So many anglers have no idea how to catch bass after a cold front. So much so that when they see there is a cold front they throw in the towel and stay home. The fish still have to eat even if it is cold. Do you eat when it is cold? Yes of course you do!! It is no different for the bass, but certainly things do change.
Sloooooow Down!!
Bass fishing after a cold front is not a red light!! It is more like a yellow light. Everything does not stop but it may slow down!!! A cold front is when the temperature is like 65 degrees the day before and drops over 10 degrees or more over night.
So whatever the technique is at that time you will most likely need to slow down your presentation. If you find an area that looks productive or if you are in a spot you are familiar with then stay put for a while. If you are Bass Fishing from the boat find some fish first before you make a cast. Just because you don’t get bit on your favorite lure that always works does not mean they are not biting.
Finding the fish is the first step and finding out what they want is the second step. For instance if they always bite a five inch shaky head worm and they are not biting that maybe down size to a 2.5 inch ned rig in that same popular color that you have confidence in. You may also want to downsize the weight of your lures.
When the bass get shocked by the cold front they may not hold on to your bait as long. Or a slower rate of fall could attract a strike also. Maybe something like 1/10oz ned head pictured here would be a better choice. This serves true for all your different bottom bumping type baits such as jigs, worms, flipping baits, creature baits and ned rigs. Use a little less weight and get a little more bites.
Make multiple casts to the fish you found working it very slow. Also be prepared for a very faint bite especially after a cold front. You may not feel the bite you may just feel weight. If you feel the weight don’t debate, Set The Hook!!
If you are fishing a jerk bait or a crank bait after a cold front you will want to down size those baits as well. Next find a depth the fish are in and pick a bait that gets down to that depth. With jerk baits especially you will want to jerk jerk pause. On your pause you can let it sit for 5-10 seconds instead of like 2-3 seconds. This is just how the fish want things after a cold front. You have to let the bass tell you what they want. You can get away with moving the bait a little faster if you are in dingy dirty water. In clear water you have to slow the presentation a lot and it is a painful thing to do.
A Fish Head Spin worked very slowly on the bottom can be an excellent cold front technique. Paid this with a tiny swim bait and let it sink to the bottom (hard bottom with rock or brush not grass) and barely turn the handle of your reel for the slowest retrieve possible. The tiny blade on this bait is small and will attract those bass targeting a smaller offering. Also subtle can be better especially after a cold front. So instead of pairing your fish head spin with a paddle tail style swim bait you may try and use a very small fluke like this one and you will most certainly get more bites.
Look Deeper!!
When cold fronts happen fish almost always move deeper. The further down in the water you go the less the cold front affects the water temperature. So fish almost always move deeper when cold fronts happen. When fishing deeper it is important to lighten your leader line. The fish are little more finicky so the lighter line helps. It also helps get your bait down faster to your targeted depth. I usually move down to 8lb test.
Target Isolated Cover
So Largemouth Bass after a cold front may move a little deeper into submerged vegetation, lay downs and even docks or bridge pilings. Spotted Bass will start to move to ditches or brush piles. And Small Mouth will move out deeper to rock piles. Now those are just some starting points to look for whatever species you are going to target!! A lot of times the thicker the cover that you can find (especially largemouth and spotted bass) the better. Look deeper, slow down and downsize line and lure and you will have a much better chance of success. When I am targeting the isolated cover I do like to use some type of bottom bumping soft plastic type bait. I feel I can fish slower and get more bites and more accurately target these fish. Some times with these baits you will have to bounce right in front of their face for a while to get them to bite. Barely moving your rod tip and just shaking it in one spot. Something like a drop shot can be an excellent technique for when a massive cold front happens.
With this technique fished after a cold front I like to think more vertical than horizontal. So if you are fishing from a boat this would be a lot easier. You will wait till you get directly over the fish before dropping your bait down. It could be a school of fish
rock pile, brush or a drop off that fish are holding tight to. I like to have my bait about 5 to 6 inches up from the weight. Once you hit the bottom just barely move the tip of your rod. Move your rod like you are shivering. The bait will be just barely shaking on the bottom. You don’t want to bounce your rod tip up and down. This tactic is all about finesse. It is important to have your rod tip approximately two inches from the water so you can easily pull up when you have a bite. When you feel the initial bite DO NOT set the hook. Wait until you feel weight or your line moving and then set the hook.
Remember you are going to be using a small hook and light lines. This is not the time to yip their lips off. Just simply pull straight up and at no time should you leave any slack in the line. Make sure your drag is not set too tight either and just finesse them in. Do not swing a drop shot fish ever!! If you line doesn’t fail you then your light wire small hook may. You are going to want to use a spinning set up for this technique. I also like to use a 6.5 foot rod when I am fishing vertical. If I am casting from the bank I will use a 7 foot rod. I like a medium rod with a fast action tip as well since I do not want to break my line when I set the hook.
The Best Kept Secret
Alright guys I do this year round not just after cold fronts. But when fish are shocked by a cold front and everything changes you have to pull out all the tricks. You want to appeal to all the senses. I know for a FACT that what I am about to tell you will make the difference for you getting a bite or not. Use a scent spray. If you are using a bait fish imitation use a shad spray. If it is a jig use crawfish spray. And last but not least if you are using a soft plastic like a drop shot, grub, worm, tube, or ned rig use GARLIC. GARLIC is in all caps because it is my personal favorite!! I cannot tell you how many times I have seen fish on my depth finder and dropped a bait down and not gotten a bite. I would reel it back in and spray it with garlic and drop it back down and immediately get bit. Sometimes the fish need a little more to get them to bite. I NEVER go fishing in a pond or lake without having my garlic spray. It will help you catch more fish. I prefer the Bang Garlic Spray and have been using it for years!!
It is Not all Bad
ey guys not all cold fronts are bad. That first cold front around the fall time of year can make the bass go absolutely crazy. I know for spotted bass and smallmouth bass it can make them go absolutely crazy. Largemouth are always the worst about getting lockjaw over the weather. But when the water temp initially drops get out there. Who knows the fishing might be absolutely amazing because they are trying to feed up for the winter. Or it may be really slow and you will have to use the tactics we discussed above. Either way you cannot catch a bass unless you go out and give it a try. A tough day on the water can be a day of learning on the water. And remember you are always one BIG BITE away from having a great day!! I hope this helps you guys catch more Bass.
Tight Lines,
H.O.B.
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