may want to check out.
Finally the ends of points. The points most likely are at least partially out of the water, and if bass usually hang out around the point, they probably are around the tip of the point, or deeper drop off side of the point. Creek channels, especially bends in creek channels, are another place where winter bass will hang out.
Winter pool is a time to slow down, fish smaller waters and check out what the draw down reveals about the places you typically fish during full pool. Have fun trying to catch bass, but don’t let the opportunity to observe pass you by.
