Best places to fish shallow in winter? 2025

PLfishing reply :

Quick question. I am a shallow fisherman and shallow fisherman only. What are your favorite places in a lake to fish shallow in the winter?

Thanks.

Catt reply :

South Texas, South Louisiana, & South Florida ????

PLfishing reply :

Sorry I wasn't clear. I meant which parts of a lake should I fish shallow in winter

OCdockskipper reply :

The parts of the lake that are in South Texas, South Louisiana & South Florida.

PLfishing reply :

Sorry I mesnt, best places in a lake to fish shallow

jbsoonerfan reply :

When the sun is out, but it is cold outside, go lay in the grass and then go lay on the rocks. Which is warmer? If I were a fish, that is where I would go.

IgotWood reply :

At this point in the season, I normally find shallow water fish in, or close to the big spawning areas. Not sure if coincidence, or if there is something to it.

PLfishing reply :

On 1/30/2019 at 11:26 AM, jbsoonerfan said:

When the sun is out, but it is cold outside, go lay in the grass and then go lay on the rocks. Which is warmer? If I were a fish, that is where I would go.

What if its overcast?

Bluebasser86 reply :

Fish shallow water where the sun is hitting that is very close to deeper water. Shallow water shelves at the top of steep drops where fish can pull up to feed and move vertically quickly are your best bets.

jbsoonerfan reply :

Depends on the lake. I'm looking for shallow water next to deep water. But if you don't know the depth then I don't know.

Glaucus reply :

I get that you're asking about shallow water, but sometimes it isn't practical and rather than staying comfortable, you need to learn new things; in this case, going deeper.

jbsoonerfan reply :

On 1/30/2019 at 12:21 PM, Glaucus said:

I get that you're asking about shallow water, but sometimes it isn't practical and rather than staying comfortable, you need to learn new things; in this case, going deeper.

Maybe he fishes from the bank. Been there myself.

Bluebasser86 reply :

There's always fish shallow. One of my top 5 of the year last year was a 6.5lb fish in 3' of 41* water in January. A shallow, rocky shelf next to the river channel that she'd pulled up to feed on.

ClackerBuzz reply :

On 1/30/2019 at 12:17 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

Fish shallow water where the sun is hitting that is very close to deeper water. Shallow water shelves at the top of steep drops where fish can pull up to feed and move vertically quickly are your best bets.

This^

Fish shallow near those tight contour lines on map. Very easy to find and fish from a boat. Very difficult to find/fish from the bank. Still possible but shoreline real estate is much more restricted due to private property, thick brush etc.

PLfishing reply :

On 1/30/2019 at 12:26 PM, jbsoonerfan said:

Maybe he fishes from the bank. Been there myself.

I fish from a boat, but I fish shallow because pros like Greg hackney only fish shallow without a problem. Im just not a fan of finesse fishing, but I'll eventually practice it because I fish a lot of hs tournaments and I just don't think fishing shallow in winter is cutting the mustard.

jbsoonerfan reply :

On 1/30/2019 at 1:18 PM, Preston Logan said:

I fish from a boat, but I fish shallow because pros like Greg hackney only fish shallow without a problem. Im just not a fan of finesse fishing, but I'll eventually practice it because I fish a lot of hs tournaments and I just don't think fishing shallow in winter is cutting the mustard.

I hear that. If I am in 15 FOW then I am out of my comfort zone. Like I said earlier, I would look for rock or even sand that is next to deep water. However, I also like to throw to deep water with a crankbait, lipless or jerkbait. Bass will feed up and I will try to catch them. Ten years ago, I would fish 3-8 FOW all day, no matter the time of year or conditions.

The Bassman reply :

I spook fish off the banks all year long in the small waters I fish. May be different in bigger lakes. I fish the sunward side and if there's a breeze blowing toward me all the better (as long as it's not too cold). Under 40 I need to keep the wind behind me for obvious reasons.

