The ice is behind us!

Winter fishing continues to be productive, with hybrid striped bass and white bass being caught consistently using dead-sticking techniques. As water temperatures remain cold, fish are holding deeper and staying close to bait, making slower presentations the key to success. Most of the action is coming from deep water along channels, flats, and areas where shad are concentrated. Fish are often suspended or tight to the bottom, and electronics are essential for staying on active schools. The bite has been subtle, with many strikes showing up as light taps or slight pressure rather than aggressive hits. Dead-sticking flukes has been the most effective approach. Letting the bait sit motionless in the strike zone has outperformed faster jigging, as fish are less willing to chase in cold water. Once hooked, hybrids in particular are putting up strong fights. This winter pattern should remain consistent through the colder months, making it a great time to target numbers of white bass and quality hybrid stripers for anglers willing to slow down and fish methodically.

The hybrid bite has been on fire lately — and it’s all about the live bait. Most mornings have kicked off fast, with big, hard-pulling hybrids crushing shad over humps and mid-lake structure. Once you find them, the action doesn’t take long to get chaotic — doubles, triples, bent rods, and happy clients. The live-bait pattern has been steady through late morning, especially when we’ve got a little breeze and some current moving. Stay mobile and don’t be afraid to hop spot to spot — the fish are grouped tight, and when you find the right pile, it’s game on. Then comes the best part of the day… that last hour before sunset. When the sun starts to drop, it’s time to put the bait away and pick up a rod with a lure. The hybrids have been pushing shallow onto flats chasing shad, and the evening lure bite has been fantastic. Swimbaits, topwaters, and small spoons have all been producing, especially when birds start to show you the way. If you’ve been waiting for that fall hybrid bite — it’s here. Mornings are made for bait; evenings are made for artificials. It doesn’t get much better than this.

After a tough three weeks of scratching and clawing our way through the day, the tables have finally turned! The hybrids and white bass are back to playing the game . It has felt like a classic game of cat-and-mouse out there, but the rods stayed bent and the coolers filled up. The action has been steady, and the fish are fired up again. If you’ve been waiting for things to bounce back, now’s the time to get out here. The bite is back and the game is on!