I want to talk about fishing those dreaded cold fronts during the spring and those post-front conditions that sometimes make catching fish challenging. But if you follow the methodology, the approach, and the tips I'm about to give you, you don't have to dread it anymore; you'll go out and catch some fish.
So, you must first understand how these cold fronts affect bass and when they affect them. The key thing about a front coming through is that you're getting ready to have your trip this weekend, the fishing has been good, you get these great fishing reports, and then here comes this front; it's going to happen right before you go out fishing or right when you go fishing.
When that front comes through, it has a more significant effect on the angler than on the bass because the front is windy, cold, and usually raining. It's uncomfortable. It's hard to fish in those conditions. But as that front is coming through, the bass often feed on baitfish. They're attacking lures, and they're aggressive. And as this front is coming through and the weather conditions are terrible, often those fish haven't moved. They're still up shallow, they're still aggressive, they're still hitting fast-moving lures.
So don't assume that because the storm or front is coming through, the fish aren't biting, they've hunkered down, and they're done, they've moved off to deeper waters, and you can't catch them up shallow. Go out there and fish as if the front hasn't come through yet, and let the fish tell you what their disposition is. Often, you'll be surprised to learn that they are still up shallow, and they're still aggressively feeding even after the front has come through.
They're not as affected 12 to 24 hours later because it takes a while for the water conditions to change when a front comes through. So many times, they'll still be up shallow, actively feeding when you think they're not. So don't get ahead of the fish. That's rule number one.
Now, after that front has come through, the winds start to die down, the skies start to clear up, the air temperature drops, the water temperature begins to drop, and the barometric pressure is going up. Now you're in a post-front condition, and that's when it starts to affect the fish.
The greater the front, the stronger the front that's come through, the more it will affect them. But typically, you see that water temperature drop three to five degrees, and it will affect them, but, again, probably not as much as you think. There are many myths about that. Many people think that the bass will move; they've been up shallow, and now they're going to move out to the deep parts of the lake, and they're going to hunker down, and they're not going to bite at all. And that's not true.
The bass are going to do one of two things. If they've been on the flats and actively feeding, if there's enough cover around, be it docks or thick weeds, flooded timber, or bushes, they may stay right there and bury up into that cover and hunker down and wait for the activity levels to pick back up again before they start feeding again. Face it, if they've been up shallow and actively feeding, they've been successful, the food is there, and they're not going to move far from the food. They're not going to move far from where they're successful. They won't abandon the whole area and then hike back later to feed. They will stay nearby, wait for those baitfish to start moving around some more, and then, boom, they'll start feeding again. So they may hang out in that area, buried deeper in that cover.
The other thing they may do is if they're up on a flat, they may ease off a little bit deeper to nearby cover. Say the flat is about 5 to 6 feet deep; they may move to 8 to 10 feet deep. If there's chunk rock or logs on the bottom of the lake or deeper weed lines, they may sit down in that area until conditions improve.
So they're not going to move very far. The key thing, first, is if you can't find the fish right away, think about the nearest place they can go to hang out until conditions improve. They're not going to go far. So look at that 20 to 50-yard radius and start fishing those areas. You may have to move slightly deeper until you can reconnect with the fish.
As I said before, the stronger the front, the more it will affect them. So if that front comes through, it's been storming for a week, and the water temperature drops 5 to 10 degrees or more. They're going to move deeper, they're going to move further to the main lake or into the creeks or wherever they can find deeper water, so you may have to pull off and go even deeper and deeper if it's been a powerful storm that's come through. But you don't have to go out there and start fishing in water 45 feet deep. Don't start there. Start up shallow and work your way deeper until you connect with these fish with a methodical approach, and you'll find them.
I use only four kinds of baits during this time of year when these conditions exist. One of them is, of course, the jig. I like to use a rubber-skirted jig during this time. I throw it out on those weed lines or cover, and when it sits on the bottom, the rubber skirt slowly opens all by itself. Put one in your tub or your sink at home, and you'll see it; it slowly opens up.
Throw it out there, let it sit in the bottom, and then do nothing. Just wait. I like to keep a tight line on it because the bass will often come to look at the bait, barely pick it up, and then sit there and don't move. So you won't feel the bite, you might see your line twitch or move a little bit, and that's all it takes. Set the hook when you see that.
This is not a time to fall asleep and relax, which is hard to do when the bite is slow like this. You can lose your concentration quickly, but this is where you need to concentrate the most.
