Best technique/bait during cold front?

[Rattlinrogue]

With Spring right around the corner,what do you think are the best techniques and baits to use during cold front conditions? I'm going to pitch and flip tubes and jigs into heavy wood cover and also into the thick grass mats that abound at my home lake.Also,I think downsizing your baits can be important.

[basspro48]

When cold fronts come around fish tight to the thickest cover you can find, also try fishing slightly deeper than you would normally. I normally use suspending jerkbaits, small jigs and tubes, and spinnerbaits slow rolled near thick cover.

[dink]

Early spring is one time that I don't downsize unless faced with an ultra-tough bite.  I supersize everything looking for those big females, but I still keep it all moving real slow and methodical.

[Guest avid]

Down here in South East Florida a cold front is good news.  It turns the bite on.  Strange but true.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

I personally like the Fluke when the bite is tough during the spring.

[roadwarrior]

Well, right now I'm personally trying to stay away from soft platics, it's too easy! No kidding buddy, if you fished nothing but 6" Senkos and Fat Ika, you'll catch more and bigger bass during cold fronts, or under any conditions over the next several months than everything else combined. I'm not going to do that, but I promise you they work.

I'm going to fish your persomnal favorite, the floating Rogue, jigs, tubes and suspending jerkbaits. But if I were actually trying to catch bass, well...I've already said that...

BTW, I NEVER downsize. Go big or go home. Unless you are fishing a tournament, who cares about little bass?

[Rattlinrogue]

Hard to believe,but I've caught LOTS of BIG bass on that ole floating Rogue.And the jig,plenty there too!

[Cephkiller]

I have to go with the Senko.  I, like rw, am trying to give up "the crutch", but if I have thrown everything at them and come up empty, I'll throw a Senko long enough to get bit and restore my dignity before I head home.  It seriously works almost every time.

[5bass]

Unless you are fishing a tournament, who cares about little bass?

1 point deducted from roadwarrior for hitting below the belt!  ;D

[Cephkiller]

Roadwarrior should give color commentary at BASS events.  I can picture him and Zona going toe to toe on the tourney vs. trophy debate.  That would be a riot ;D ;D ;D ;D

[BassChaser57]

I like the way roadwarrior thinks -- yes the plastics are probably the best fish catching baits day in and day out--but sometimes it is more fun to catch them on different baits of course assuming you can get bit on something else.

I remember reading that novice hunters have to have a kill to have a productive hunt, then with experience they will limit themselves (i.e. bows, muzzleloaders, ect) and only try for trophies.

You have to figure out if you want quantity or quality and fish that way.

[KenDammit28]

but its really hard to give up that thrill of feeling a bass take a soft plastic. :-[ Perhaps its my imaginative mind but it gets me excited thinkin about how that bass was sitting there and looked at my lure and he decided it was real enough to eat.  However, nothing thrills me more than catching fish on a spinnerbait, which is my crutch..so i get free rein to use plastics instead!

[Nick_Barr]

My favorite Cold Front Presentation is a Dropshot Rig, either it is a finesse 1/8 QuickDrops Sinker, or a "Bubba DropShot" 1/2 oz. Quickdrops. I would use a Ghost Baits 4.2 SPlit Tail Bait, in a Translucent color.

[roadwarrior]

Coach,

I know YOU catch lots of BIG bass on floating Rogues and jigs, that's why I'm staying focused. I can't get better and learn more tricks without building some confidence in a broader range of techniques and lures. I look forward to the day that a jig is my go to bait, but it's not today.

[Keepin_It_Reel]

If you can beleave it Crankbaits have been my number one so far this year. I have boated 16 of my 21 fish on cranks this year

[BigCheese]

Post cold fronts I will down size my baits and fish them very slooow.  Allot of time if the fish are shallow allready they won't back off if it is a short cold front.  I will find thick cover in the same general area and go to work flipping or fishing a senko around sparse cover,  If the front lasts a couple three days I'll be back to the first drop close to shallow water fishing suspending jerks and tight wobbleing cranks.

