By Scott Norton
Spring is the time nature comes alive. When bass get active anglers experience the thrill of the hunt more this time of the year than any. When cold fronts roll in, it can put a halt to any active bass. This happens when water temperatures are still rising from the winter months. Once warm water hits the peak in the summer months, cold fronts help with lethargic bass trying to stay out of the sun. Understanding the way nature works and its effects on fish can help with your planning with successful results. This also works with bass being predictable during these weather trends as well. Sticking to shade lines and the color line on the drop offs when the UV index is high is one of those predictable patterns.
I like to fish those stormy days when bass get active and start to feed aggressively. Other patterns when dealing with heat can be to fish at night when bass start to adjust to the daytime pressure. It is knowing when the odds are better in certain situations. Your journey as an angler will have stages of wisdom the more you see these patterns emerge.
After the spawn you will see that bass split up into two groups, one going deep and another staying shallow. Learning how to target each group will also give you some options in tough times. Both groups will school up during their trip back to the main points. Some will stay in the backs of the creeks in search of water currents. This aids in their efforts to hunt if they are looking for specific forage.
Let’s talk about what kind of baits you will be using in different situations. Normally with warm water you want baits that put off a lot of sound and action. When a cold front moves in you typically want to use baits that are subtle and silent for inactive bass. Now there are baits for cover and baits for open water as well. This is when you want to decide which group of bass you want to target. You will start dialing in your strategies once you have established mood and group of bass your hunting.
Understand, you will have certain competition with other anglers and recreational boaters for water, so the more you know the more you will adapt. When competing with the recreational boats you may find yourself fishing the mornings or nights to get around fighting the constant swells. Fighting the swells is also a tactic because when anglers leave for the day your competition of anglers is stacked in your favor. Being mindful and learning to switch gears can give you success, so enjoy your time out.
Scott Norton is a Western North Carolina native. Born in Asheville, N.C., he is a long-time hunter, angler and weekend warrior.