Here’s a little spring & fall bass fishing secret I first discovered while first fishing reservoirs in the Western U.S. subsequently verifying the pattern on several natural pond systems in the Northeast.
The best part of this tip… it shows an opportunity to connect with a little-known feeding frenzy at a time when most anglers avoid hitting the water’s edge!
Most of us cringe when we hear the weather person start talking of impending cold fronts and the brisk, windy weather that follows. I know I did until I encountered a situation where bass were herding baitfish (shad out west and alewives/herring in the east) in the rolling surf of wind-swept shores.
Across the U.S., post-front winds tend to blow from the northwest generating large waves subsequently driving plankton, baitfish and bass toward the opposite shoreline…
This means the main area where the pending feeding frenzy exists is typically on the southeast side of the lake, especially where deep water is close by…
When conditions are right, the bass go absolutely nuts chowing down on dis-oriented bait being tossed about in the surf suddenly creating a buffet line they can’t resist…
I have personally caught numerous largemouth and smallmouth bass in excess of 16 inches with the largest being 23 and 21.5 inches, respectively. The fishing can be absolutely insane with jigs and lip-less crankbaits being the easiest to cast into the wind and work throw the mayday ensuing in the crashing waves!