I caught 20 bass off one spot and missed the reason for decades

Hey, Keith here.

January bank fishing can be discouraging. There’s often no baitfish activity to read, and it can get downright uncomfortable.

You might fish for hours without ever identifying a pattern. For years, I fished right past a surprisingly reliable January structure without ever realizing it.

I even stumbled onto it once as a teenager, caught more bass than I could count with a simple Beetle Spin, and still walked away saying, “I have no idea why that just happened.”

It took decades, and one simple conversation, to finally understand what really happened.

Today, I want to break down why sun-soaked wood is one of the most dependable January patterns for bank fishermen.

BEST LINKS

What I looked at this week

• 10 best bass fishing lakes in the US (Anglers)

• Fishing the sun for more winter bass (Wired2Fish)

• 10 best tips for fishing wood (Bassmaster)

• On cold days, fish sun-soaked wood for bass (Louisiana Sportsman)

• Pond fishing MUST DO'S for COLD WATER bass fishing (TylersReelFishing)

Deals of the week

• Bass Pro Shops reduced a roll of XPS KVD Signature Series Fluorocarbon (200 yards length, 6-10 lb test versions) 39% from $17.99 to $10.97.

• Walmart has a five-pack of Johnson Beetle Spins on sale for $12.95, reduced from $18.20.

• FishUSA has a Zebco Stinger spinning reel regularly priced at $39.99 reduced to $20.00.

How a teenage mistake taught me about January bass

One of the best bass fishing trips of my life happened when I was 19 years old, and at the time, I had no idea why it was so good.

It was early January, the middle of the afternoon, and very cold. I had just gotten home with a brand-new Curado and decided to take it out for a quick paddle down a canal.

I tied on a green and black Johnson Beetle Spin and started casting along the shoreline, more focused on how the rod felt than on catching fish.

I came to a small peninsula lined with wooden pilings spaced a few feet apart. I made a cast past the pilings, reeled a few turns, and got a hit.

I caught a small bass, unhooked it, and threw it right back into the same spot. The same thing happened again. On the third cast, another bass jumped on.

At that point, my attention shifted. I started casting between those pilings over and over, and the bass just kept coming.

Within an hour, I caught and released more than 20 fish. It was easily the best bass fishing trip I had ever had.

And I walked away completely confused.

Every time I told that story over the years, I ended it the same way: “I have no idea why.”

Fast-forward nearly 30 years. I told that same story to tournament angler Chris Basey from Covington. He had fished that area many times before. Instead of guessing, he asked me two simple questions:

Was it cold that day?
Was it sunny?

When I said yes to both, he explained what I had missed.

On cold, sunny days, wooden pilings and bulkheads soak up heat from the sun.

That heat transfers into the water immediately around the wood. Not feet away. Inches away. Just enough to make a difference to cold-water bass.

Chris proved it to himself while pre-fishing a tournament by running a simple experiment.

He used a floating thermometer and checked the water temperature right against a sun-soaked bulkhead, then six inches away, then a foot, then several feet out.

The warmest water was always tight to the wood. Just inches off, the temperature dropped quickly.

That realization changed how I think about January bass fishing. The fish were not spread out. 

They were stacked in a tiny warm area created by sun-soaked wood. And unless you put your lure right there, you would never know they were on the wood.

How to fish sun-soaked wood from the bank in January

• Target wood that gets the most sun during the day. Wooden pilings, bulkheads, dock posts, and fallen trees that face south or west will warm the fastest and hold that warmth the longest.

• Make your casts as tight to the wood as possible. The temperature difference only exists within inches of the structure. If your lure lands a foot away, you are likely to miss the bite zone entirely.

• Fish parallel to the wood whenever you can. This keeps your bait in the warm water longer instead of pulling it away after just a few feet.

• Slow down. January bass are not chasing. Small spinnerbaits like the Strike King Mini-King work great. Also, light finesse baits like the Zoom Tiny Fluke rigged weightless work best when crawled along the wood.

• Pay attention to baitfish presence. If you see bait tight to the wood, bass are usually nearby even if you are not getting immediate bites.

• Avoid areas with strong current. Moving water cancels out the warming effect of the sun. Look for canals, cuts, and protected shorelines where the water can stay still.

Sun-soaked wood game plan

On cold January mornings, start by finding shoreline wood that receives direct sunlight. Pilings, bulkheads, dock posts, and fallen trees all qualify, but it's important not to rush the process.

Give the sun at least an hour to warm the wood and allow that heat to penetrate the surrounding water.

Once the wood has had time to warm, make your casts past the structure using a soft plastic that can be fished slowly.

A weightless Bass Assassin, a Fluke Jr, or even a weedless-rigged worm all work well. As your lure approaches the wood, kill your retrieve and let it sink naturally. This is often when a bass will ease up and bite.

Pay close attention to your line.

Winter bites are rarely aggressive and often show up as a small tick, a slight jump, or a sideways movement. And keep in mind, the more wood in the water, the better.

A single piece can hold a fish, but clusters of wood create multiple warm zones and greatly increase your chances.