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Ok normaly when weather and bass come into the same conversation it gets a bit confusing. So I am going to ask a simple general question, two parts.
Part one and part two. Part one: What is your experience (outcome) when fishing befor a small rain or snow storm or a cold front? How soon were you fishing before the storm / cold front hit? Are we talking a day or two, or an hour or two.
Part two: If you didn't make it out before the storm but ended up going out after, what was the outcome?
Surprise part three: WHAT (?) make fishing easier or harder befor or after the storm?
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The general rule of thumb is to prior to a cold front. The reason is the barometric pressure is falling, which makes it easier for the fish to regulate their swim bladder, which tells them to feed. You also need to know that southern strain largemouth are typically more agressive and grow larger faster but when it comes to weather fronts they are wimps. The northern strain largemouth is far more harty, but grows more slowly. Typically fishing prior to a front or during can produce better than after.
The problem here is I have experienced many exceptions. One of the best days I have ever had in southern Utah was in the fall. The temps had fallen from mid 70's to mid 50' in about three days. Cold north wind and falling water levels in both Sand Hollow and Gunlock would have made most fishermen turn around and head home. In fact, no sane person should have launched a boat that day. Let's just say I love catching 4,5 and 6 lbers with my friends. The next day the wind was non exisitent, no clouds, clear cool water and not one boat on the lake. The fishing was a little more challenging but we still caught fish.
Point is fish it all. General rule is fish before if you can time it. But make the most of the trip regardless.
HM
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I've had some of my best days out on SH during a cold front pushing through, chuckin cbs...windy, waves, raining. I love these conditions! Keeps all other sane fishermen off the lake, and gets the bass feeding. Post cold-front, blue-bird skies...tough. However, a tough day at SH for me is still better than bass fishing at nearly any other lake...I always catch fish there, just a matter of how many and how big. There is truth to just going for it no matter what...you never know, you might just be surprised! Beats work...
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As a whole, I would say that just before and during the front is the best time to fish. The bass tend to get fired up and feed aggressively.
I have also found that during the fall, cold fronts aren't always as detrimental as they are during the rest of the year. Sometimes they get active after them. Maybe they sense winter coming and are feeding up while they can. My best day of bass fishing was last October on a calm, sunny day. There were bluegill sunning themselves at the surface, and there were bass below picking them off. I caught my personal best largemouth that day, tied my previous best twice, and caught many more that were an inch or two off. Most were caught burning lipless and shallow running cranks too.
Early spring I do find them to be a bit more tentative, and often times a front will cause them to pull back and go deep again. If this happens I usually fish small, deep diving suspending jerkbaits like a Jackall Squirrel 79, or a small, tight wobbling crankbait. Also finesse tactics like drop shots and shaky heads can work well at this time.
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