On a crisp and sunny November day, YouTuber Matt Nelson headed out on what may be his last kayak fishing voyage of the season to see what’s biting and specifically, if smallmouth bass are biting. With dwindling open water to kayak fish left, Nelson shared that temperatures had plunged to 20 degrees Fahrenheit the previous night.
Coldwater smallmouth fishing
“We’ll go hit some spots, chuck those lures around and see if we can catch a few nice smallies,” said Nelson. “Sun is shining, there’s not much wind. It actually feels pretty nice out here.”
With ice already covering the shallow points and headlands, Nelson took to deeper water in his quest for smallmouth bass.
“Honestly, I’d be happy catching anything today,” said Nelson. “The water temp is 37 degrees. I’m not gonna be too picky.”
When Nelson hooked into his first smallmouth, he wasn’t sure if it was a fish or he’d snagged up on a stick. The first bite of the day was on a Berkley Jack 6 lure.
“I’ve caught some really nice smallies throwing similar types of lures in the past,” explained Nelson. “It’s just good for covering water in some of those deeper areas, and I think today a lot of that shallow stuff is going to be covered with ice already.”
Nelson switched to a homing minnow and quickly hooked into a pike. Before long, Nelson hooked into another, larger pike.
“That’s not a bad pike,” commented Nelson.
Matt Nelson’s cold water fishing tactics
Nelson switched back to the Berkley Jack 6 and caught another smallmouth.
“Heck yeah. There’s a nice smallie,” Nelson said.
The smallmouth measured in at about 19 and ⅛ inches. Nelson decided to keep fishing with the Berkley Jack 6.
“I’m fishing it somewhat aggressively. I’m letting it sink down to the bottom, ripping it up probably a couple of feet… letting it sink back down,” Nelson said. “Seems like that’s what the smallies are interested in today.”
Nelson hooked into a third smallmouth bass using the same tactic. Later, Nelson hooked into a walleye on the Berkley Jack 6, noting that it seemed like most of his catches were hitting in about ten feet of water.
“It’s been kind of a struggle out here today,” shared Nelson. “But, I guess that’s to be expected when the water temp is about 37 degrees. I’m guessing this place is going to be completely covered in ice in the next week.”
Before heading out, Nelson caught one last smallmouth.
