Fall cold fronts, good, bad, no difference??

I think we all would agree, a severe cold front in spring or early summer can really turn the fishing south in a hurry. I also think river fish, in current, are much less affected by weather changes. But what about cold snaps in the fall? I see the temps for Sunday morning are forecast to be in the mid 40’s, which is by far our coldest yet this fall. This got me to thinking. Are fall cold fronts detrimental to fishing success, or advantageous?

I have kept (poor) records over the last few years. I noticed two times in September when I went fishing the morning after a cold front came through the day before. Both were good days, one spectacular. The better of the days, the temp was 38 when I left the house, September 24th I think. Caught most of my fish on a buzzbait that day. Both cold mornings I also noted alot of shad activity on the surface.

I tend to think in the Northern climates, a cold snap in fall actually increases fish activity. Anyone concurr or think the opposite is true?

Cold front,
I will agree that in the spring and summer they often play significant roles in feeding behavior or lack of.
In the Fall I have found that these cold fronts are triggers for feeding. During the front I have witnessed the fishing to be spectacular. Following the front the fishing tends to slow but is still very much active until high pressure sets in. If the temp remains cool and the water temp mean is on the decline this behavior will still be displayed. This is obviously the time of year we most associate with good smallie catches but the largemouth will be awfully fun as well. The key to them in the fall like any other time locations. Everyone knows what they do in the winter but finding good feeding flats that stage into the deeper water is not always easy to find especially in some of the more silted pools.
Jc

I think that water temp has a lot to do with it. This week’s cold front seemed to really turn the fish off, but the water temps are still in the 80 degree + range down here. I would think that as long as the fish are in a summer pattern, the cold front is going to negatively affect fishing.

Once the water temps start to drop and the fish strap on the feedbag for wintering, I think cold temperatures become less significant. The river is a much different environment also, for two reasons. Number one is that there is no fall turnover effect like there is in a lake, the other is that the water I’m fishing today was enjoying the weather in Lacrosse yesterday. I think that makes river fishing a little less predictable than lake fishing.

I would kindly like to disagree. This AM went fishing. A friend and I started with 50 degree air temps and chilly water as an effect. Water was in the very low 70’s and any thing close to 80 has not been seen in a couple weeks. The fish were aggressive and chasing. We boated many 3 lb fish with a couple in the 4 class. This was a direct result of the cold snap this being the coldest night. As for summer patter, I think the definition as it relates to the fish right now is more early fall. The fish have started positioning themselves for fall and the typical lazy feeding days of summer is all but over. I am not saying you won’t see similar behavior as summer but make no mistakes. Things are much different than 30 days ago.
Jc

We were on Coralville Thursday night, the air was cold, but the water was still plenty-o-warm. If the river temps are starting to drop, there may actually be a slim chance of me catching a fish in one!

I think the cold front that went through made a difference on some spots. Saturday in the BFL my partner and I both limited, then on Sunday after the cold front went throught it was alot tougher and I only got two. It all depends on what you are fishing. The cold front that went through dropped the water temps. where we were three degrees. The wind went from the south to the north and the bright sun turned the fish off also. A cold front may or may not upset your fishing, it all depends on the type of spot you are fishing. Just make sure you have some warm clothes in the morning, it is alittle chilly.
Good Luck

I was wondering something similar but instead of cold fronts in the fall, I was wondering about warm fronts in the fall. My theory is that a cold snap in the fall generally helps fishing whereas in the spring a cold spell will hurt fishing. In the spring it’s just the opposite; cold spells hurt fishing whereas warm spells help. It seems like I’ve had some pretty tough walleye fishing in October after the temperatures have been in the 80s for a couple of days. My theory is that it confuses the fish or something. The water is starting to cool nicely and then all of a sudden it starts going back up. It seems to put the fish in a funk.

Have other people had similar experiences with warm spells in the fall? I should note that my experiene has been with walleyes but I suspect it’d be similar with bass.

Boone

I was out yesterday morning, and it was chillllly at 6:30. Some spots I had fished last Wednesday night, that had tons of shad working the surface and very little current, had nothing happening yesterday morning. Spots that were more in the flow of the river seemed OK.

We caught more fish after 9:00 than before. Smallies seemed to be getting more and more active as the day went on. I caught a 20.25 incher yesterday, after a 19.75 incher last week. I love the fall. The majority of my biggest bass have come in September and October.

I guess yesterday morning gave me no evidence to support my thoery. However, I would like to have been out Saturday and Sunday to make a better comparison.

Are we defining warm and cold fronts or are we defining Low and High Pressure. I am sure some of you are thinking that are one in the same but I’ll kindly challenge that mentality.

To Sum up what Bass Boy said I will confer that the High Pressure would have made your fishing tougher if you were fishing fish that were relating to overhead cover. Did they stop feeding or “shut off” Nope, They just moved and / or repositioned themselves. I laugh only because I used to accept this is “Normal” in the past.

