Fishing during the coldest part of the year requires a different mindset. He fishes as long as Mother Nature will let him, often with water temperatures not much warmer than the point of freezing and still catches them.
His plan is simple, with four different baits and sticking close to where the fish will spend their entire winter.
Z’s cold water fishing thoughts
Keeping things simple when the water is cold, Zona likes to go with baits with as little action as possible and says that timing the bite is one of the biggest keys to success.
"I've learned over the years fishing and taping shows that you don't have to get going first thing in the morning when the water is really cold," he said. "You can get up, have a big breakfast, and get caught up on emails before heading to the lake. You can even deer hunt in the morning if you want to. The later, the better, and that makes sense because the water will be the warmest."
He also keeps in mind that the fishing will be tough many times before bursting wide open. "The bite windows are shorter than they are in the summertime and it may only be 20 minutes, but that could be the best 20 minutes of fishing you'll see all year," he said. "This is when you have the might catch low numbers but also the best quality fish you'll catch all year."
For baits, he opts for jerkbaits, Umbrella Rigs, a Ned Rig and a tube to cover just about any scenario he'll find in frigid waters.
"I want my baits to be dull and not have too much action," he said. "Those four baits are all tied on every time I go fishing in the late fall and winter. It's hard to say which of those baits will fire on a given day, but it will be one of those four."
Winterime Fishing: Jerkbaits and umbrella rigs
When fishing a jerkbait in cold weather, Zona changes his approach and fishes it much differently. He'll look for water generally between 12 and 18 feet deep, which also tends to be the place of the last remaining living vegetation. He says once you find this, you'll find bass there for months as they winter there as long as the baitfish are present. This makes it the perfect place for a deep-diving jerkbait like the Strike King KVD Deep Jerkbait, which will dive to 11 feet of water.
"I'll also add #4 TroKar trebles to it to weight it a little more and get it to slowly sink to reach even deeper," he shared. "I also fish it differently when the water is cold. Most of the year, a jerkbait is for jerking the rod, but I am pulling it more now. I'll make short little pulls to get the bait to move 2 feet, stop for 10 to 20 seconds, and then repeat."
Another bait Zona leans on when it's cold is the Strike King Tour Grade Bladed Titanium Umbrella Rig that he pairs with Strike King Rage Swimmer swimbaits.
"I fish it with a slow and steady retrieve," he said. "The rig and the jerkbait are great for finding areas with concentrations of fish. Then, I can slow down with other baits."
A Ned rig and a tube for cold weather bass
One of the most popular rigs over the past few years is the Ned Rig and there are now many different baits designed to fish with this technique. Zona goes against the grain and uses a small fluke-style bait, the Strike King Baby Z-Too, generally on a 3/16 or ¼-ounce head.
"I figured that out one day late in the year and only because I didn't have my normal Ned Rig baits in the boat," he shared. "It looks so dull in the water, and I was saying to myself, 'Why am I even using this thing?' but it worked. Traditionally, that is a bait you fish on a drop-shot or small jighead for suspended bass, but the subtle action is great on a Ned Rig when the water is cold."
Like the Ned Rig, Zona will use the 2.75-inch Strike King Coffee Tube as one of his "cleanup" baits once he's located them with faster-moving baits like the jerkbait or A-Rig.
"It's part of the one-two punch, where you find them and then mop them up with baits along the bottom when they stop biting," he adds.
When it comes to cold water fishing, Mark Zona has plenty of experience chasing bass with water temperatures dipping into the 30s. Over the years, he's narrowed down his bait selection to four that have proven themselves time and time again.
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