Westernbass Magazine - FREE Bass Fishing Tips And Techniques - Winter 2014, Page 13

Westernbass Magazine - FREE Bass Fishing Tips And Techniques - Winter 2014, Page 13

S

uch was the case on a recent mission to the Golden State’s premier big-bass fish- ery. Newman and bass bud Paul Bailey had been whacking the whoppers with 8-inch swimbaits, but the arrival of a cold front put the brakes on that thrill ride. Newman has fished Clear lake enough to know that the fish probably hadn’t completely shut down – they just needed him to dial down the presentation to something more condition-appropriate. “My theory is that in the fall, the fish are already feeding aggressively and most of the time, we can get them on oversized baits,” Newman said. “But when you have a front – one of the first few fronts to come through – they go berserk. They go even crazier during the front and then, when it’s done, it’s like they’re overfed. They’re just not hungry. They went on a binge and then

post-front, it’s bright skies, which they’re not used to. So, i think they just say ‘i’m done.’”

assEss and adjust

in this scenario, Newman said that downsizing can tap into the remnants of what was recently a hot bite. in his Clear lake example, he put away the 8-inch Huddleston, tied on a 6-inch swimbait and picked up several quality post-front fish. Nothing like the pre- front wildfire, but good bites nonetheless. “i was shocked to see how good it was, especially for big fish,” Newman said of Clear lake’s pre- front action. “The day after the front, it was a different lake. We hit all of our good spots where he had murdered them before and nothing. i was the first one to drop down to a 6-inch bait and it made all the difference. all of the sudden, all of these spots where they weren’t feeding they’d eat a 6-inch bait. it’s not that much smaller but it was a basic profile size.” as Newman recalled, the most interesting part about his four-day outing was witnessing the whole progression of weather-influenced behavior. “The cool thing was seeing how it was good, good, amazing and then terrible until we made an adjustment and then it was still pretty good,” he said. “downsizing is probably the most effective way to catch a fish that’s just not that hungry,” Newman said. “it’s an easy meal that they don’t have to chase like they were (before the front).”

MorE downsiz- ing oPtions

Hard baits typically offer a clear path of progression when cold fronts require

winter 2014

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