When the leaves fall and the water starts to drop, many anglers hang up their rods for the season. But for Alabama guide and tournament angler Zeke Gossett, winter marks one of the most exciting times to be on Logan Martin Lake. With the lake settling into its drawdown, he leans into proven winter bass tactics as he chases spotted bass feeding hard before the deep chill of winter fully sets in.
Understanding the Drawdown
As Gossett explained, Logan Martin’s annual drawdown begins around mid-October, dropping the water roughly five feet below normal pool. That shift changes everything. Shallow backwater areas empty out, forcing fish toward the main river and deeper structure. “It gives them a little less place to live,” Gossett said. “Instead of being way in the back of pockets, they have to be out on the river or near deep water access.” That concentration of fish makes for incredible opportunities if you know how to adjust to the conditions.
Early Winter: Finding the First Groups of Fish
During early winter, Gossett looks for fish beginning to group up in predictable areas—humps, points, and deeper ditches that give bass both comfort and access to bait. He relies heavily on his electronics, particularly forward-facing sonar, to locate shad and the fish feeding on them. “Finding bait is the number one key this time of year,” he said. “You find the shad, you find the fish.” He scans both sides of the boat with side imaging, watching for the telltale clouds of bait balls and the marks of bass suspended nearby.
Reading the Conditions: Wind, Sun, and Activity
Once he finds the bait, Gossett tailors his presentation to the conditions. “On a windy or cloudy day, I’ll target wind-blown points or anywhere I see bird activity,” he said. “But if the sun pops out and it gets calm, I might catch them pulling up shallow on a clay or rocky point, even on topwater.” Those mild, sunny days can push surface temperatures up a few degrees, sparking bursts of surface feeding that make December fishing anything but dull. “You can catch them on a spook or a squarebill when it warms up,” he added. “You just have to fish the conditions.”
Late Winter: Going Deep and Downsizing
As the water cools into the high 40s and low 50s, Gossett shifts his focus to deeper water, often setting his boat in 40 to 50 feet of water while casting toward structure in 15 to 25 feet. As part of his winter bass tactics, he watches closely for schools of suspended bass and adjusts his approach based on their behavior. The Alabama Rig remains his go-to lure for these suspended fish, especially when wind and clouds keep them aggressive. But on slick, calm days, he goes finesse. “I’ll throw a Rage Swimmer or a Baby Z-Too fluke on a small jighead,” he said. “Sometimes they just want something small that matches those little two- to three-inch shad.
Dialing In Presentation with Forward-Facing Sonar
That attention to detail—matching the size of the bait and monitoring how fish react—is critical. Using his sonar, Gossett can see how fish respond in real time. “If I throw an A-rig and they chase it but don’t eat it, I’ll switch right away to something more subtle,” he said. For anglers without forward-facing sonar, he still recommends an old-school countdown method: let your bait sink at roughly a foot per second to the depth where fish are holding, then maintain a steady retrieve through that zone. “That’s how I did it for years before LiveScope,” he said. “You can still be just as effective.”
What to Expect: Numbers, Size, and Surprises
Logan Martin’s spotted bass are the stars of the show this time of year, and Gossett said it’s not unusual to land 15 to 30 fish in a day when conditions line up. The average fish runs two to three pounds, but big spots and even the occasional largemouth show up in the mix. “Last year we started seeing some really nice largemouth suspended out there late in the winter,” he recalled. “And every now and then, you’ll hook into a big stripe or even a catfish mixed in with them.”
The Importance of Mobility
If there’s one piece of advice Gossett gives to winter anglers, it’s to keep moving until you find active bait and fish. “It sounds simple, but finding bait is everything,” he said. “You might see balls of shad, but if nothing’s feeding on them, keep going until you find the ones that are.” Once you do, the bite can turn red hot.
A Winter Season Worth Embracing
For Zeke Gossett, winter on Logan Martin isn’t a slow season—it’s the most rewarding stretch of the year. With the right mindset, the right tools, and the right winter bass tactics, it can be for you too. “These fish are conditioned to the drawdown,” he said. “They know what’s coming, and they feed up. You just have to meet them where they are.”
