The 2010 bass tournament season will kick off with a very busy month.

Concordia Bass Club held their first event of the New Year on Lake Bruin Saturday.

There is not a better cold water bass lake in this area to host a bass tournament.

With all the rain in December most of the area lakes are high with water clarity ranging from stained to muddy. Lake Bruin is a sand bottom lake and it is a rare day to see this lake muddy.

There is some stained water near the ditches and drains but for the most part Lake Bruin’s water is clear. I heard good reports from both the bass and white perch fishermen on Bruin.

The early bite for bass is fair in shallow water but later in the day you need to think deep.

These bass like deep water and Lake Bruin offers plenty of deep water cover in the form of ledges, piers and manmade brush piles.

The white perch are doing about the same thing as the bass. During the early morning hours you can pick off a few perch from the deeper standing cypress trees and along the pier walkways.

Later on, by noon, these fish will pull away from the shallow cover and bunch up on deep water structure. With both species of fish, the bites are light and hard to detect in cold deep water so you need to watch your line real close.

The slightest twitch of your line could indicate a strike. On Jan. 9, the local B.A.S.S. Federation Nation bass club will cast off the New Year on a lake to be determined during a meeting on Monday, Jan. 4, at Nikki’s in Vidalia.

This is the time to join this fairly new club that offers a chance for all to climb the ladder to fame and fortune. On Jan. 10, the local Miss-Lou Bass club will host their monthly event on Lake Bruin.

This event is open to all or you can join the club the morning of the event or fish as a guest. On Jan. 16, Dixie Bass Club will be on Lake Bruin. This club is closed to members only. Eddie’s Marine will host an Open Singles Bass tournament with a 100 percent payout and $50 fee on Lake Bruin Jan. 23.

It is apparent that Lake Bruin’s bass are about to receive a lot of fishing pressure. That’s another reason to concentrate your efforts on fish holding in deep water. The shallow water fish will see a host of lures.

Not many fishermen in this area like to fish the 15 to 30 foot depths but that’s where the least pressured fish will be. It takes a lot of patience and the right equipment to catch fish from water deeper than 15 feet.

The right line size, a very sensitive rod, a good sonar unit and the knowledge to interpret sonar signals will make you a better deep water fisherman. Have a great, happy and safe new year.

Eddie Roberts writes a weekly fishing column for The Democrat. He can be reached at fishingwitheddie@bellsouth.net.