HOW TO SCOUT FOR BASS
The Weather
 EDITOR'S
NOTE: Have you ever wondered why bass angling professionals
can come to a lake they've never fished before, compete
for three days, and catch more and bigger bass than
the anglers who live on the lake? Actually the reason
is simple. Most of the work of locating the fish is
done prior to these professionals' coming to the lake.
Many times their preparation for the tournament may
have taken place months before the actual contest. They
also have another advantage that fishermen who angle
the same lake every weekend don't have, because these
pros don't have honey holes, favorite spots or places
to go to where they've caught bass in the past.  So
they must rely on their own ability to find the fish
on the lake where the bass should be when the fish are
supposed to be there - without any pre-conceived ideas
about where the bass are.
By knowing the weather prediction for the day you plan
to fish, and learning what the weather has been the
week before, you often can not only know where the bass
will be but how they are likely to bite. If you're planning
a trip months in advance, you can talk with weathermen
in the area to understand what the usual weather patterns
are during the month you plan to fish. Then you can
develop several game plans for where and how to catch
bass, depending on what
the weather is on the day you're on the lake.
For instance, if you'll be angling in the spring during
the spawn when the bass probably will be in shallow
water and have found out that the weather is usually
warm and constant then, you know that you can concentrate
on shallow-water patterns. However, if you have learned
that the weather is subject to change abruptly from
warm to cool, then  you
must learn where ditches and drop-offs are and have
a pattern for fishing these regions- if a cold front
hits the day before you go to the lake.
When you're angling in the winter, bass will be deep
off river ledges, deep points and drop-offs. However,
when a warm front moves in for two or three days in
the wintertime, the bass often will go on a feeding
spree in shallow water. So be sure to take some spinner
baits and buzzbaits with you to fish that shallowwater
cover.
TOMMOROW: CALL THE LAKE AND
LEARN THE CONDITIONS
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