Silver and chrome are about to take over

Hey, it's Keith.

When it comes to lures, nothing in the world of bass fishing is more scrutinized than color. That's never truer than in December.

When the water cools into the 40s and 50s, threadfin shad start grouping into tight balls that bass cannot resist.

It’s one of the few times of the year when schools of bass will actually push shad to the surface and explode on them.

Most anglers miss this window because they assume the fall feeding is over.

A few days ago, I made a quick morning trip with a Rat-L-Trap that reminded me exactly why silver and chrome lures shine this month. 

Today, I break down why silver colors catch more fish in December, and how the biology behind shad makes those flashy baits even more effective right now.

BEST LINKS

What I watched this week

• Fishing hot ponds in the dead of winter (Wired2Fish)

• Top 5 lures for winter bass (MONSTERBASS)

• Fishing for big bass in freezing temps (The Bass Cast)

• Ice fishing for bass (Anglers)

• Master crankbait fishing with Keith Carson: From shallow to deep (Wired2Fish)

Deals of the week

• Dick’s has a Rapala X-Rap Jerkbait marked down 39% from $13.99 to $8.97.

• Berkley has its jointed Flicker Shad on sale for $4.99 marked down from $6.99.

• Academy reduced the price on Magellan Outdoors Men’s Rubber Camp Boots from $49.99 to $34.99.

DEEP DIVE 

The moment I remembered why silver and chrome rule December

For those who love throwing jerkbaits and crankbaits, this month is prime time.

December is when threadfin shad start grouping up tight, and that always leads to one thing: schools of bass blowing up on them.

A few days after a cold front, I made my first December trip. It was about 45 degrees when I pulled up to the lake.

I was not planning on staying long since I had a doctor's appointment later that morning, so I walked straight to the nearest point and started on a small cove.

A light breeze was pushing water into the bank, so I pointed my first cast there.

Before I could even sling the swimbait, I noticed something out in the middle. A soft rolling ripple. Not wind. Not a bird. A tight school of shad on the surface.

I kept casting toward the cove, not thinking much of it, until I saw the unmistakable sight of bait skipping across the water. Then a pop. Then another. Then three or four explosions every few seconds.

This seems to always happen in December.

I opened my tacklebox and grabbed my chrome Rat-L-Trap, walking the bank to get closer to the school. I fired a long cast right past the bait and burned the Trap back. 

Nothing. Tried again. Nothing.

On the fourth cast, I slowed the retrieve and felt that solid thump. Before I could even set the hook, my line shot sideways. I leaned back and landed a chunky 1.5 pounder.

I followed the drifting school along the shoreline and picked up two more, a two pounder and one just under a pound.

Then it happened. A long cast. A hard hit. A heavier fish running sideways. And then . . . POP. My line snapped.

I crouched down knowing exactly what I had just lost. It must have been at least a four pounder. 

I dug through my tackle but was out of Rat-L-Traps, so I tied on an all chrome Zumverno jerkbait.

Before the school drifted out of reach, it produced three more bass.

If not for that doctor's appointment, who knows how many bass I would have caught that day. Needless to say, I am already planning my next trip after the upcoming cold front. And I will be stocked with every chrome jerkbait and crankbait I own.

Threadfin Shad Study

Don't just take my word on this. Researchers at Oak Ridge and the Tennessee Valley Authority conducted a study.

The study found that when water temperatures drop below about 7°–9°C (45°–50°F), threadfin shad begin showing signs of stress and are more likely to school tightly or suffer excess mortality.

In one laboratory test, shad swimming speed dropped sharply as temperatures declined, and their ability to avoid intake‐screen impingement deteriorated. 

Field observations in actual reservoirs echoed this: The greatest impingement of threadfin shad happened during colder winter months. 

What that means for you on the water

In December, with vulnerable shad grouped up in tight schools, not spread out, bass have a tremendous feeding opportunity.

The behavior and condition of shad make them easier targets, which is one reason why silver and chrome baits reflecting light like frozen baitfish work so well now.

Rat-L-Trap, Cotton Cordell, and Bandit all have a great selection of chrome- and silver-colored crankbaits. 

A few things to remember in December

Shad slide deeper but rise when bass push them up.

Gizzard shad tend to move deeper and become less active when water drops below the mid-50s. Bass know this and often trap shad against breaks, channels, or even the surface when the school gets disrupted.

Winter water is usually clearer.

Cold fronts knock out algae, and that clearer water makes flash stand out even more. Chrome baits throw light farther and mimic the shine of real shad scales.

Flash becomes more important than color.

Fish respond more to movement and flash than subtle differences in color during winter. That is why a chrome bait, ripping through or falling through a ball of shad, looks almost identical to the real thing.

Top lures for December and how to retrieve them 

• Chrome lipless cranks: Burn them, then kill them. Most strikes come on the fall. My favorite lipless crank to use in December is the Rat-L-Trap in Bleeding Shiner color. It’s got a lot of flash and I like the touch of blood near the gills. 

• Chrome jerkbaits: Use long pauses. That flash on the fall mimics a dying shad perfectly. The Zumverno 115SP MR is a beautifully crafted crankbait that excels in casting distance. Plus, during the “pause” the bait remains moving as there is an internal mirror set on a swivel that lets it flicker even while not being moved. 

• Chrome blades and spoons: Drop them under bait balls and pop them upward. It matches a wounded shad falling behind the school. When it comes to spoons, it’s awfully hard to beat the Johnson’s Silver Minnow. While it’s my favorite lure for redfish, I have done a ton of damage on December bass with it.