Good Job on the limit and you are well on your way to many more. Keep it up.
Jc

Boon,

Trending is what you are looking for. Yep in the fall when the water temp is trending higher you can often see a slow down in fishing but take that same trend for say 2 days and in the late morning you will see VERY active feeding in all species. As a side note you will also observe the same when water temp trends down. In the spring the fishing can indeed get really slow but in the fall you will see positive and positive triggers if you know where and what to look for. – Thanks for sharing. –
Jc

JC:

I have yet to see any scientific proof of atmospheric pressure changes actually having a biological effect on fish. There was a very interesting article on the subject in the In-Fisherman 2000 bass guide done by someone in the Texas Fish and Game Commision. They did many studies trying to observe any difference in bass behavior due to pressure changes. Obviously, this is very difficult, because atmospheric pressure changes usually (practically always) occur along with changes in temperature, and more importantly cloud cover and wind changes. They looked at both bass locations and feeding behavior, and could find no statistical positive correlations between pressure changes up or down. The one time they did always see an increase in movement and feeding behavior was during times of complete overcast, which were often just prior to and during the passage of a front. Interestingly, there was no difference in feeding behavior between clear skies and partly cloudy, the sky had to be complete overcast before they noticed the difference. They also noted that daily air pressure changes in Texas due to atmospheric heating often exceeded the changes brought about by a front passage.

Anoher interesting thing is how little atmospheric pressure changes actually can be felt by fish. To offset the pressure changes caused by going from a high pressure system to a hurricane level low pressure, the bass only has to move vertically 2.5 inches (I think) to account for pressure changes. I would think in a river environment, if the fish is near any appreciable current, the effects in atmospheric pressure would be almost undetectable.

I have read a few places that atmospheric pressure changes can affect phytoplankton and zooplankton, making them float higher and away from vegetation under low pressure, making it easier for baitfish to feed and be more active, thus making it easier for predators to feed and increasing activity. May have some merit, but again, if there is a current environment, I doubt it plays much of a factor.

I personally think factors such as sky conditions, temperatures, and wind are the major driving forces behind changes in fish behavior. In a river environment, water levels and current volume are probably actually the biggest factor, but change on a slower scale.

I am interested in your observations on this.

DK

I think a drop in water temp can helpfull when it is in the eighties and seventies but only in gradual reduction. The biggest thing on my mind is stability, then baitfish, then stability when targeting big bass . Latter on when that water temp gets down there watch out for those cold wind blown shores. Also a sunny afternoon after a morning cold front can be dynamite! The behavior and location of shad flicking on the surface will tell me alot. Also cleaner deeper water or main channel current which does’nt change as much in water temp seems to work better for me for the morning bite. oh oh, there I go again rambling ,,,, Somebody eles’s turn………. {John}

Moss Boss,
Great post,
You have challenged one of the values that I held as “Gods Truth” in dealing with the experiences that I have had. The results are solid however the cause might be distorted. I need to let this stew a bit… I’ll be back at ya shortly.
Jc

-Thanks-
Things like this help us grow by leaps and bounds!!!!

I have done my research and concluded a few of the truths that I though were so evident are in fact skewed by other determinates. For starters, High barometer typically means clear blue skies while low barometer typically indicates the presents of clouds. Heeping this in mind we can say that either high barometric pressure and / or blue bird shies dampen the feeding activity of fish. I am 100% accurate that during the passage of a front the fishing remains positive until the bright blues return which is not always synonymous with the passage of a front. Keeping this in mind my thoughts are in line with a good friend the goes by the name of Bass Duffer residing in TN. His thoughts are as follows and I have to say I am subscribing to them rather quickly. They bend some of the rules that govern my fishing experiences however the parallels are strong enough that I am apt to challenge some of my beliefs…
Excerpt as follows:
“I have come to believe that the crucial factor is light levels. Y’all may have noted that I bring up the subject of bass vision capabilities quite often (every time I get the chance:)). Based upon what I have read and heard, I believe that bass have considerable difficulty in making a rapid adjustment from low to high light levels and that they function best visually, within a rather small optimum range of light levels. They are equipped with other sensory organs which make it possible to function at light levels below that optimum range. These same organs would be of assistance at higher than optimum light levels, but I believe bass will avoid higher light levels if feasible. (By the way, Mr Gustaveson, in his recent Inside Line article, mentioned that bass do not see well under high light level conditions). They will of course feed under those conditions if necessary, but would prefer to avoid it. Another factor which may apply here is that in high light levels, bass can perhaps be SEEN better by either prey or predators.
Thus bass may increase feeding activity pre-front due to lowered light levels associated with increased cloud cover, wind and wave activity. After the front passes, they slow their activities until they either adjust to higher light levels or even until the next front approaches. Between fronts, wind/wave action will reduce light penetration and affect prey activities, which by themselves or in combination may lead to increased bas feeding.”

This ay or may not explain everything but it sure is a quality hypothesis and worth exploiting.

Thanks again Moss Boss.
Jc

That is the way that I have been tought. You are right on the money with the light penetration. If you read Buck Perry’s articles it is all about light penetration and speed. If you are on the fish and you can get low light and the right speed you can’t do anything wrong. When you get in this position color or scent doesn’t matter at all!!

You aren’t a spoon plugger are ya? -grin-

Buck was way ahead of himself in his day but the IF handbook goes into detail…
Yep I agree.
jc

A while back, it was explained to me that high preasure effects they’re balance, they actually may get to the point where they lean up against some things. I had an aquarium for a year and watched for these effects, but did not witness it. but inside the house where the light was the same & on a high preasure day they definitely were more in active, most often just staying still. I remember times on blue bird days looking down in the water and seeing fish just dormant. They did’nt even seem to see my lure or offering when presented right in front of they’re face. Just a thought….. {John}

JC.

I was just introduced to spoon pluggin this summer by a friend. It is a very interesting technique and I would like to try it more but they don’t make the plugs anymore!!