Joe Haubenreich wrote:
R sunny, 60-degree afternoon


we were able to eke out just three bass, all caught on the bottom
with very slow-moving, black/red flake tube jigs, 1/4-ounce bullet weight,
on 3/0 HP hooks. Nothing else we threw today even got a sniff. Water was 48
degrees F. Sky was clear and sunny, with just a few thin clouds. High
tomorrow is supposed to be about 30 degrees lower, with a rain/snow mix.

The question is... what happened to the pre-frontal feeding frenzy we were
looking for? Especially this time of year, when popular wisdom has it that
bass are eating voraciously in preparation for the (relatively) cold winter
months.

Is pre-front feeding frenzy just a bunch of hooey, based on selective memory
and wishful thinking, or is it a fact?

Several points... the "pre-frontal" conditions are found in the last few
hours before the arrival of a storm, and typically include elevated
humidity, cloud cover and a falling barometer. Sound like you didn't
have those conditions today.

Makes no nevermind though, Joe. If you water's 48, most of your bass
have already moved into 'winter' haunts. The thing about thos spots is
that they are the onese that do the best job of insulating the bass from
the effects of daily weather changes. Wbhen their metabolism is slowed
from the cold water, it takes so long to adjust to changing condition
that it amounts to serious stress. Even in environments where they don't
have suitable deep areas to insulate them from short term conditions
above, it's been my experience that seasonally approriate conditions
spur the most reliable fish activity, and at thistime of the year, that
means cold and dreary is better for fishing than warm and sunny.