Stephen Browning’s Cold Water Protocol

BASS Elite Series anglers would probably be pleased to have all their tournaments scheduled in fair weather when the bass are on the feed. Unfortunately for them, these top pros are challenged with just about every weather-related scenario imaginable. Here’s how veteran pro Stephen Browning get’s those frigid bass to chew. Stephen Browning has amassed a pretty impressive resume of tournament success including 3 wins, 31 top ten finishes and almost $1.2 million dollars in career earnings. Calling the Hot Springs, Arkansas area home, Browning has multiple storied fisheries at his disposal. “We have several upland reservoirs in the area where I live and those are my favorite places to fish during the winter months,” he began. “Here, winter patterns usually begin around the middle of December and last until mid February.”Location:

“This time of year, I concentrate more on the main lake, bigger backwater areas, or bigger creeks,” Browning began. “I like to follow the creek beds or the main channel itself.” While Browning has evolved from paper map study to his Navionics GPS chip, he still spends time before hitting the water searching for specific places on his Raymarine c127. “My Raymarine has a big enough screen it’s almost like looking at a computer,” he pointed out. “I can zoom in and look at places on a particular body of water and find subtleties that a paper map won’t have.” Browning also utilizes his computer. “I go to Navionics.com and pull the lake up I’m going to fish,” he revealed. “It helps me to break it down even more so I can pinpoint the places that are likely to hold bass.” Browning likes to concentrate on channel swings where the deeper water brushes up against the bank and he’ll explore both the area where the channel swings in as well as swings out. “Bluff ends, where that channel starts swinging away from the bank is where I’ll spend the majority of my time, usually in the first 100 yards either way,” he adds. After getting on the water Browning will head toward those areas he found during his study session, and on his agenda will be a specific type of cover. “I look for those areas that have a mixture of softball sized rocks with heavier rock mixed in,” he disclosed. “I’ll also look quite a bit shallower than most people. I’m a shallow water fisherman, so the majority of my search time will be in 12 feet of water or less. I believe there are as many fish in that 8-10 foot range as there are out there in the abyss.”

Lure Selection:

Crankbait – “Normally I’m a crankbait guy so I’ll start out searching for them with a LiveTarget Hunt for Center that probes that 8-10 foot range,” he said. “That HFC has a good wiggle to it so you are easily staying in contact with the bait and the bottom.” The veteran pro limits himself to two basic colors, Phantom Green or red. “Normally I’ll start off with the red and it’s certainly worked well for me.” In order to keep the pace slow enough for colder bass, Browning employs a Lew’s BB1 Pro Reel with a slower gear ratio of 5.1:1 mounted on a 6’10” St. Croix Mojo Crankin’ Rod, which is made of fiberglass rather than graphite. He’s also a fan of Gamma fluorocarbon and on average uses 12 lb. test.

Jerkbait – “If the crankbait isn’t working, I’ll probably slow down a bit and throw a jerkbait,” he continued. “I use one called a Glass Minnow made by LiveTarget, which is a subtle bait that sinks very slowly. I like to use this technique on the more vertical banks and I’m going to use 10 lb. Gamma Co-polymer because it has a little more stretch than fluorocarbon.” Browning is particular about how his bait sinks and feels it’s rate of descent is a key piece of the puzzle. “I try to make sure it has just a slight fall to it, and if I were to sit there and watch it, it would slowly, but eventually disappear, ” he said. “It’s got to be a very slow descent.” To be sure his bait sinks at the rate he chooses Browning utilizes additional split rings or “O” rings as opposed to suspend dots or wire around the hooks. “I like to change the ‘O’ rings and either add a heavier ring or add a second ring to get that bait to sink just right.” Browning’s stick of choice for the jerkbait is a 6’8″ St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass Rod with a medium fast action. He spools his Lew’s BB1 Pro Reel in a 6.4:1 gear ratio with Gamma 12 lb. fluorocarbon. When asked about the larger diameter line putting off wary fish, he dismissed it as a myth. “If guys are catching sacks of bass on an Alabama Rig with baits attached to wire harnesses, then 12 lb. line shouldn’t have any effect on them.”

Football Jig – “If I’m hauling water with the crankbait and the jerkbait, and I’m fishing that similar upland terrain, the next thing I’ll try is a 3/4 oz. Jewel Football Jig with a Z-Man Flappin’ craw or a Turbo Craw as a trailer,” he said. “The Turbo Craw has a little bit more drag to it and a little bit more action while the Flappin’ Craw is a bit more subtle.” Browning stresses the importance of keeping the bait in contact with the bottom, and unlike many, he keeps his retrieve simple and straightforward. “I use a slower gear ratio reel and I’ll just reel it across the bottom super sluggishly,” he said. “I really don’t do any kind of lift or drop in the winter. A live crawdad won’t be jumping around because the water is cold. He’s just going to be easing along the bottom and that’s exactly what I’m trying to imitate with my jig.” The pro ups the strength of his rod for his football presentation opting for a St. Croix Legend Tournament Bass Rod in a 7’3″ medium heavy action. “This rod was actually designed for Carolina Rigging, but it works extremely well for fishing the football jig,” he added. Browning will spool this outfit with 16 lb. Gamma Fluorocarbon opting for a little more strength when he drives the hook home.

Z-Man Chatterbait – Browning likes the Chatterbait in cold water, but he makes an alteration or two. “I’m going to take the skirt off and use a DeiZel Minnow,” he revealed. “I’ll throw it over long points and present it both shallow to deep as well as drag it uphill from deep to shallow. “I’ll use a slow rollin’ technique, let it sink to the bottom and just ease it right back up the hill.” Browning uses similar equipment for the Chatterbait including the Legend Extreme 7′ Medium Heavy Rod, and a Lews BB1 Pro spooled with 12 lb. Gamma Fluorocarbon.

Koppers Golden Shiner Rattle Bait – “If I can’t get them to bite any of the previous four patterns, I’ll head toward the backs of the creeks and get on the flats and start ripping that Golden Shiner around,” he said. “I’ve caught some of my biggest fish in 3-4 feet of water during the winter, especially in the creeks that have a little color to them.” Browning most often pulls this club out of the bag during bluebird days. “If you have high bright skies, I think those fish get back there in that skinny water and sun bathe,” he said. “I honestly think those fish live in that environment year round, so I don’t expect to get a lot of bites in each little pocket or flat. If I get a couple of bites on a particular flat, I feel like that’s pretty good, but I’ve caught some really big fish during the winter using that technique.”

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Stephen Browning’s Cold Water Protocol Winter 2015 Bass Angler Magazine (Rob Bryant pg. 10 – 12)