Help with huge cold front, I’m worried ..

[Ksam1234]

So I live in western New York like 5 minutes from Lake Erie , the past week we had some amazing weather and the harbor and shallow areas were hitting 52 degrees! Fishing was amazing and all as good.. now this last 5 days had snow! Temps around 38 and horrible horrible winds. The water temp today was a high of 43.. such a huge drop and brown nasty stained water. Not a fish to be caught.. what do you think will happen now? The next 2 weeks also look horrible.. like 45-48 for the highs and some 30s for the low. Super windy days and no good sunshine and warmth in sight.. could this ruin the spawn or what could happen with this .. they came in and left because of the huge drop in temps and Weather?? 

[TnRiver46]

All you can do is get out there and try as long as the water is safe. Spring cold fronts with muddy water sure do suck sometimes but it’s worth a shot, something good might happen 

[Paul Roberts]

Fish man fish! Won't ruin the spawn. Might push it a bit later. The sun is so high now that thing will heat back up. look for an intense wall of spawners at some point. Ignore the air. It's the water that counts most. Be positive. And dress for success! That is, a good set of thermal underwear.

[Scott F]

Surface water temps may only go a foot or so deep. A change in wind direction can push that warmer surface water away and replace it with colder water pretty quickly. The actual spawn is at least a month or more away. Today’s weather will probably have zero effect on when spawning takes place. If this weather happens next month, that will make a difference. Be patient. 

[BoatSquirrel]

Yall are correct 100%.  The show will go on, just later.

New moon is 4/22.  Watch for a wave to move up then, provided your water temp gets to the magic number of 60 degrees.  Lots of fish still deep too.  

Good luck man.

[Hower08]

I can tell you now that we fished Erie yesterday on the PA side and flat out killed them and that was with temps dropping 30 degrees. All fish were caught on moving baits with a 6.2 smallie being my biggest of the day get around them fish and they will bite . May just have to slow down a bit 

[rtwvumtneer6]

They might disappear from where you were catching them, but they won't go far.  Slow down and keep at it.  Good opportunity to learn for next time.  Not uncommon weather for spring in the northeast.

[Paul Roberts]

17 hours ago, Scott F said:

Surface water temps may only go a foot or so deep. A change in wind direction can push that warmer surface water away and replace it with colder water pretty quickly. The actual spawn is at least a month or more away. Today’s weather will probably have zero effect on when spawning takes place. If this weather happens next month, that will make a difference. Be patient. 

Water sucks up heat, and holds it. The air, and terrestrial objects, change rapidly by comparison. A quick-n-dirty way to ballpark protected shallow water temps (away from cold upwellings; i.e. spawning areas) is to average daily high and low air temps for the previous couple days, knowing that a cold snap is working against a reservoir of accumulated heat. Water is special stuff. Not sure which would make a better candidate for a God, or the main instrument, sun or water. I guess they work together... His/Her, Ying/Yang?

[J Francho]

We're not even close to spawn, let alone ruining it.  Just fish.

[Ksam1234]

42 minutes ago, J Francho said:

We're not even close to spawn, let alone ruining it.  Just fish.

Yeah I just wasn’t sure how bad it would ruin the pre spawn I guess. I was killing it the last few days and when I went out this weekend I got 1 fish in 2 days.. 

13 hours ago, Hower08 said:

I can tell you now that we fished Erie yesterday on the PA side and flat out killed them and that was with temps dropping 30 degrees. All fish were caught on moving baits with a 6.2 smallie being my biggest of the day get around them fish and they will bite . May just have to slow down a bit 

What were the temps ? And did you have tjat nasty brown water also? I tried some moving banks and slow rolled stuff with no luck 

[Paul Roberts]

Well... We've got back to back fronts with snow here this week, continuing into the coming week. I see avg air temps will be in the 30's for the coming week. This is the week that I traditionally start looking for the first beds for the year, in the smallest of my waters (a week or so later in larger waters). Core temps in my ponds were in the mid-50s just before the first front hit. They will bleed some heat though with a week of ~30deg air. Cold air could conceivably continue further. But, fronts are usually followed by warming trends that, with the sun high and days lengthening, the water will start sucking in heat again. The spawn should start with an intense wave of fish.

[Bankbeater]

You're thinking too much.  Just go out and fish.

[Ogandrews]

It definitely won’t ruin the spawn it will most likely just slow the whole process down. Be thankful that you can legally fish, here in mn I still have to wait until may 9th. Not like I could fish anyway as we got almost 14 inches of snow last night and it was 17 degrees when I woke up. In all seriousness throw I would just slow down and pull back out a little bit. They won’t have retreated completely because they know the water will warm back up, I don’t think they will be back in winter spots.

