Cold Front Affecting River/stream Smallies

[rowyourboat]

im fishing the New River this weekend and a cold front just rolled through lastnight/today.

 

any tips for adjusting? are river smallies affected more or less than lake fish? do they head for the depths? im lost!!!! thanks!

[Brian Needham]

on average, current fish are less effected by fronts IMO...

 

that said who knows, fish cant talk, sadly. BUT this time of year, many times a front will "turn on" the fish as it signals the approaching fall/winter and triggers the "feed up"

[Sam]

Row, there are two types of rivers in the USA: tidal and nontidal.

 

Tidal Rivers - Impact of cold fronts on bass population minimal due to the tides.

 

Nontidal Rivers - Impact of cold fronts depends on water flow.

 

We have many tidal rivers in Virginia and we really don't care about cold fronts when we fish them. The New River however is not a tidal river and one has to view the current to decide if the cold front will affect the smallmouth.

 

Stationary bodies of water such as your lakes, reservoirs and ponds are affected by a cold front.

 

You do not illustrate where you live so we really have no idea of the types of rivers you can fish. Please consider adding your hometown so we can give you better replies to your queries.  Thanks.

[wademaster1]

I fished rivers within an hour of the New several times in the last week or two and caught smallies, spots, and largemouths.....didn't seem to be slowed down...

 

Now the largemouth bite in still water lakes/ponds seems to have slowed quite a bit....cold fronts are the only culprits I can think of....or maybe it's just me...