Mitch Looper notes another front-related phenomena that's rarely discussed. "I discovered that the night after a major cold front has passed in spring is a bonanza time for giant bass," Looper says. "For some reason, the giants truly turn on then, particularly in the two-hour period surrounding the rising or setting of the moon. It's miserable on the lake, as night-time temperatures may dip close to freezing near dawn. Yet some of my biggest bass, including my 14 1?2-pounder and countless 9-plus-pounders have bit on such nights in March and April. This unexpected bite may explain why the big ones are so hard to catch during the day following cold fronts -- they've fed so heavily during the previous night.

"Another window of opportunity occurs, but I can't explain why," Looper continues. "It always seems to happen during a positive moon phase, within three days of the onset of a full or dark moon. As you're fishing, you notice that the terrestrial wildlife has been dormant. Then, suddenly, frogs start croaking, wading birds start hunting, rabbits, birds, deer, and beaver start moving.

"I've noticed this change in activity when no other factors are in play, such as solunar periods or advancing fronts. You can bet big bass are on the prowl, too. This happened on a new moon in March at Lake Fork. The lake was quiet and fishing was slow until about 4 p.m., when everything started moving and making noise. I immediately hooked and lost a monster of 12 or 13 pounds.

"I caught a 10-13, then in the next hour I lost three more huge bass that bit in a massive logjam. They were just too much to handle in that thick cover. Then, it was over.

"Animals stopped moving, and the fish stopped biting, though I fished until dark. Note that observing wildlife doesn't mean cows, as some anglers believe. Cows are not wild and not in tune with the natural environment."