Cold Water Bass Baits

With the water temps getting colder it is time for me to stock up my jig box for the winter and coming spring.   I basically use 3 different sizes/styles for most all my cold water jig fishing.  

The first is a 1/2 oz. silicone skirted jig that I use for flippin/pitchin/casting.  I use this primarily as a craw imitation so the colors and trailer styles reflect that.....but I do carry a few that are tied up in baits colors. 

(Actually most of this batch is in baitfish colors because not to long ago I made several in my preferred craw colors of green pumpkin/chartreuse, brown/orange & black/blue)

The second is a bullet head swim jig, this one is usually around a 1/2 oz. also, but is normally tied with some sort of synthetic hair in various baitfish colors.  The trailer for this style is most always some sort of paddle tail swimbait....or maybe a curly tail grub.

The last model is a finesse jig....it usually weighs a 1/4oz (sometimes less) and is dressed with hair, either natural or synthetic.   These may represent either small craws, shad or minnows.   The trailers for these is usually a 3-4" straight tailed, soft plastic minnow in a color that matches the jig color.

   

Usually one of these 3 will get some bites on most days during winter and all the way though spring and into early summer....actually a jig is hard to beat year around.

Here's a few photos that show the bare heads that have been painted and epoxied, ready for dressing.......along with the packs of dressing that I used for this batch.

Also some photos of the finished jigs ready to go into the box. 

   

A pretty good assortment of jig styles and colors.

1/4 oz. Finesse Jigs

1/2oz Casting/Flippin/Pitchin Jigs

1/2oz Bullet Head Swim Jigs.

Coyote Crossing

Awhile back I posted some images of a deer that was swimming across the creek. In that post I talked about some of the other things I've seen swimming the creek.   A few days ago I added another species to the list of creek swimmers....a coyote.   This must have been a old male judging by of the size of this thing.   Even as big as it was, it was extremely quiet......I never heard any sound as he entered the water some 50 yards or so behind me, I just happened to turn around and see it swimming.   It was able to swim so fast that by the time I got my camera picked up, turned on and focused on him he had nearly crossed the creek....you can see the wake he is making as he swims across.   After 4 quick photos he was out of the water and gone

Natures Preparation For Winter

A few days ago while I was fishing along the bank in one of my favorite creeks I noticed this big red squirrel.   While I see lots of squirrels while fishing, most are either chasing each other around, eating nuts high up in the trees or rummaging around on the ground looking for nuts.......but this squirrel was obviously getting ready for winter by building itself a nest, which is something you don't get to witness very often.

It would come to the ground dig through plies of leaves until it found just the right leaf or two ....then it would carry them back up the tree and into it's den. Some leaves would go in the hole easily but some took a lot of effort to get them in the hole....some he was able to push right in, while others he would have to go inside and then pull and tug to get them in.

After one especially hard bunch of leaves, in which he worked on for several minutes, he paused so I took these quick photos.

All I can figure is.....

He either needed a break after such a tough bunch of leaves

.........or........

Was admiring his chosen view for the winter

.....or.....

Was looking for the next bunch of "perfect leaves" to line his den.

......but more likely....

He was wondering what this guy was doing floating around in the water,  working so hard to catch a little fish...and when he did finally catch one,  he would just hold it up, admire it, then release it.

Who knows what goes through the minds of animals like this but he seemed to be content to just relax for awhile as he remained like this for quite some time.

You just gotta love the wonders of nature.