Pre spawn weather condition question

[PressuredFishing]

So last year was my first pretty successfull pre spawn fishing pattern, but I would like to ask if there is anything you guys do different 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pre frontal conditions or cloudy windy Chop

 

=spinnerbait or moving baits 

 

 

 

Blue bird sky day- bottom contact, flipping, perhaps a glide bait

 

 

 

Post frontal. 

 

Flipping, bottom contact

 

Any other suggestions would be appreciated

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Catt]

Rat-L-Trap ?

[RHuff]

Prefront = warmer air and wind picking up.. darkening sky with heavy cloud cover.. moving or horizontal baits

 

Postfront = Clear blue sky.. moderate wind..  flipping, drop shot, deep jigs, etc

[WRB]

Per spawn is by far my most productive big bass seasonal period. 

Warming water column means warming day time temperatures to warm the water top down. The bass have been in deeper water slightly warmer then the colder surface water. This occurs as weather is changing from cold nights and days to warming trends. The problem is the weather is also in transition with rain and low pressure fronts followed by wind and clearing skies. Everything is unsettled and nothing is stationary including the bass.

What is driving the bass during pre spawn is high protein food, larger prey fish and crawdads.

The most critical factor imo is what depth to target followed by location where prey is abundant.

Crawdads are nocturnal critters so low light extends their activity. Cloudy weather with light wind and light rain is ideal when targeting bass feeding on crawdads. Clay to soil transitions are good locations.

Larger baitfish is the opposite when calmer brighter skies are active time for the baitfish movements and the bass feeding on them locate where the water column is compressed or funnel zones. Saddles, humps and points are ideal structure to compress baitfish schools.

”Spring Up”, only 1 direction they can go “up”.

Tom

 

[Catt]

Watch your night time temperatures.

 

When the night temperatures match or exceed the water temperatures, we start retaining heat!

 

Techniques & lures, down here everything is pretty much in play. 

[PressuredFishing]

15 minutes ago, Catt said:

Watch your night time temperatures.

 

When the night temperatures match or exceed the water temperatures, we start retaining heat!

 

Techniques & lures, down here everything is pretty much in play. 

Thanks so much excellent info!

Thanks so much Tom!!! You have taught me so much and turned me into that guy that threw a senko to hope for a random bite and praying to catching many by learning specialized techniques, bass behavior; and patterns! One question I did have for you is you mentioned bass in Castaic have not moved up yet after this really rainy year we have had, why do you think this is? I tried fishing some of the lakes and they have come up a ton, and fish also seem to be in their same holding areas

 

 

 

 

45 minutes ago, WRB said:

Crawdads are nocturnal critters so low light extends their activity. Cloudy weather with light wind and light rain is ideal when targeting bass feeding on crawdads

 

[WRB]

Crawdads don’t hibernate but they do burrow into clay banks during the winter cold water period. Why clay? Because mud soil tunnels collapse and clay doesn’t.

The key is crawdads tend to burrow below the water line at the time it’s cold water/winter. Generally about 8’ below the water line. 

This wet season the lakes are 20-25’ higher then winter pool.

Those crawdads are 20 to:35’ deep now and moving “up”.

Tom

[Jonas Staggs]

On 2/3/2023 at 7:05 PM, WRB said:

Crawdads don’t hibernate but they do burrow into clay banks during the winter cold water period. Why clay? Because mud soil tunnels collapse and clay doesn’t.

The key is crawdads tend to burrow below the water line at the time it’s cold water/winter. Generally about 8’ below the water line. 

This wet season the lakes are 20-25’ higher then winter pool.

Those crawdads are 20 to:35’ deep now and moving “up”.

Tom

 

What month do they come out generally here in socal? 

[WRB]

When the water temps are approx 55 degrees at the depth they burrowed.....generally Jan-feb.

Tom

[AlabamaSpothunter]

On 2/3/2023 at 8:13 PM, WRB said:

Per spawn is by far my most productive big bass seasonal period. 

Warming water column means warming day time temperatures to warm the water top down. The bass have been in deeper water slightly warmer then the colder surface water. This occurs as weather is changing from cold nights and days to warming trends. The problem is the weather is also in transition with rain and low pressure fronts followed by wind and clearing skies. Everything is unsettled and nothing is stationary including the bass.

What is driving the bass during pre spawn is high protein food, larger prey fish and crawdads.

The most critical factor imo is what depth to target followed by location where prey is abundant.

Crawdads are nocturnal critters so low light extends their activity. Cloudy weather with light wind and light rain is ideal when targeting bass feeding on crawdads. Clay to soil transitions are good locations.

Larger baitfish is the opposite when calmer brighter skies are active time for the baitfish movements and the bass feeding on them locate where the water column is compressed or funnel zones. Saddles, humps and points are ideal structure to compress baitfish schools.

”Spring Up”, only 1 direction they can go “up”.

Tom

 

I learn so much from your posts!     

 

Most excellent information.