Bass Fishing After the Storm

"The prelude to a summertime pop-up thunderstorm can turn the bass bite on enough for even a novice to enjoy the action," wrote John Neporadny, Jr. "However, when the thunder, lightning and rain subside is the time that separates the weekend anglers from the pros," he continued.

An accomplished angler himself, Neporadny once interviewed bass pro Matt Herren about what happens after the storm.

"Most of the time during summer," said Herren, "pop-up thunderstorms are like their own weather systems. During the dog days of summer, the heat and humidity build up to create afternoon thunderstorms."

Herren believes the prefrontal conditions of increasing cloud cover and wind, coupled with a falling barometer, can have the same effect on lethargic summertime bass as approaching cold fronts do in the spring and fall.

"That will trigger mini-feeds on those fish," said Herren, who also cautioned that while fishing can be great during this time, anglers should use extreme caution when thunder starts rumbling. He personally gets off the water when he sees the leading edge of clouds nearing him, rather than trying to judge the distance of the lightning strikes..

"You need to be cautious of summer storms," he warned, "because they just kind of bubble up during the heat of the day and are bad about wandering," adding that "they will circle and back up."

Herren usually heads back out on the water once the wind and rain subsides, but he still keeps an eye out for more foul weather.

"You may think the storms are cleared out, but there are times when you will be back out on the lake, and it will be right back on top of you," he explained.

Herren takes note of the fact that novice anglers often make a critical mistake when they get back on the water following the passage of a storm.

"Most of them fish the same way they did before the thunderstorm hit," he said. "They don't really evaluate what happens during that thunderstorm and how it changes the mood of the fish."

The Alabama pro believes a thunderstorm has different effects on the two dominant bass species in his area.

"Spotted bass in the South will go crazy in the thunder and lightning," he said, "but largemouth don't like it because they are a shallower fish."

From his post-storm experiences, Herren has noticed largemouth move off of structure or cover but still suspended close to the spots they were holding on prior to the storm.

"Fish that moved up on a hump to feed before the storm probably have moved to the side of the hump to suspend after the tempest," he explained. "So you may have to back off and position the boat differently and fish a different level of the water column.

"If you were using a crankbait that dives to 8 or 10 feet deep, you may have to go to one that dives 12 to 14 feet deep after the fish suspend. Or, if you were using a Carolina rig with a 1-ounce weight, you may have to go to a Texas rig with a 5/16-ounce weight for a slower fall."

According to writer Neporadny, "Bass in laydowns and other shallow wood also suspend at the ends of the cover, where Herren tries to trigger a reaction strike by burning a small spinnerbait, buzzbait, or crankbait. Swimming a trick worm with a 1/16-ounce weight or a Santone Rayburn Swim Jig through the limbs of a laydown is one of Herren's favorite ways to coax inactive post-storm bass into biting."

When the wind dies and blue skies prevail after a storm, Herren resorts to a light Texas-rigged soft plastic or other finesse tactics, since the fishing slows considerably. If the clouds continue to linger, though, big fish still will bite.

Said Herren, "Fishing around those storms will present an angler some pretty good opportunities to catch some pretty good fish."

Just make sure you're off the water well in advance of and for quite a while after the storm's light show.