Cool fronts change everything for bass

Hey, Keith here.

By now you may have had the first cool front of the season.

When cooler patterns arrive and temperatures begin dropping, bass enter their most predictable feeding patterns of the year, but most anglers miss the boat because they don't understand what's actually happening beneath the surface.

Many anglers continue using summer tactics well into fall, not realizing that bass behavior completely shifts as water temperatures drop.

Baitfish begin their seasonal migrations making lures that imitate shad your #1 choice. 

Understanding what bass are doing during these temperature transitions will make you a significantly better angler and help you load the boat during one of the most productive times of the year.

Today, I'm breaking down the three distinct phases of fall bass behavior so you can anticipate their movements and position yourself for success.

BEST LINKS

What I looked at this week

• Early fall transition bass fishing tips (Bass Resource)

• The effects of cold fronts on bass (In-Fisherman)

• How to catch bass during the first cool front of the year (Wired2fish)

• Fishing the first cool front of the year (Padgett Outdoors)

• Water temperature CHEAT SHEET for bass. (Bass Fishing HQ)

Deals of the week

• Pure Fishing has a Berkley Bad Shad crankbait marked down to $3.50 from $8.99

• Abu Garcia has its Max X Low Profile Baitcast Reel on sale marked down from $74.99 to $49.99.

• Berkley has a Sloberknocker ½-ounce jig marked down from $10.99 to $7.49.

DEEP DIVE 

The three phases that rule fall bass fishing

Before diving into bass behavior, it's crucial to understand that bass can react to autumn even without a cold front. While fall typically begins when air temperatures start dropping, there are other signals bass can pick up to let them know it's here. For example, the days are getting shorter, and the sun sits lower in the sky.

This natural cycle triggers something primal in both baitfish and bass. Everything that happens from this point forward is driven by one universal truth: fall is about baitfish, and successful anglers match the hatch.

Bass don't randomly wander during fall transitions. Every movement follows predictable, well-defined paths that are keyed entirely to baitfish movement and location.

Phase 1: Early fall transition (mid-80s to mid-70s)

The early fall transition begins when water temperatures drop from the middle or high 80s down into the middle or lower 70s.

During this phase, bass leave their summer patterns and begin following baitfish toward shallower water along predictable migration routes.

These aren't random movements. Bass follow the same pathways year after year, moving along creeks, pockets, shallow shoals, humps, and sometimes shallow flats.

The key to success during early transition is identifying the stopping places along these migration routes. Bass pause at anything that sticks out from their travel path and breaks the contour line.

Here's what to look for:

• Hard or soft points

• Large rocks

• Big stumps

• Giant laydowns

• Points created by weed growth

What the structure is matters less than how it interrupts the bass's natural travel corridor.

These stopping points act like rest areas on a highway where bass pause to feed before continuing their journey toward shallow water.

Phase 2: The fall feed (peak feeding time)

The fall feed represents every bass angler's dream scenario, characterized by sharp drops in air and water temperature, along with noticeably shorter, colder days.

By this phase, both baitfish and bass have completed their migration to the shallowest water that will hold forage. There's no more movement or transition happening.

Bass have reached exactly where they want to be to feed heavily and build fat reserves for winter. They're piled up in these areas and eating aggressively all day long.

This is the phase when you can catch bass consistently throughout the day using almost any lure in your boat, as long as it matches the local baitfish they're gorging on.

The fall feed is nature's way of preparing bass for the lean winter months ahead, making them less selective and more aggressive than any other time of year.

Phase 3: Late fall migration (heading to winter patterns)

The late fall migration occurs when bass have fed heavily and harsh winter conditions are approaching with little relief in sight.

During this final phase, bass reverse direction and head back toward their winter holding areas, following the exact same paths they used to reach shallow water.

This return journey follows identical routes and stopping points to those they used during the early transition. Bass operate on instinct and habit, not innovation.

They don't seek new structure or change their preferred holding spots. Instead, they return to the same points, humps, and structural elements that provided security during their inward journey.

Understanding this predictable return pattern allows you to intercept bass at known stopping points as they migrate back to deeper winter haunts.

The baitfish connection that drives everything

Throughout all three phases, baitfish movement trumps every other factor anglers typically consider when locating bass.

When fishing in areas with heavy baitfish presence, I like to throw a jerkbait. Shimano makes an incredible lure called the Zumverno. One of the things I like about this lure is how many color choices there are. 

Water clarity, structure type, and even weather conditions become secondary to understanding where baitfish are positioned and which direction they're moving.

Bass simply follow the food source, making baitfish location the most reliable predictor of bass position during fall transitions.

Successful fall fishing requires matching not just the size and color of local baitfish, but also understanding their seasonal movement patterns and positioning yourself along their migration routes.

Timing your fall fishing success

Right now through October and into early November, most bass waters are experiencing either the early fall transition or the peak fall feed.

These two phases represent the most productive bass fishing opportunities of the entire year for anglers who understand what's happening beneath the surface.

The bass are either actively moving toward shallow feeding areas or already positioned and feeding aggressively in those locations.

Either scenario provides excellent fishing opportunities for prepared anglers who can read the signs and position themselves accordingly.