The Dynamics Of Hot Water Discharge Lakes

The most potent colors for this jig-and-soft-plastic combo have been a red jighead with a green pumpkin Zero, a watermelon-red flake Zero, a green pumpkin-chartreuse Dinger, and a Carolina pumpkin-chartreuse Dinger. Throughout the day, continually experiment with the weight of the jig and color of the Zero and Dinger to determine the most effective combination at that moment. We usually carry four or five spinning outfits, rigged with various options.

Jerkbait Time: In early March, Coffey’s bass continue to forage on invertebrates but begin shifting to a fish diet. Jerkbaits including Smithwick’s Suspending Rattlin’ Rogue and Rapala’s Husky Jerk start to take fish. Baits colored like sunfish typically work best.

During early spring, some bass start to wander across shallow rock and gravel flats adjacent to riprap banks, and jerkbaits cover water effectively and draw strikes from lethargic bass. They also draw strikes from bass along riprap, when cast to the bank and retrieved to the boat.

Experiment with jerkbait retrieves. Smallmouths sometimes prefer delicate twitches punctuated by long pauses; other times, they’re triggered by a series of double and even triple jerks followed by short pauses. But always, a subtle approach is the standard during winter and the first weeks of spring.

On the best winter outings at Coffey (sadly rare because of incessant wind), a pair of knowledgeable anglers can tangle with up to 30 smallmouth bass during a 4-hour outing, ranging from 11⁄2 to 31⁄2 pounds.

While the focus on Coffey County Lake is on smallmouths, largemouth bass at La Cygne follow a similar pattern throughout winter. The little Gopher Mushroom Head works well there when matched with a half-Zero, YUM Wooly Beavertail, a 3-inch tube, or a small jigworm.

For unknown reasons, marabou jigs seem not to work so well for largemouth bass. In fact, it always pays to test a jerkbait, as bigger bass sometimes move closer to the surface and eat bigger baits. But hardbaits often prove fruitless during the winter months.

If finesse anglers regularly make fair to good catches in the devilish winter conditions that prevail at Coffey, these tactics should work for largemouth, smallmouth, and spotted bass in cooler waters at other hot-water reservoirs across the country, as well as at more temperate impoundments.

*Ned Kehde, Lawrence, Kansas, is an In-Fisherman field editor and a frequent contributor on many fishing topics. For this article, he credits the research help of Terry Bivins of Lebo, Kansas, and **** Bessey of Lawrence, Kansas.