Rub-A-Dub-Dub Winter Bass LOVE Grubs
The versatility of a plastic grub makes it an ideal lure for presenting horizontally or vertically to wintertime bass in clear waters. A twin-tail plastic grub attached to a 3/8- or 1/2-ounce standup jighead is my favorite lure to drag in ultra-clear water for bottom-hugging bass. If the water is stained, I prefer a bulkier bait so I attach the twin-tail grub to the back of a football jig to give bass with limited visibility a larger profile to hone in on. Root beer/green flake is my favorite grub color when fishing the lure with the standup jighead. I favor a brown/purple football jig matched with either a green pumpkin or brown/purple flake grub.
Twin Tails Don't Fail
Calm, sunny days are best for dragging the twin-tail grub along the bottom. I fish the plastic grub and standup jighead on 8-pound test line with spinning tackle and either sweep my rod to keep the lure bumping along the bottom or slightly lift my rod so the lure hops a couple of inches off the bottom.
Football Jig + Grub = Winter Bass
I cast my football jig/grub combo on 12- or 14-pound line with baitcasting gear. With my casting rod pointed down towards the water, I sweep the rod about 1 to 2 feet so the lure constantly bumps the rocky bottom. At the end of my sweep, I move my rod back towards the lure and reel up the slack line. Strikes usually occur while the jig-and-grub combo sits still on the bottom.
Don't Sleep On Single Tail Grubs
A single-tail plastic grub worked on spinning tackle produces best for schooling wintertime bass suspended midway in the water column. For winter bass suspended less than 20 feet deep you can cast to the schooling fish and present your lure horizontally by reeling the grub slowly back to the boat. Vertically jigging the grub works best when bass are suspended deeper than 20 feet.
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Your Grub Fishing Color Guide
Suspended winter bass feed on dying shad so opt for plastic grubs in shad-imitating hues such as salt-and-pepper, smoke/black flake or pearl. Match the grub with a 1/8-ounce darter jighead for fishing less than 20 feet deep and upscale to a 1/4-ounce darter jighead for vertical jigging in deeper water. Rig the grub so the line tie of the jighead faces upward and the grub’s tail points downward, which causes the grub’s tail to displace more water and generate more action.
Lighter Line Means More Sensitivity
Try a 6-pound fluorocarbon line for increased sensitivity to feel light bites, but use monofilament for grubs most of the time because it is more manageable and kinks up less, especially in cold water.
Updated February 21st, 2020 at 8:48 AM CT