Between Fronts

[Mobydick]

What do bass do between fronts? I know the bites good before, not as good after, but what if the situation is this... a front just passed, it's sunny and the temp is rising, but another front is coming in a few hours later. Would the fish stay in the after front bite or would they bite like they did before the first front?

                                                             Thanks,

                                                                    Ian

[Sam]

Interesting question.

So a warm front just passed (sunny and temp is rising).

And another front is on the way.

Senerio One

Warm Front - Fish should be biting with no problem.

Cold Front Coming - Fish should be feeding before front hits, then shut down after front moves through.

Seneiro Two

Cold Front Came Through but Now Warming - Fish shut down. Will start to feed depending on length of time before next cold front arrives.

Cold Front coming - Fish may feed again but if they have already been feeding before the first cold front then I would expect them to be shut down until the next day or day after the second cold front moves through.

Now, that is how I read it.

With so many guys on this site (15,000+) maybe we can get a biologist or a seasoned veteran to give you their take on your question.

Let us know what you find out.

Thanks.

[Cory20]

I hope someone has it figured out.  My area has been getting pounded by thunderstorms for the past 5 days.  

[Catt]

Fronts are the #1 excuse anglers' use for their failure  

No one fully understands scientifically what happens to bass during fronts so I don't even try to understand it. What I do understand is under stable weather conditions a basses strike zone may be 10', depending on water clarity and sky conditions. The bass are aggressive and will chase the bait. When a front hits, this strike zone shrinks; the more sever the front the smaller the strike zone. Bass that were located on the outer edge of cover are now buried deep with in the cover and bass located near drop-offs are now over the edge in deeper water.

So to answer your question; yes their attitude will change as fast as the weather

I look forward to fronts during tournaments because they eliminate many patterns and frustrate my competition.

[Paul Roberts]

There is nothing out there in the scientific literature, that I've seen yet, that looks at this question: bass feeding related to weather. The few telemetry observations out there suggest weather has no influence on bass. One researcher went as far as to say that air and water are just two entirely different worlds. This isn't entirely true, from my experience, at least in the shallow ponds I fish.

Our sampling by angling is not necessarily always a good test for whether bass are actively feeding or not. If we make a killing, it is likely bass were actively feeding, but not always, and if we had to scrounge up a few bites, it doesn't mean bass weren't feeding.

The whole "cold front" thing is probably the biggest fear anglers have. Over time, I've been working on surgically removing this fear from my approach. It just doesn't seem to hold up, at least much of the time.

Sure there are fronts that could snow on our parade, but these are relatively rare, and temperature studies I've seen show bass can tolerate temperature fluctuations and still feed well. I'm not at all convinced about the direct effects of barometric pressure, and feel that associated effects (on fishing, and the food chain) are better explained by associated changes in light penetration.

My take on the fishing end is this: That high visibility conditions (bright sky, clear water, and calm surface) are the toughest to dupe fish under, especially in shallower water. And that lower visibility conditions (overcast skies, or stained water, or rippled surface) are the easiest to dupe fish under.

Adjusting for this, I've been able to eke out good or adequate fishing under post frontal conditions. In early through late spring, I actually prefer, and target, these days. By midsummer, it's just the opposite.

It appears cold fronts may be a bigger effect with Florida bass, but I have no experience with them.

[Mobydick]

Thanks guys! We have had cold fronts coming in repeatedly for about 5 days now, I have been catchin, but not so many. I didn't know that their strike zone got smaller and they moved closer to cover. That should help me out on todays trip. We had a cold front that just passed a few hours ago, it's gonna get up to about 80 degrees, then we have another cold front comin in at about 4 or 5 this evening. Thanks again!

[Crestliner2008]

My Dad taught me an important lesson many, many years ago. It went something like this: "....You can't worry about what you can't control... only what you can control."

Just go fishing, the way you normally do and let the chips fall where they may.