Allaroundfishing reply :

Everyone stresses that rocks are best and i agree they are good but a sand to rock transition is also pretty good especially if theres a bit of structure on it i.e trees,stumps etc. I too prefer to fish shallow but im starting to get more comfortable fishing deeper water. my best advice is fish shallow with confidence then try fishing a point from shallow to deep. Using the same stuff a T. Rig, shallow crankbait (dt-6 is my favorite for fishing shallow winter water) and a jig or what ever else you use up shallow. Its never a bad idea to fish your confidence then move out of your comfort zone and try, even if you dont commit to it just try it and see how you like it.

bagofdonuts reply :

In my home water 15’ is deep. I look for steep banks on the north shore, hard bottom, near spawning areas and deeper water, and woody cover. If i can put all that together its usually golden. Oh, and it needs to be out of the current if your river fishing.

lo n slo reply :

fwiw, concrete boat ramps, rip rap, and floating docks all retain heat, especially those with southern exposure to available sunlight and sheltered from northerly winds. deeper water close by is always a plus. target calm and sunny afternoons during warming tends.

BassWhole! reply :

On 1/30/2019 at 10:36 AM, OCdockskipper said:

The parts of the lake that are in South Texas, South Louisiana & South Florida.

Yeah, everything except WWDs are solid here right now, and probably will be for a week or more. Stone crab claws and grilled Mahi sandwiches are sounding really good right now, like the commercial says, "close to perfect, far from normal". We were also talking about maybe spending a couple of weeks between Pensacola and New Orleans, just bumming around and basking a bit.

OCdockskipper reply :

On 1/30/2019 at 11:26 AM, jbsoonerfan said:

When the sun is out, but it is cold outside, go lay in the grass and then go lay on the rocks. Which is warmer? If I were a fish, that is where I would go.

I believe that if you were a fish & you left the water to lay in either the grass or the rocks, you would probably die after a few minutes, no matter how warm either was...

Unless you were one of those walking catfish.

scaleface reply :

Look for the steeper banks Especially if they are facing the sun .

Catt reply :

On 1/30/2019 at 12:17 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

Fish shallow water where the sun is hitting that is very close to deeper water. Shallow water shelves at the top of steep drops where fish can pull up to feed and move vertically quickly are your best bets.

On 1/30/2019 at 12:29 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

There's always fish shallow. One of my top 5 of the year last year was a 6.5lb fish in 3' of 41* water in January. A shallow, rocky shelf next to the river channel that she'd pulled up to feed on.

Winter, spring, summer, or fall

Shallow or deep

Ya wanna look at the structure first!

My PB 12.5#, Rat-L-Trap, 3-5' of water, early February ????

FCPhil reply :

I look for shallow cover close to deep water. Even better if the sun is hitting it as perpendicularly as possible (think north bank when sun is low to the south).

Jerkbaits and bottom baits are where I would start.

2tall79 reply :

In my part of the world, our SE winds are usually the warmest so I usually look to northern bays and shorelines in early spring.

BassNJake reply :

On 1/30/2019 at 1:18 PM, Preston Logan said:

I fish from a boat, but I fish shallow because pros like Greg hackney only fish shallow without a problem. Im just not a fan of finesse fishing, but I'll eventually practice it because I fish a lot of hs tournaments and I just don't think fishing shallow in winter is cutting the mustard.

Me: I only fish shallow because pros like Greg Hackney do so without a problem

Also Me: I just don't think fishing shallow in winter is cutting the mustard

Dont limit yourself because of someone else's ability.

If you are tournament fishing you need to be able to adjust to the conditions on the water for that given day.

When you can figure out some of the variables below, it allows for a more educated guess as to what some of the fish are doing at that particular time on that body of water.

Sometimes fish will be tight to cover/structure

Sometimes fish will roam around

Sometimes the sun will be shining

Sometimes it will be cloudy

Sometimes fish will be aggressive

Sometimes fish will be passive

Sometimes fish will prefer a larger bait

Sometimes fish will prefer a smaller bait

Sometimes fish will relate to the bottom

Sometime fish will suspend in the water

Sometimes the fish will be up shallow

Sometimes the wind will be blowing

Sometimes there will be no wind

Lets say you see fish feeding on shad, busting at the waters surface.

You know the fish are aggressive and feeding on shad on the surface.

