Bass Fishing Report

29 Jan

Bass Fishing Report

Bass Forecast

Bass Fishing Tips , Bass Fishing …

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Bass fishing report for this week brought to you by:

Bass Fishing Report: January 29 - February 02, 2026

No thanks for record cold in the eastern 2/3 of the nation, the bass bite mood is going to look a little like this…

Compliments of our Canadian neighbors, this weekend another massive arctic blast will move down the US all the way from the Rockies to the East Coast…which will cause the bass to act like our poor little friend above.

Quick links to your specific regional fishing forecast below

This will be a great weekend to get ready for the 2026 season. Clean and grease your reels and organize your tackle. If you’re like me, your annual winter “get ready for bass season” will cause you to make a list of everything you need to order for the 2026 season….and you can FINALLY use those Tackle Warehouse and Omnia Gift Cards you received when you signed up for Bass Forecast PRO to save $45 on all the gear (rods, reels, lures, line, etc) you need for 2026. If you use both gift cards, you’ll actually profit $15!

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Your Regional Bass Fishing Report

Best Baits, Tips, and Techniques

Quick links to your specific regional fishing forecast below

Pacific Northwest

(Washington, Oregon, Idaho)

Bite: FAIR → TOUGH

Pattern: WINTER

If you can find a lake that has not iced over to fish, then dress warm and fish drop-offs, main lake basins, creek channels and deeper points with suspending jerkbaits, deep diving crankbaits and umbrella rigs first, then comb same areas with Carolina rigs and Ned rigs. If fish are not coming up, try a Spybait, Drop Shot, Jig or Jigging Spoon. Hover and Mid Strolling are effective when targeting specific fish using forward face sonar / Live Scope.

PRO TIP: If you are boat fishing with electronics, searching for large schools of bass may pay off big as we have already heard reports of big bags being caught this way.

Click here for Ice-fishing for bass top tips

Southwest

(California, Arizona, Nevada, West Texas, New Mexico)

Bite: FAIR → TOUGH

Pattern: PRE-SPAWN→ SPAWN (NV and NM – WINTER)

Best bets you will see in the Bass Forecast app, are:

Pre-Spawn

Baits: Soft Jerkbait/Stickbait, Lipless Rattling Crankbait, Spybait and Ned Rig
Locations: Migration routes to spawning areas, secondary points, flats near spawning areas and transition banks.

Spawn

Baits: Jig, Shaky Head, Craw/Tube, Wacky Rig, Soft Jerkbait/Stickbait
Locations: Shallow flats, Migration routes to spawning areas, secondary points, flats near spawning areas and transition banks

Winter

Baits: Drop Shot, Spybait, Suspending Jerkbait, Spoon, Ned Rig
Locations: Main Lake, Dropoffs/Ledges, Steep Banks & Bluffs

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Southeast

(Alabama, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, East Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kentucky)

Bite: FAIR → TOUGH

Pattern: PRE-SPAWN → WINTER

When you find a giant, or wolfpack of bass, use Umbrella rigs, Jerkbaits and Finesse Jig heads rigged with small plastic minnows using a Hover or Mid-Strolling Technique. Tap or gently shake as you retrieve just above the fish.

PRO TIPS:

1. Florida strain bass are much more sensitive to cold fronts than northern strain bass. If you can find any bodies of water to fish that contain northern strain bass, you will want to focus on those this week.

2. If you love chasing giant bass and have forward facing sonar, this is a good weekend to target a PB. Here’s why? The long warm spell we had in late December, early January stimulated a Pre-Spawn movement. The water will be cold enough to cause the big Pre-Spawn females to pull back and suspend in open water in predictable locations near migration routes to spawning areas. (Points, Creek Channel Bends, Drains, Creek/Cove Mouths). Happy Hunting…and if you catch a PB, be sure to let us know.

Pre-Spawn

Baits: Soft Jerkbait/Stickbait, Lipless Rattling Crankbait, Spybait and Ned Rig
Locations: Migration routes to spawning areas, secondary points, flats near spawning areas and transition banks.

Winter

Baits: Drop Shot, Spybait, Suspending Jerkbait, Spoon, Ned Rig
Locations: Main Lake, Dropoffs/Ledges, Steep Banks & Bluffs

Rocky Mountains

(Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Utah)

Bite: TOUGH

Pattern: WINTER

Click here for Ice-fishing for bass top tips

Great Plains

(Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas Panhandle, South Dakota, North Dakota)

Bite: TOUGH

Pattern: WINTER

Click here for Ice-fishing for bass top tips

Midwest

(Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota)

Bite: FAIR to TOUGH

Pattern: WINTER

If you can find a lake that has not iced over to fish, then dress warm and hit the water this weekend and fish drop-offs, main lake basins, creek channels and deeper points with suspending jerkbaits, deep diving crankbaits and umbrella rigs first, then comb same areas with Carolina rigs and Ned rigs. If fish are not coming up, try a Spybait, Drop Shot, Jig or Jigging Spoon.

Click here for Ice-fishing for bass top tips

Northeast

(New York, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, Delaware, New England)

Bite: TOUGH

Pattern: WINTER

If you love a challenge, dressing up for the cold and ice fishing more than watching football, by all means dress warm and gear up for the challenge with ice-fishing for bass top tips.

Click here for Ice-fishing for bass top tips

Curious about the Bass Forecast Ratings and Adapted Pattern® recommendations for the weekend?

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