As a true power fisherman, my favorite way to catch bass is using a jerkbait. During spring when bass are in the pre-spawn phase, cruising the shallows and staging outside of spawning areas, this technique allows me to cover maximum amounts of water in any conditions, and allows me to elicit the reactionary strike that I’m always trying to generate.

On Wednesday May 22nd, my plan was to fish a reservoir with numerous creek arms because a coldfront of epic proportions invaded the region. However it rained a lot in this area during the previous day, thus it rose three feet over night! It was flooded and I didn’t want to take any chances dumping the boat in, nor fishing black water clarity. So I fished my way back home, and fished a brand new 700 acre lake I had never been on before. In four hours I caught 30 smallies, all from one spot. They were stacked. Hot bait was a 4.5 inch Matzuo Phantom minnow (jerkbait). I only fished this lake due to circumstance, and had zero clue of its bass fishery.

Lake Profile

Size: 670 acres
Lake Type: Mesotrophic
Maximum Depth: 46 feet
Avg. Depth Fished: 3 to 6 feet
Water Clarity: 2ft (brown)
Primary Fishery: Smallmouth bass, walleye, muskellunge, crappie
Areas of Focus: Sandbar and mid lake structure
Time of Day: 11am to 3pm
Lure Used: Matzuo Phantom Minnow 4.5″

Nothing is more demoralizing during the spring feeding spree than a major cold front. For instance during the days prior smallmouth bass were stacked and staging, water temperatures were quickly warming, and you were likely having 20 to 50 fish days. Then overnight a front invaded, bringing with it several hours of rainfall, a brutally cold north wind, and 40 degree air temperatures. You follow the weather closely the next morning, thinking the fishing just got ruined. Right? Not necessarily. Just sleep in a little longer and fish during the midday hours. The coldfront may have improved the fishing to some degree, especially if proficient with the suspending jerkbait.

While a major cold front like this in the spring can make conditions miserable for anglers, a little adaptation to the conditions at hand will save your day of fishing. If done correctly, and as crazy as it sounds, you can possibly have one of your best days ever.  In order to do so, think slow and apply patience. Fish as slowly as the fish are reacting to the coldfront. For smallmouth bass impacted by cold front, cover minimal water, by focusing on specific locations and staying on top of them. Fish each location thoroughly and diligently. For coldfront smallies, the keyword is slow. With suspending jerkbaits like the Matzuo Phantom Minnow, that means utilizing its loud rattles with a few jerks, and long pauses sometimes up to 10 seconds or more.

The Matzuo Phantom Minnow’s erratic darting action and holographic color patterns appeal well to coldfront smallmouth bass. Known to draw slashing strikes, enticed by its rattle chamber and suspending profile, the Phantom Minnow is an exceptionally versatile lure that can be used for pulling up fish suspended in deep water or shallow water. This particular bite was illustrated by camping out on a shallow mid lake sand flat for the entire four hours of fishing this new lake, and finding the fish stacked and staging just outside of their spawning sites.

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