How to fish a cold snap after bedding has started

[Chris at Tech]

With the warmer spring weather over the last few weeks, the movement shallow to spawn is well underway.

This week's weather in Atlanta is calling for some cold nights, down in the 30's, with highs in the mid to upper 50's.  When weather like this blows through after spawning activity has started, how do you fish?

My guess is that the fish will back out of the shallows and be suspended in deeper water near the spawning grounds.  How do you approach this scenario?

Agree?  Disagree? Thoughts on a gameplan?

Thanks all

[BD]

If they suspend you can catch them with a drop shot, c-rig, or rat-l trap fish at "x" depth. If they stay shallow, you'll still be able to see them. If they move deep and sit on the bottom, then it's jigs, worms etc.

[senko_77]

Chris, since the bass here are already locked onto there beds, when a front blows through, they may leave the beds, they just wont go far. For some reason, all the beds I have been seeing this year are SUPER shallow. Look for the first breakline off the bed and your fish will be there. It doesn't have to be a big depth drop. I'm talking 10ft from the bed it might drop from 3ft to 5ft. That spot is where most of your efforts should be concretrated on.

I will be throwing a splitshot rigged trick worm and jighead/trick worm every time I am out this week and most of the time they will be deadsticked or just barely twitched along the bottom

Hope this helps you out.

[Chris at Tech]

Yeah senko, I'm glad you mentioned that, as it was a question I always have but never remember to ask.

I was always curious what happens when a severe weather event blows through while the bass are 'locked on' beds.

[flyphisher #]

T-rig soft plastic straight worm or senko.....w/ tungsten wt if they are biting light. Most of the time, they move no more than 6ft, most of the time less from the bed ,unless it a really big temp/pressure change that is really uncommon for this time of year that last more than a day or so. If they bed in more than 4 foot of water or more, I have actually seen them suspend above their beds for a short time i post frontal conditions.

Slow-roll a Spinnerbait or squarebill crank if fish are feeding.

[ww2farmer]

I have also seen a few..............not many but a few..............stubborn fish I guess, that when a severe cold blast rolls in when they are on the beds stay on the beds. Most of the other fish, just as senko77 says will move slightly deeper, or pull way way back up into cover near there beds. Lsat spring here I we had a warm spell in late april that lasted for a 8-10 days, lots of bass started bedding, then the temps for most of may dropped like a rock, but still some of those April bedding fish stayed on the beds for a few days even after the temp dropped. It was late May before the rest of the bass moved back up, and even well into june on other parts of the lake.