Fishing Is an Humbling Sport To Start With...

Throw in a spring cold front...even though spring doesn't officially start for two more days...and you have the makings of some tough fishing. Just ask those anglers who showed up Saturday at the Pasquotank River for the season-opener of the Tidewater Division, NC CATT Trail Tournaments.

As anyone who has fished on the heels of a spring cold front knows, bass usually get downright finicky or stubborn after one of these weather events occurs. It's not an exaggeration to say that you can put a bait square on their nose at such times, and they won't even think of biting.

Wayne Hayes didn't waste any words Saturday afternoon when he phoned, telling me about how miserable a day he and his partner, Andy Morath, had had. As I also understand it, the same was true of the team composed of Bob Clarkson and Mark Ingram, as well as a large swath of the other competitors. Simply put, when Saturday morning's cold front passed through, it choked the bite down to parade rest.

The only hope anyone in the field ever had, as described in the tournament director's comments, was to have scored big in the first hour or so of the competition...before the front passed through. That's exactly what at least the top three teams did and subsequently finished in double-digit figures.

There's nothing new about Mother Nature playing a dirty trick on you after a short warming period and then kicking you and your fishing patterns in the teeth. Walker Smith of Wired2Fish knows the drill, too. A few years ago, though, he sat down and generated a list of all the things he had to do to keep catching bass during these tough conditions. Following is a digest of things he learned that may help you the next time a front blows through and cools down the bite in your area, as well.

Said Smith, "I've figured out that I get a lot more Texas-rig bites in cold-front conditions when I don't peg my weight. Most shallow-water guys, including me, peg our weights, so this can feel pretty awkward at first. But think about what an unpegged Texas rig does underwater: It creates an incredibly natural, gliding action as it falls. Your tungsten weight is going to hit the bottom first, as it slides up your line. This allows your soft plastic to glide slowly to the bottom as it catches up with your weight.

"The slower and more deliberate fall gives these slow-moving bass extra time to detect and bite your Texas rig. In these conditions, bass don't necessarily want something fast-moving and obnoxious. The more natural you can get your presentation, the better off you'll be.

"This time of year is not only volatile due to the weather but also because of the shad spawn in much of the country. These big bass will gorge themselves on spawning shad all night and for the first hour or so of daylight. But once that sun gets over the trees, they're done. They're full as a tick and have no reason to actively feed for the rest of the day. This is why they can nearly vacate the shallows for most of the day; they're simply not hunting.

"This concept, although fairly simple, finally clicked for me. I could fish miles of bank with very few bites. But when I started scanning around on my LivScope unit, I noticed several bass sitting off the first depth change from the bank. I was targeting 3 to 6 feet of water, and the bass actually were sitting behind me in 10 feet of water. They had eaten their fill during the morning shad spawn and just slid out to deeper water to hang out for the rest of the day...not unlike the dude who pigs out at a Thanksgiving feast, then has to undo his belt buckle and spread out on the sofa all afternoon.

"I chose to cast something very small and subtle to 'em, so I rigged up a small grub on a spinning rod with 8-pound test line. Sure enough, I caught three of the four bass I saw on my LiveScope. For the rest of the afternoon, I made a conscious effort to target that first depth change off the bank, and I turned a poor day of fishing into a surprisingly productive one.

"I'll be the first to admit that I'm not a huge fan of jerkbait fishing. I throw a jerkbait more than you'd think, however, because the dang thing just gets bites. If you held a gun to my head and told me to go catch a bass right this second, a jerkbait would be the first thing I'd throw. They're like bass candy.

"Once a spring cold front rolls through, in addition to the high barometric pressure, you're also left with high winds. It's been so bad here lately that I've had to leave the big water a few times and head up rivers to get away from the huge swells.

"You can use this wind to your advantage, though. It will position both baitfish and bass on windblown points and seawalls throughout the lake, and there is no better lure for windy conditions than a jerkbait. The waves and ripples created by the wind distort the profile of the jerkbait just enough to hide any unnatural characteristics, such as hooks and split rings, which makes it much easier to fool bass.

"Even if you're not crazy about jerkbaits, try it during the next cold front. I've had nasty days lately when I've caught upwards of 30 bass in just a few hours. Is it because I'm that good? Heck no. Absolutely not. It's because a jerkbait flat-out catches 'em during cold fronts.

"I wish I had some elaborate biological explanation for these points, but, sadly, I don't. This, though, has been a big deal for me throughout these spring weather fronts. Don't be afraid to hit a productive spot several times during the day. When I run across a good stretch where I can get a few bites, I'll come back every hour or so and beat the fire out of it. Fish are moving constantly right now, so I don't try to "save" fish for the next day or the next tournament. I milk everything for every ounce it's worth because chances are, those fish won't stay there long.

"There's a reason those fish are there. Whether it's the presence of bait, bottom composition, or vegetation, it all depends. But again, they're there for a reason, and in cold-front conditions, their feeding windows get incredibly small. So revisiting a productive spot several times increases the likelihood of your pulling up while they happen to be feeding, or at least, that's my opinion.

"So try these tips on your next trip. If you run across a little bunch of 'em, come back in an hour or two. Don't peg your weight. Throw a jerkbait. Back off the bank a little bit. I'm willing to bet if you try these things, you won't be so hesitant to go fishing during that next cold front."