What do you pros do when fishing around Fall cold fronts like the one coming...go deer hunting?
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What do you pros do when fishing around Fall cold fronts like the one coming...go deer hunting?
I'm no pro, but I'll offer my advice at no charge. I fish slower, deeper, and tighter to cover for the first day or so behind front. Also, I don't hit the water without minners for the first day or so after the front. If that don't work, then I go deer hunting ! It's not been my personal experience, but I have been told seasonal Fall Fronts seem to have lesser effect on fish than fronts in other times of the year. Not sure why that would be true or if there is any truth to it. Minner UP !
If I go I will be pulling cranks
Cold front signals that crappie season is over. They go into hibernation and will not eat again until the spring thaw just like humans do.:yikes
Guess I'd fish deeper and tight to cover with less expectations .:banghead If I was smart I'd sleep in . It has been slower all week here anyway .:pray
Put on more clothes! !!!!
I'm no pro but I will share this with you. The weather here for the two weeks prior to last Friday had been mild and stable. Low wind,70 to 80 or so in the day,50's at night. BUT last Friday a mild cold front blew in with daytime high about 50 something maybe right at 60 and North wind about 10 steady with occasional higher gust and squall lines of rain pretty much the whole day,overcast all day. Well guess what....the ONLY day I could work out to go fishing was that Friday.Sooooo...I started out looking for baitfish on creek channels.I found them and birds dipping the water but could not find the fish.Finally decided to find some other boats and when I did they were fishing under a bridge road crossing using long poles and fishing in 12 to 15 ft of water or so.They were catching an occasional fish so I just waited off to the side until they were done.While I waited I kept seeing fish rising on shad around the boat.I tried to get bit but was having trouble...I turned to the bank and cast to the riprap on the bank and WHAM,them fish were pushing them shad fry against the rock and when you threw it up tight against the rock they would nail it. Ended up catching about 60 crappie,25 bluegill,10 largemouth,2 whitebass,and about 20 dink hybrids.Only had about 20 crappie that went 10" or more though.But the limit on this lake is no more than 10 crappie more than 10" anyway.
And that's a true fishing story. And I ain't a pro and I ain't even from Arkansas.I'm from Missouri and I was fishing in Illinois.
BUT...the water was still 68 degrees and sometimes fish like that wobbly barometer during a squall. Now if the water had been colder probably a much different story.And I have found post cold front crappie don't mind the high pressure associated with it that much,but they will pull tight to cover and bite for shorter periods during the day.And typically seek out deeper water unless you just happen to be on a really shallow body of water.Bright bluebird days post frontal can be tough,you have to put it right in front of them at the right time of day,whenever they decide that is for that day.
I am just talkin on that dang ol internet and I don't know nothing
The first serious cold fronts of the fall...are my absolute favorite times to Whack Them, Remember crappie are allot like people and they welcome the cooling waters after being in a sauna all summer long. The water temp's take time to cool down and even tho it may feel freezing out to you...The fish are enjoying the gradual cooling water temps and get fired up. I don't believe the first cold fronts do anything but put the fish into a feeding frenzy as they know the real Freezing cold fronts are just around the corner. You can take that from A Pro.:biggrin
Please come to Grenada and show me this!!! [emoji4]Quote:
Originally Posted by CrappiePro
Once the water stabilizes in temp and sort of bottoms before the real winter hits, and any fall turnover has ran its course...I have found that the time right around the time the gun deer season opens here in Missouri (2nd weekend in November) is just plain good fishing and that's for just about everything. I don't go then as much as I use to....but my memory hadn't got that bad has it? Course fronts in general are funny to fish....sometimes good sometimes bad. Sometimes good on the coming in and bad on the going out,or vice versa.
Once the weather stablizes and fish get aclimated the fall bite will fire up . Fish take time to adjust after drastic changes in water levels, temp, and barometric pressure .:twocents
I am catching crappie on bottom, using minnow colored jigs, Water is around 68 degrees. They are holding around 8" deep. I let the jig hit bottom and start a slow retrieve, This is after fronts come through.
A barometer increase of 1/2" Hg following a cold front(big for a cold front passage) would only require fish to rise about 6" in the water to maintain equalibrium. This seems a pretty minor change to me. I think the the rapid cooling of the surface temperature has the larger effect forcing both fish and bait both deeper to minimize the rate of temperature change. Also, the 180 degree change in wind direction could also play a major role. Only the fish know for sure :scratchhead
Sure BRM, Please come in state and show me something and I'll do my best to go out of state to show you something. Sounds like more than a fair deal to me Budro.Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRiverMarine
Sounds fair to me.Quote:
Originally Posted by CrappiePro
I find it odd that no one wants me to show them about fishing:Rofl Well, I really don't find it that odd, now that I think about it:biggrin
Can you show me AGAIN how to run over someone's boat and stay friends with them? [emoji12]Quote:
Originally Posted by RCC
Maybe Steer left or right. HAHA!!!