[Guest avid]

When the bite is tough I have to go with RW.  There is no better bass catcher than the 5" Senko.  But I don't fish them much anymore.  It's alot more fun for me to fish a jig than a senko.  I average better size on the jig.  The fat ika is a great bait.  I use it more in the summer when the weeds extend out from the bank.  I'll pitch it to the edge of the weeds and watch it swim down and under the canopy.  It's totally cool and The big ones will hammer it.   My most productive lures this year so far have been jerkbaits and jigs.  The two top performing jerkbaits have been the megabass ito 110 (floater) and lucky craft 78 (suspending).  My best jigs have been a 3/16th basspro enticer rattler and an eakins non rattling.  I basically use two trailers.  Either a GYCB twin tail grub, or zoom craw.  My favorite color is a black skirt with some chartruese in it and a green pumpkin trailer.  I often dip the "claws" in some chartruese spike it.  I believe there are a couple of instances where that little trick has made a big difference.

[cgs2004]

For a spring cold front I like to throw a Strike King Bitsy jig in blue/black with a small matching trailer.  If I feel like sizing up a bit more I love to use Eakin's jigs as well.  Once it warms up nothing beats a zoom finesse worm for me.  Now I know its a faux pau to many to downsize ;D but throw a finesse worm on a 1/16th oz. ballhead with a spinning reel on a 7'0'' med. light rod and you'll have a ball catching even those small ones under 5 lbs.

[Rattletrap]

Keepin_It_Reel. You took the words out of my mouth. A mid depth crankbait, Chart/Blue Back,  in 6ft of water all around the Cypress trees has produced for me in all frontal conditions. Knocking those Cypress knees drives them crazy!!!!

[Matt Fly]

Brutal cold fronts in mid winter on East Tx lakes have a tendency to put the larger bass next to timber in deeper water, I mean they have their nose to the tree, a bulky jig with pork trailer, if the jig isn't falling slow enough, add another skirt.   Bass that are staged or staging for spawn like stumps in the grass, the key factor is:  how did the weather effect water temps.   Cold fronts comes and goes all the time with out much effect on water temps, but occassionaly we have the front that stalls.    With grass, the red trap is first choice on mild cold fronts, bass like to sun in shallower water after a few nice days.

[Rattlinrogue]

Coach,

I know YOU catch lots of BIG bass on floating Rogues and jigs, that's why I'm staying focused. I can't get better and learn more tricks without building some confidence in a broader range of techniques and lures. I look forward to the day that a jig is my go to bait, but it's not today.

Sorry about the tone of that post last night,RW.I really had a burr up my bass.Tight Lines,RR

[roadwarrior]

You da man!

I pay attention to how you catch BIG bass. Floating Rogues and jigs are what I'm focused on for 2006. Thank you for sharing your secrets. I know for sure, the bass on the Secret Pond have never seen either!

[ranger50]

Must be nice for you guys to be thinking about how to catch bass this time of year.  Still got ice here in Minnesota.  Good luck to you all!  When the spring does come and a cold front moves in I like to use tube baits.  With our clear water here we need to downsize and fish slooooow.

[Rattletrap]

RW. A 3/8 - 1/2 oz blue & black jig with rattles and a black pig or chunk trailer thrown into the heart of the wood is the key. Drop it in and shake that thang!!! Fish on!!!!

[Guest bigtex]

My personal go to bait for cold fronts is the blk/blu strike king jig.  They cost about $1.50.  Their is a two inch crawfish that can be used as a trailer.  The colors match.  I have fished a lot of jigs and these are by far the best of the best.  I would challenge anybody with this lure.

Roadwarrior: If you really need some tips on fishing jigs I would be glad to share some of my tips with you.  I may not be a pro but I CAN fish a jig.