[WRB]

Erie is a big (Great) lake with lots of water to cool or warm, the air temps are not a big factor this time of year but the wind with cold air is. Bass live in water and evolved adjusting to changes. The spawn will happen but it sounds several weeks or a couple of months away at this time. Smallmouth start to spawn around 58 degree water temps and deeper in general then LMB that start around 62 degrees in more wind protected areas.

Tom

[mcipinkie]

Look at it this way:  You can't do anything about it, no matter what.  Get out there and fish, or stay home and cut bait !!

[J Francho]

15 hours ago, WRB said:

Erie is a big (Great) lake with lots of water to cool or warm, the air temps are not a big factor this time of year but the wind with cold air is.

This, very much so, especially the wind.  It causes the water to mix, and can move warmer off shore, or concentrate it on shore.  Erie temp off shore today, according to USGS is 35.  Lake Ontario is 38.  Prespawn and spawn are a ways off.  Usually happens around mid/late May through late June.  I've seen them spawn as late as mid July.

[BassNJake]

On 4/12/2020 at 4:24 PM, Ksam1234 said:

.. they came in and left because of the huge drop in temps and Weather?? 

I think you answered yourself with your last statement.

 

When I have been catching them in an area and a cold front rolls in, I fish the first break leading to that area.

The colder the water the more vertical of a break seems to be better for me.

A lot of times I will find them suspended over the break not right up on it.

Largies will be right on the break, smallies like to suspend over that open water in my experience

[Paul Roberts]

18 hours ago, WRB said:

Erie is a big (Great) lake with lots of water to cool or warm, the air temps are not a big factor this time of year but the wind...

2 hours ago, J Francho said:

This, very much so, especially the wind.  It causes the water to mix, and can move warmer off shore, or concentrate it on shore.  Erie temp off shore today, according to USGS is 35.  Lake Ontario is 38.  Prespawn and spawn are a ways off.  Usually happens around mid/late May through late June.  I've seen them spawn as late as mid July.

Spawning will start at different times in different areas. Shallow well wind-protected areas -back embayments, marinas,...- are where things will happen first.

[Ksam1234]

1 hour ago, Paul Roberts said:

Spawning will start at different times in different areas. Shallow well wind-protected areas -back embayments, marinas,...- are where things will happen first.

It looks like it’s supposrd to be 45-48 degrees all week but sunny’ ! So I’m hoping the sun will help make them a bit more active again. 

[Paul Roberts]

It's been a cold year here too. Winter hung on late. Spring has seen the usual fronts rolling through, but they've been a bit colder, and more frequent, than usual. Some serious snowfalls have come with them too. Between that, the wind bookending those fronts, and my being sick (and taking no chances with that, for everyone's sake), it's been a spring to make lemonade for me. Yeah, it's been a bit painful, watching The Binge pretty much pass me by.

 

Just came off another good snowfall the last couple of days, with air lows dropping into lower teens for several nights. I left my target pond just before this front with a ~55F core (52F@15ft; @58-61F ST). Looks like tomorrow will be the most comfortable day, should hit 50F, so I'm headed back to my target pond. Will be interesting to see where it's at. I'm expecting that it won't have lost all that much. Ice at the very edges, but core still in the low 50s. Regardless, spring is here, and it'll heat right back up. However, there's another front right behind, and then warming again on the weekend.

 

That's the news from Lake Wobegone. Keep fishing, when you can.

[Ksam1234]

5 hours ago, Paul Roberts said:

It's been a cold year here too. Winter hung on late. Spring has seen the usual fronts rolling through, but they've been a bit colder, and more frequent, than usual. Some serious snowfalls have come with them too. Between that, the wind bookending those fronts, and my being sick (and taking no chances with that, for everyone's sake), it's been a spring to make lemonade for me. Yeah, it's been a bit painful, watching The Binge pretty much pass me by.

 

Just came off another good snowfall the last couple of days, with air lows dropping into lower teens for several nights. I left my target pond just before this front with a ~55F core (52F@15ft; @58-61F ST). Looks like tomorrow will be the most comfortable day, should hit 50F, so I'm headed back to my target pond. Will be interesting to see where it's at. I'm expecting that it won't have lost all that much. Ice at the very edges, but core still in the low 50s. Regardless, spring is here, and it'll heat right back up. However, there's another front right behind, and then warming again on the weekend.

