Cold Front

[WVcrank]

We have a cold front coming through this weekend. I no that fishing ahead of the front is usually good to fish. Do any of you guys fish right after a front? If so what kind of bait would you throw. Anything different than usual? Do you go out the next day after a front or wait a day or 2?

I'm sure this one has been discussed before. If so sorry for the repost.

[soccplayer07]

I fish whenever I can. I usually down size and slow down following a front. Let the fish tell you what they want. Don't forget deeper fish are less effected by fronts in my opinion.

[gobig]

I go fishing when I have the chance. I rarely shy away even when its raining. I fish before, during and after fronts. With that being said my belief is... fish are more effected by fluctuations in barometric pressure then localized weather. What I mean by this is that a fall or rise in the barometric pressure will have more effect on fish activity than weather its cloudy or sunny. You can see this best by using a barometer. As a front moves in the barometric pressure starts to fall. This is when the fish become most active. As the front leaves the area the barometric pressure rises and the fish activity slows. This does not mean you cannot catch fish. IMO deeper fish seem to be less effected by the fluctuation in pressure than shallower fish. For me deep diving cranks shined in post frontal conditions this year. I had the opportunity to cover a lot of water. I did not get a ton of bites (4-6 a day) but the ones I did get were quality.

[Nice_Bass]

This time of year the fronts will not have that large of an effect temperature speaking as water will not change like the air around us.  The change in behavior should more come from barometric changes.  All in all, if you are fishing after the front,  and there is a large change in either pressure, temperature, or both- fish in deeper water are less affected by it, and I would tend to fish there.

[MMan16]

I agree with all the above. I'd say start off with a deep crank then if there not bitting that slow down with a plastic or jig. But def try deep parts first.

[iceintheveins]

This is all good advice for sure. I usually slow down and downsize with finesse plastics.

[Scorcher214]

I'm gonna hop in on this to perhaps get some new info.

What is a low barometric reading? Right now, I'm lookin at a Michigan pressure map. And in my area, the pressure is about 29.9. Would that be low or high.

[indymusky]

flyline roboworm with a dropshot hook a small nail weight on 6lb florocarbon

[KC Bass Fanatic]

I like to deep crank with a slow stop/go retreive or slow drag a jig/craw.

[gobig]

What is a low barometric reading? Right now, I'm lookin at a Michigan pressure map. And in my area, the pressure is about 29.9. Would that be low or high.

To answer your question a low reading is going to be around 28 and a high reading is going to be 31. 29.9 would be pretty stable weather.

I first saw this information in the book "In Pursuit Of Giant Bass". It is in the chapter "Position and Activity During Lunar Phases". I found it interesting so I decided to pay attention and I have found it to have a definite influence on fish activity. This does not mean that every time you find yourself in a pre-frontal position with a falling barometer that your going to have a 50 fish day.

Now here's the interesting part. Say a storm passes a 100 miles north or south of your location. It is possible to still see a barometric change and not even see a cloud in the sky. I think this can give you an advantage and a good starting point. Its clear and sunny but the barometric pressure is falling so you may pick up a crankbait, or a spinnerbait, etc... and start covering water in search of active fish rather than trying to finesse a shakey head or dropshotting. Nothing is absolute but you can get a barometer fairly cheap and see the results for yourself first hand.