When a cold front boogers up the prespawn scene, colder temperatures and bright, bluebird conditions will push the fish back off their staging positions.
That’s when patience and astute observation serves anglers well, Bassmaster Elite Series pro Terry Scroggins noted.
“This time of year (bass) move a lot, and you have to move with them,” Scroggins said. “If you’re in a post-frontal situation, those fish that were staging near the spawning flats might slide back into deeper water until that high pressure gets out of there.”
Once the day starts warming up and clouds return to the sky, Scroggins knows the fish will want to work their way back up the bank.
And, if warmth and moons align favorably, the process might move along quickly.
“I like to move back to the bank between 11 and 1 o’clock,” Scroggins said. “It’s the time when fish are most likely to become active, and it’s the period of highest visibility.
“I just get up there on the trolling motor, and look for fish and look for beds. If you have good, polished beds up there, you know they’re fresh and the fish have just moved up.”
