Our coldest, nastiest days are in January and I have caught more big fish and more fish in general in shallow water than fishing 20 plus feet of water. You see, the bass feed shallow and the bigger bass feed shallower because you have small patches of grass, reeds and the like that the bait move into for cover and here come the hogs feeding on them.
I am also a believer that the big bass do everything first, meaning that the bigger fish are already moving into pre-spawn even in the cold of January. That puts them moving on and off the humps, grass lines and points to feed at some point during a cold January day. The sloughs that have stumps become prime targets for the big fish moving up to feed. The stump fields hold grass, they have hard clay bottoms and the bait is balled up in the four foot type water and the big bass will come feed on them. The key for you is to be there at the right time and be in the right place when they do.
There is only one way to do that. You need to work you favorite four to seven foot water for about 30 minutes and if their up on top feeding you will find them. If not move on to the next area. Eventually the right combination of shallow water with cover will produce what you are looking for. Cover water four to seven feet deep and eventually that lunker your looking for will make your day!
