We bass fisherman are constantly using the
weather as an excuse for not winning tournaments, or not catching fish. We need
to quit making excuses, and we need to learn how to fish in different weather conditions.
Then, after the food in their gullet is digested, they begin to feed
once again. During early
spring we expect the bite to come on the sunny side of these objects, but
we fish both sides. The rest of the year, we expect the bite to be on
the shaded side, but we also fish the sunny side.
We bass fisherman participate in a sport that exists in constantly
changing weather. It is unusual when we fish two back-to-back days under
the same conditions.
During the approach of a cold front the winds
diminish and the sky becomes overcast. Then, it starts to rain.
The bass
sense the change in wind and sky conditions, they know by instinct this
is the beginning to bad weather, and they begin to feed. For this reason
some of the best fishing exists when a cold front is approaching.
During this time the bass fill their gullets. Then, the wind picks up
after the front passes, the skies clear and the bass become lethargic.
Why? Because they have a full stomach!
In a word, bass do not feed on the day after a front has
passed because they are not hungry. Hunger returns after about 48 hours,
and the fishing improves markedly.
Some may question whether this is
the reason bass do not bite after a cold front passes through, but few
question the fact that bass become inactive behind a cold front.
And
fewer still question whether it is hard to get a bite behind a cold front.
When bass become inactive they tend to hold tight to cover. And on blue
bird days they hold tight to cover. If the bass were previously feeding
shallow, they will move to nearby shallow cover and hold tight to it.
If they were feeding in deeper water, they will move to a nearby ledge
and hold tight to it. A front may cause a bass to move 50 feet but not
several hundred feet.
And mark this well: Just because the bass are
inactive does not mean they will not bite. Instead, it means they will
not chase down a lure to strike it.
When bass are inactive, we have to
put our lures right in front of their noses. This is true whether we
are talking about shallow fish holding in brush, or deeper fish holding
tight to a drop-off inside a creek channel.
If the fish are holding shallow, the best bait to use is a jig-and-pig
tossed tight to cover.
If there is buck brush in the area, throw the
jig-and-pig right in the middle of each clump of buck brush. If there
is a lot of buck-brush, concentrate on the brush in deeper water, and on
the outside edge of the brush line.
As a general rule, the outside
edge of buck-brush will hold more fish than the shallower brush nearer the shore.
If the fish are holding tight to a drop-off we use the same lure. We
position the boat over the the creek channel, we pitch a jig-and-pig up
onto the flat then slowly hop it over the drop-off.
We expect the bite
to come as the lure goes over the side of the drop-off. We use
black/blue pig-and-jigs in dingy water and pumpkinseed baits in clear water.
More often than not we will be using a 1/4th-ounce jig with a matching trailer.
If there are shallow fish, we expect to
get bit when the bait: (1) hits the side of a stump, (2) hops parallel
along a log, (3) in the thickest part of vegetation, (4) underneath the
base of a tree, or (5) along the side of a large rock.
If we do not find the fish shallow or on a drop-off, we continue to
search for them. Two prime places we look are boat docks and brush-piles.
In both cases we work slowly and thoroughly. Because of the frontal
passage, we have to put the bait right in front of the fish and this
takes time. Boat docks hold fish year round and in all weather conditions.
You can count on it; they are there. You just have to get the lure in
front of their noses. The same thing can be said for brush piles.
When fishing on a blue bird day expect the fish to be
inactive and holding tight to cover. The best lures to catch them with
are jigs-and-pigs, Gitzits or Texas-rigged worms. The fish will be
holding tight to cover, and the cover they are holding to may be either
shallow or deep.
If you do not put a lure right under a fish's nose you
will not get bit. Fish slowly and fish thoroughly.
