What would be the best lure to go with for winter largemouth bass fishing in eastern long island?

I know deeper waters and slower retrieve…but its still tempting to use my old standby a light colored jitterbug. Is it pointless to use a top floating jig in the winter? I fished a rattletrap and jig & pig at Ronkonkoma for six hours yesterday with nary a bite. Has anyone fished the Northwestern side(opposite of the falls) of Southard's with any success? Whats the best overall advice for today's trip? Thanks!!!

Sounds like you got everything covered.

Try to fish steeper banks.Bass like to move vertically in cold winter water. A jig and pig really cant be beat IMO for cold weather fishin'. Just crawl it along the bottom, and give it a little twitch once and a while. Being that it's cold don't expect a lot of bits. You can also give the good ole' plastic worm a try.

You also might want to try Jigging a spoon just straight up and down. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but its something different when the bass have a case of lockjaw. Remember when your fishing in cold water bass aren't going to chase your bait so 90% of the time your going to have to run it right in front of his face.

Hope this helps…Good Luck