Cold weather postponed one bass club event scheduled Saturday but today we are on Lake Bruin competing in yet another tournament.

You can bet we are dressed for the occasion. Some call us crazy but there is not much difference from sitting in a tree waiting on a deer and bass fishing in the winter.

The recent cold front really hammered the water temperatures down. Last weekend surface water temps averaged about 50 degrees. This weekend we’re looking at 45 to 46 degree water. Lake Bruin continues to draw the most attention from the area bass and white perch fishermen.

There are several reasons for this. Lake Bruin offers lots of cover in the form of cypress trees, peirs, ledges and peirs. If the fish are not on the cypress trees you can back off to deeper water and find the fish along the ledges and deep piers. Another reason is water clarity.

It is a rare deal to see this lake muddy. The best lures for bass in both situations are jigs with a plastic or pork trailer, the beaver/creature style lures and flipping tubes. All these are lures designed for bottom fishing and that’s where you will find the fish in cold water, on the bottom.

It takes a lot of patience, the right gear and a good sonar unit to stay on the deep fish. Deep is not the only the way to go after the bass in January.

No matter how cold the water temperature, some bass will always be holding tight to the cypress trees in 4 to 8 feet of water. Bass tournaments are numerous this month. Next weekend a local club will be on Bruin along with several clubs from south and north Louisiana.

The following weekend Jan. 23, Eddie’s Marine will host an open singles event out of the Country Club Landing. The entry fee is $50 per person and you can enter the morning of the tournament. The lake is off-limits to all contestants on Friday Jan. 22.

Jan. 30, many fishermen will be on Lake Bruin pre-fishing for the 24th Annual J.R. Roberts Memorial to be on Feb. 6. Jan. 30 will be the last weekend before the cut-off date.

Lake Bruin is off-limits to all contestants fishing the Memorial Monday Feb. 1 until tournament day. This long running event is held each year in memory of my dad J.R. Roberts.

Bass tournament fishermen from three states travel to fish this one and you can bet some of the very best anglers will be there to cast for cash. The entry forms are in the mail to all that have fished in the past or you can get the information on line at.

We have a very busy year coming up as far as tournaments. Good luck to all this month, practice safe boating and be careful on the water.