 

That's the news from Lake Wobegone. Keep fishing, when you can.

Pretty much the same thing happening here also, a week of warmth followed by a severe drop. Days in the high 50 and slow 60s then back to snow and cold. It was 53 and sunny today and then about an hour ago started to snow lol.. I guess I’m not used to such drastic change. I have been fishing for about 6 years now and I have seen some fronts but nothing as bad as this in mid April.. not used to 30-35 degrees drops around this time at least.  I’ll jsut keep fishing and see what happens ! Best of luck to you also. 

[J Francho]

11 hours ago, Ksam1234 said:

It was 53 and sunny today and then about an hour ago started to snow lol..

Got the the same thing here in ROC!  Let the dogs out, and there was a mini blizzard.  Wonderful.  Spring in WNY is so frustrating.

[PhishLI]

11 hours ago, Ksam1234 said:

Pretty much the same thing happening here also, a week of warmth followed by a severe drop. Days in the high 50 and slow 60s then back to snow and cold. It was 53 and sunny today and then about an hour ago started to snow lol.. I guess I’m not used to such drastic change. I have been fishing for about 6 years now and I have seen some fronts but nothing as bad as this in mid April.. not used to 30-35 degrees drops around this time at least.  I’ll jsut keep fishing and see what happens ! Best of luck to you also. 

I'm south of you on western L.I., so the temps aren't as low and no snow, but the heavy winds and colder air have chilled our very shallow lakes quite a bit. Early last week the water was stained green, quite comfortable to wade in, and panfish were near the banks. As of Saturday night the water was way colder and has been shocked crystal clear. The baitfish are nowhere to be seen and the bite slowed down dramatically. I had a pretty good session Friday night into early Saturday morning, but that flipped quickly because of the heavy, relentless wind. We'll see high 30s at night again. The best bet in the short term is to work any cover, like pad fields, during late afternoon wherever the sun's been beating down. Other than that you just have to wait it out. Bass fishing closes here for the spawn May 1st through the end of the first week of June. That restart date may be extended due to lower temps. It was last year. Anyway, they still need to eat with the spawn coming, it's just less predictable as to where they'll be with the baitfish scattered and away from the banks. It's a puzzle for now.

[Ksam1234]

13 hours ago, J Francho said:

Got the the same thing here in ROC!  Let the dogs out, and there was a mini blizzard.  Wonderful.  Spring in WNY is so frustrating.

Same.. looking outside at work and we have an inch of snow on the ground.. so sad 

[Paul Roberts]

I got a window yesterday, and jumped on it, hitting my 12acre target pond. As I'd said above, this day followed several nights as low as 10 and 12F, with ~4" snow. So, what happened?

Before the front:

52F@15ft

55F@ 10-4ft ("Core")

58-60F@1ft (ST)

 

After front (as low as 10 and 12F and 4" snow):

49F@15ft

50F@ 10-4ft ("Core")

52-54F@1ft (ST)

 

It got knocked down, but not far from expected. Telling thing was how quickly it warmed over the few hours I was there. Despite not being a great heating day (that would be flat calm with bright sun), it gained 2-3F. Given a break from these fronts, which "should" happen, and the spawn should be pretty much right on time in this pond.

 

The fishing? I was skunked, and am pretty disappointed. It's a pond known to be difficult, with some large bass. Worth taking my lumps to figure it out. What's both interesting, and frustrating, was that there were signs that the fish were still quite active: shad 'blipping' on top, a couple carp breaching, and the ospreys , eagles, and herons appeared to be having a convention. Saw two osprey and an eagle catch fish -shad and a trout I believe. The only bass I raised chased my CB up at boat-side. I said, "Maybe I should pick up the pace?" I didn't; I fished "cold water" -slow rolling cranks and jigs. Dummy. Maybe.

 

The window shut early -in terms of the fisherman's side of the water's surface- and I chased off by the next front that came a few hours earlier than predicted!  Wind and waves too heavy for a float tube. I was still game, knowing the fish didn't likely care, snug in there resilient H2O, but boat control was gone and I was left pitching willy-nilly pelted by big fat rain/snow globs. "GET OUT!!!!" I swear i heard from that blackened sky. I had to anchor the boat on the downwind shore and hike to the other side for my backpack straps. Also telling, in terms of fish activity, the carp I saw breaching did so in those wind and waves! (In that 54F downwind water). On my hoof out, 5 herons lined the lee-side bank, still game! I went home.

 

So, the news from Lake Wobegone continues. Good luck out there. It'll get better, or more comfortable, soon.