Tips
& Techniques
The Cure for the Common Cold
Front
from...
Pro Tom Redington |
 |
February, 2008
By Tom Redington
Nothing is more demoralizing (and inevitable) than a major cold front during
your spring bass fishing trip to the lake. All week, you’ve read glowing
reports of lots of big bass being caught shallow, nearly chasing baits onto
the bank to eat them. Then you watch your local forecast and the bad news is
delivered, dooming your trip, right? Not necessarily. While a major cold
front in the spring can make conditions miserable for anglers, with a little
adaptation you’ll be able to save your trip and possibly even have one of
your best trips ever. Here’s how.
For starters, don’t get ahead of the fish. While the air temperature drops
quickly after a cold front, the water temp often takes 12 to 48 hours to
cool dramatically. If conditions remain cloudy, rainy, or windy; bass often
remain in pre-frontal patterns, biting aggressively until the skies clear
and the water cools significantly.
Once the front settles in and the barometric pressure starts building is
when conditions typically change. Sunny “bluebird” skies and diminishing
north or east winds are classic symptoms the day or two after the front,
with water temps that are now significantly cooler than before. During
warming trends, bass often move up onto shallow flats and roam widely. After
the front, bass typically now move slightly deeper and much tighter to cover
than where they were hanging out before the weather changed. They typically
will be found along channel bends in the creeks running through spawning
flats or on points at the mouth of a flat. Usually bass won’t travel very
far, moving to the closest available option. Other bass won’t move at all,
instead burying themselves up in the thickest cover available, be it docks,
wood, or weeds. The good news is that once you relocate the fish, they’re
usually in large groups, so productive spots likely produce multiple fish.
The longer and more severe the cold front, typically the farther towards the
mouth of the coves and the main lake the bass will move.
Post frontal fishing success is less dependant upon lure selection than
location, so thoroughly seine key spots with a few tried and true choices.
Your first option is a 3/8 to ½ oz weedless jig trimmed with a plastic craw
in the traditional black and blue color scheme. No other lure is better at
going into heavy cover and extracting big bass in the springtime. I use Lake
Fork Trophy Lure’s Mega Weight jig because its small tungsten head allows it
to slip through the heaviest cover, while its razor sharp Owner hook is
beefy enough to drag them out. The Fork Craw trailer in the blue bruiser
color is a perfect match for the jig, with the hollow tube body making the
craws stand up in the bass’ face after each hop, just like the real thing.
Big stumps along a creek channel bend or the deep edge of submerged hydrilla
on points are prime territory for this lure. Pitch your jig precisely to the
heaviest cover you can find and work it as slowly as you can possibly stand,
making repeated casts to likely areas. Many bites will come when the jig is
sitting motionless on the bottom, only after casting to the same place
multiple times.
Another great option is suspending hard plastic jerkbaits, especially in
areas with less cover. These baits are neutrally buoyant, allowing them to
dive several feet below the surface and then remain there, sitting in front
of the bass’ face without moving. Fish these very slowly with a couple
slight twitches between pauses of 5 to 60 seconds. Finally, “yo-yoing” ½ oz
red or crawfish colored lipless crankbaits provokes reaction strikes from
lethargic bass that turn their noses at even the slowest of finesse
presentations. When submerged milfoil, coontail, or hydrilla is present,
make long casts over the grassbeds and let your bait fall into the weeds.
Sharply snap your rod upwards, ripping the crankbait free and reel it until
the bait catches grass again, followed by another sharp snap of the rod.
Repeat this process all the way back to the boat. The rattle of the bait and
the fleeing motion as it rips free from the grass triggers a response from
bass even on the slowest of days. Plus, the constant snapping of the rod
will keep you warm while the cold north wind blows.
Cold fronts result in slow fishing, at least until you find a concentration
of fish. Once you find them, dissect the spot to extract multiple bass. Big
schools of bass in small areas after cold fronts can result in some of the
hottest fishing of the year, even if the weatherman tells you otherwise.
Here’s hoping you catch the lunker of your dreams. If I can be of
assistance, please contact me at 214-683-9572 (days) or 972-635-6027
(evenings) or e-mail me through my website,
www.LakeForkGuideTrips.com.
Tom Redington is a full time bass guide on Lake Fork and is sponsored by
Ranger Boats, Diamond Sports Marine, Lake Fork Trophy Lures, Minn Kota,
Humminbird, and P-Line Fishing Lines.
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