If you don't get bit doing it that way, barely move the bait, scoot it a couple of inches, and then tighten down on the line and let it sit again. With the boat, with the wave action, the boat moving, a few waves hitting the line, with my arm moving slightly, even though I'm trying to keep it as steady as I can, and then that little skirt opening up like that, it kind of quivers in place and kind of moves and that's all it takes to get those bass to bite sometimes.
So one of the key changes I make to jigs during cold front conditions or post front conditions is that I'll remove that Rage Craw trailer on it that has a lot of action to it, it's got those flanges on the ends, that have a lot of movement when it falls. I'll remove that and put something with less action on it, such as a V&M trailer that is smaller and doesn't have a ton of action. It mimics the environment around them, what the baitfish and everything else are doing, so it has less movement. It's more subtle, which entices bites from reluctant bass during those times.
Something that's got a lot of movement and action and flailing about looks unnatural to them and looks like something that can get away from them very quickly. They're reticent to bite that bait during a post-front condition. That's why I use a trailer with a lot less action.
As for colors, I like to match the colors depending on the water clarity. If it's muddy to dingy water, or cloudy and rainy outside, and there's not much light penetration. In other words, I'll use darker-colored jigs, like black and blue jigs or black and purple, or something like that. And then if it's clear water from, say, stained to clear or if it's nice and sunny conditions, then I will use more natural colors. I'll stick to the greens and the brown hues like a green pumpkin with a matching trailer. You want something that looks something that the bass is used to seeing in those clear water conditions.
Now, if they don't go for that, another bait that I'll use is a tube bait. I'll use a Texas rig tube jig and fish it the same way. Throw it out there, let it fall, and again, I drag it on the bottom. I'm not lifting, hopping, and doing all these things; I'm not quivering the rod tip.
The mood of the entire ecosystem right now is a lot slower. It's not that the fish aren't aggressive, but you're trying to match the activity level around them so it doesn't look unnatural.
Many people think, "Oh, the bass are super lethargic. They're not going to chase baits." It's not that; it's the whole activity level of the environment. If your bait is moving and banging around and making all this noise when everything else is calm and quiet and subdued. It stands out as unnatural, and bass will shy away from that. So you're trying to match that activity level. So, think of it that way. A tube jig is another way to go after these fish. Fish it the same way as the jig.
A third bait that I like to use is a suspending jerk bait, one that gets down to about 10 feet or so, and a true suspending jerk bait, not one that slowly floats up or slowly sinks but one that sits there, because what I want to do is, say, for example, an outside weed line, as I'll crank it down to that outside weed line. I want it to sit there and have a staring contest with the bass that are there and wait for one to blink. And I promise you, it's not going to be my jerk bait. But let it sit there. And often, the bass will hit it when it's not even moving.
If I don't get bit, I'll crank the reel handle slightly to give a little movement to make it look alive, then let it sit again for 30 seconds to a minute. Don't even move it, and then give it a little twitch with your rod, just a little bit. What I think happens sometimes is either bass are looking at it, and they're waiting for it to move, and that triggers a bite, or those bass are moving around those weeds, and they don't see it because it's not moving, and it doesn't capture their attention. But a new bass will come along, and suddenly this bait does a little bit of movement, they go," Whoa," and they come up, and "Whack," they hit it.
You're not having a staredown with one or two bass. You're attracting the bass in the area that hadn't noticed your bait before by giving those little subtle movements. So think about it this way: you may be showing your lure to a new audience every time you give that lure a little bit of movement, and then wait for them to react.
The last bait I like to use during a cold front is a slow-rolled spinnerbait. It is a three-quarter-ounce spinnerbait. It has bulk to it, but not only that, but I can get it down deep, and I can keep it down deep while I slowly crank it back. I'll throw it out there in that 8 to 10-foot zone; maybe there are some flooded timber or bushes, but get it down there. The bass will often sit down, hang down towards the bottom during a cold front period and post front, and I'll slowly roll it along there.
Now those blades have lift to them, and sometimes it'll start bringing that bait up the water column, so you have to kill it and let it drop back down, and then resume your retrieve again. You have to experiment with your particular spinnerbait to see how much lift it has and how much you need to do that. You can slow-roll some spinnerbaits, and they stay right along the bottom. So experiment to find out how yours works.
But as I mentioned before, these fish aren't as lethargic as you think because many times that approach, the bass will crash that spinnerbait. I can't tell you how often I've been in post-front conditions, and the bass will come out and hammer it hard, even though it's a strong post-front condition. I don't know what it is that does that. I don't have an explanation for it, but a slow-rolled spinnerbait often elicits those vicious strikes even in a cold front condition, so it's an excellent way to catch those fish during this period.
So that's how I approach fishing in those cold front conditions during the spring. I hope those tips help.
