Cranking and Jigging Transition Zones For Hot Winter Action

FISHERMEN HAVE fished them for years on different types of lakes around the country. They attract and hold largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass at all times of the year. Tournaments at every level have been won on them, including the Bassmaster Classic. Best of all, they’re especially productive during the cold winter months when bass may gang up on them in fairly shallow water.

In case you’re wondering what these seemingly magical places are, they are transition zones — places where two different types of structure or cover meet. The most easily recognized transition zones are visible along shorelines where rocks may change to gravel, or gravel to vegetation, and which continue underwater. Depth changes are transition zones, as are lone boat docks (that’s why the first dock entering a cove is often the best) and even the edges of weedlines where they