6.5lb Bruiser Pre-Cold Front

If I know a front of some sort is coming like a storm or cold front, I try to get out before it hits to make a few cast to see if fish are feeding pre-front. This week all the fish I have caught have been hugging the shore. I am guessing that these fish are in a pre-spawn stage waiting for the right conditions. I have caught most of my fish on spinner baits this week. I started out with a white strike king with a silver Colorado blade and quickly scored my first bass.

 I want to get good at the traditional bass jigs. Last night was no exception. I made a few casts but I just don't have the confidence yet, so I cut it off and tied a 3/o hook, bullet weight and a Zoom brush hog on my heaviest bass rod. The Bait was black with red flake. After a few casts I moved to a rocky wind blown shore line. I was already freezing from the dropping temps but decide to make just a couple of long casts with the brush hog parallel to shore. I was using a drag and pause retrieve when I felt just a slight tap and my line started swimming off to my left. I reeled down and slammed the hooks home. I was shocked as my big meat stick rod doubled over and my take no prisoners corsair cs300 started giving up drag! Then she broke the surface and my knees got weak. This was the hog I was hunting all spring and I was pretty scared that I would lose it like I did last season on a crank-bait(still play that over in my head). I drove the hook in one more time and brought my second largest bucket mouth ever in! I taped her at 22x15 just two inches short of girth to catch my biggest at 22x17. Wow that was cool.

Now I didn't even notice bleeding frozen thumb from her until my next fish which since it was smaller, I was able to let it play out and stay calm. I caught 3 more on the brush hog and finished the day with a nice bass on my new favorite baits from Big Hammer.