Knowing the plans for preventing floods in the spring can improve your chances of catching wintertime bass on man-made reservoirs. Reservoir authorities annually draw down lake levels during the winter to prevent flooding in the spring, so anglers must adapt to the falling water to catch bass. Winter drawdowns occur at different times on various reservoirs throughout the country, depending on anticipated rainfall amounts. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Mark Davis said his home waters of Lake Ouachita do not have a scheduled drawdown, but other Ozarks lakes he fishes experience falling water levels beginning in October.
Typical winter drawdowns lead to three phases that anglers must adjust to in order to keep track of bass. Phase One occurs when the drawdown begins and bass move from the shallows to deeper sanctuaries. Next comes Phase Two, when the lake level bottoms out and bass bunch up in certain holes during the dead of winter. Phase Three follows in early spring when the lake is still low and shoreline cover is high and dry, but bass have the urge to move shallower in search of warmer water.
Here’s a look at how Davis and fellow Elite Series pros Casey Scanlon and Brian Snowden track and catch bass during each phase of the winter drawdown.