You might be able to catch a couple fish during this feeding time.

So whats next? Drive around the lake, find fish feeding on shad at the surface and bomb topwaters their way?

Not a real successful pattern to try and run.

A better approach would be to drive over the spot where the fish had the shad pushed to the surface, using your electronics you could figure out a few more keys that might put you in the right area. Were the fish on a break line such as a point or a ledge or were they on a flat? How deep? Was there a ditch/drain on the flat? Near the main channel or in a feeder creek? Anything else that stands out ... gravel bottom or chunk rock ... weeds? if so what type?

After you gather that data you can look for other areas in the lake that are similar. This allows you to possibly predict where the fish might be before they chase the shad to the surface.

A long post to emphasize fishing constantly changes and so should you.

roadwarrior reply :

Well, there are fish up shallow, but the higher percentage is deeper this time of year.

Fish primary points and the dam.

stratoliner92 reply :

This ^^^

flyfisher reply :

if that is all you fish, shouldn't we be asking you that question?

PLfishing reply :

On 1/31/2019 at 8:48 AM, flyfisher said:

if that is all you fish, shouldn't we be asking you that question?

Well it's always nice to have a second opinion. ????

TnRiver46 reply :

Mud flats in the back of coves where your trolling motor kicks up clouds. That's the winter pattern around here. Sunshine warms this water quickest therefore that's where the shad are avoiding freezing to death

Disclaimer: I cannot successfully do this but the guys that weigh in 5 fish for 40 lbs are pretty good at it. I fish for deep smallmouth mostly. Shallow is not my thing . However, I do cast net a lot of shad and I can confirm there's a billion of them in the back of the coves all winter long

Sam reply :

Preston, I have not read what was penned above so you may have been told this already. But here it goes, maybe for a second or third time.

WEST AND NORTH BANKS

The sun warms the water on the western and northern banks first during the day and the bass will gravitate to the warmer water to hit the baitfish or just sun themselves.

SHADOWS
Keep out of the shadows of any trees, branches, docks, piers, wharfs, boats, or the shadow side of anything in the water. The bass are seeking warmer water and you need to fish where the sun's rays hit the bank and water.

WIND

Fish where the wind is blowing. If the wind or a breeze is blowing onto the western and northern banks you will have a great place to fish where the bass go after the baitfish and crawfish that the wind stirs up. Note the bank where the wind is blowing the water and fish that area.

WOOD, BLOW DOWNS, ROCKS

Fish any wood, blow downs (trees) or rocks that can absorb the heat, especially rocks. Rocks and rip rap are great at heating up from the sun's rays and the bass will hang around rocks and wood. Look for rocks on the bank or in the water.

STICKUPS

Fish any "stickups" meaning anything isolated sticking out of the water, like a branch or a piece of wood. Hit it from a number of angles. The bass will sit by it on the sunny side thinking they are safe from predators and waiting for a baitfish to swim by.

EXPENDING ENERGY

Mother Nature is great. She has instilled in the bass the idea that they are not to expend any unnecessary energy searching for or feeding on baitfish. This means that the bass will just hang out in the warmer water and wait for a snack to swim by. And sometimes you actually have to hit the bass on its head with your bait before it will be interested in your bait. So throw to your targets multiple times to get the bass aggravated so they will kill your bait out of frustration.

FISH SLOW

You have to have patience and fish slow. It will drive you crazy, but you have to take your finesse worm and cast it out and let it sink to the bottom and just sit there for at least 120 seconds. Then twitch it a little and move it a little and let it sit for another 120 seconds. And repeat it again and again until you lift your bait out of the water. This is called "dead sticking" and in cold water the bass will finally hit your bait. Then again, they may not be interested.

Same goes for your spinnerbaits, crankbaits and lipless crankbaits. Be sure to hit anything you can to get a ricochet that will get the bass' attention and make them hit it. Throw to the same target multiple times from different angles and try to hit the target with every retrieve.

Read what everyone suggests; add my two cents into the formula; and go out there and give it a try.

Good luck.

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Best places to fish shallow in winter? 2025

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