It seems like the bass pattern has finally started to get to a winter pattern, or at least closer. With the water temps staying so warm up until the last couple of weeks I know that guys were still catching fish on what most would call a fall pattern, shallow and back in the back of sloughs. If there is such a thing, I would say that the fish on the secondary points are either on an early winter pattern or they may be on their winter pattern. When I think of a truly winter pattern, I think of main lake, river channel fishing. There will be some fish that will stay in the creeks and secondary points all winter but I think that the most consistent pattern will be where the water is warmest and that's on the main lake up until we get some warm rains. I would expect that with the warm rain yesterday that there may be some warmer water in the backs of the creeks and sloughs but the cold night last night will have cooled it off to a significant degree. If it were me I'd stay with the river channel pattern or check out some main lake sloughs that have creeks that run into them and see if the water warmed up in the back some or not. If it's muddy and we have the warm bright sunshine today it may warm up a lot back in the shallows and bait and bass might follow. I can tell you that the sun is really warming things up at my house, I have two thermometers at my house, one on the East side and one on the West, both are in the shade but the one on the East is on a porch. The one on the East where the sun is hitting the area reads 57 degrees and the one on the West is reading 28 degrees. That sun can really warm things up in a hurry. What pattern has been the most consistent in the winter in years past for you guys, say when the water is 45 degrees or less on the main lake?
