Fishing before a Front

[Redtail]

It has been said that fishing a couple days before a "Front" is great and the day after is bad.

What actually is a Front.  Is it a big temp change (higher or lower)  heavy rain on the way etc?

[texlwedge]

Actually right before and during the front coming in is when the fish will be most active. The days leading up to the front will generally not be quite as productive. I'm sure that you are going to get a lot of different opinions on this, but from everything I've read and seen myself, this is when I caught the most fish, prior to a front moving in.

[sockey]

What actually is a Front. Is it a big temp change (higher or lower) heavy rain on the way etc?

It's the edge of a mass of either colder or warmer air. For fishing purposes, I've only really paid attention to cold fronts--the only time that warm fronts really come into play to my knowledge is when they meet the cold fronts. Cold fronts typically bring wind and maybe rain, and when they meet up with warmer air(like, every time they make it into the south here) they can form storms.

In my very limited experience, and from what I've heard, the fish seem to want to chow down before the front passes through, because afterwards they will tend to be more passive and not eat as much. The few hours right before the storms come through, when it's just starting to rain and the clouds are getting darker, have been the most productive for me.

wunderground.com/US/Region/US/2xpxFronts.html

^copy and paste, I apparently can't post active links yet :-/

I think I'm right about all that, but maybe someone who knows more can break it down better.

[zach t]

In my experience, the day the front moves in is hot up until the temp drops more than 2 degrees or the wind picks up a couple of MPH. In the last 2 months, I have fished before every major cold front. Every single one. And it has the same results every front. Up until the temp drops more  than 2 degree or the MPH picks up, I catch good numbers. When those two things DO happen, they shut up. Tight. Like, NO more hits.

[NewKidInTown]

It has been said that fishing a couple days before a "Front" is great and the day after is bad.

What actually is a Front. Is it a big temp change (higher or lower) heavy rain on the way etc?

Yes,just about every time the prefrontal conditions will produce well.

[TheOriginalFishaholic]

I totally agree with alot of what has been said here; however, I've had great success immediately after torrential downpours and if it's a really nasty storm moving through, when the eye of the storm calms the water down for a brief interlude, the fishing can also be awesome.

When a serious coldfront moves in I generally switch over to ultralite tackle and light line...even going to a jig-n-float combo, using jigs as small as 1/124th of an oz. really tight to heavy timber.

Before an after a major front seems to be good...although, with a little finnesse during too...oh wait, it's all good to me  ;D

[Eternal Angler]

My Dad has been saying this for years, but I haven't seen it much when fishing.  It just depends on the the time of day and the fish.

[oteymc]

Doesn't the barometric pressure changes have as much to do with it as the temp change?  I myself do not really understand it, maybe someone will explain.

[Crestliner2008]

In a nut shell: fronts are all about barometric pressure and the fishes swim bladder. An approaching cold front lowers pressures in the water significantly, allowing them to move about - and feed - freely throughout the water column. The couple of days preceding a significant front, during the front itself and maybe a day after, are usually much better for fishing - in general.

After a front passes, pressure rises fast as the front exits the area. A very windy day usually follows. This usually drives fish down deeper or at least to the bottom, due to the pressure affecting their swim bladder. They still eat during this time of high pressure, but their strike zone is diminished significantly. Right after the front, the weather usually clears to a "blue bird" sky, with few if any clouds. This requires you to fish slower and sometimes deeper.

Pressures will stabilize in a day or two after a significant front, signified by increasing amounts of puffy clouds. As the pressure lowers/stabilizes, the fish will then start to move about more freely, with increasing larger strike zones, equaling better fishing - again, in general terms only!

The severity of the weather front is important. Less significant fronts have less effect on the fish, obviously. Sometimes, especially in spring and fall, fronts can come in, one right after the other. The fish actually can adjust to these rapidly changing conditions and fishing may becomes as normal as during the heavier feeding periods. A lot has to do with the body of water you are fishing; water clarity, weed growth, forage base, bottom structure, etc..

Awareness of the frontal phenomenon, can increased the odds of your fishing success; if you adjust to the current conditions. Hope this helps. 

[oteymc]

So, when looking at the barometer, what is considered low pressure, and what is considered high?  Or is it mainly the change that does it?  If so, how much change does it take to affect the fish?  Can a warm front have the same effect? 

Sorry if these are silly questions.

[Crestliner2008]

I've never paid attention to exactly what the numerical value is of a drop or rise in pressure. I just know that when a front approaches, I try to get out & fish. Post front, I'll fish too, but my tactics are dramatically changed.

I would not get too tied up my socks over fronts. Just knowing what they are and how they affect fish is plenty. Fishing is not that precise, (nor that hard) if you try to adapt to the conditions you are faced with.

The tournament pros prove this time & time again. They cannot pick & choose when they are going to be fishing. They fish when they fish....period. And someone always wins! 

[Hellbenderman]

The two best articles I've found about fronts, pressure, etc.

They may cause you to re-think these issues.

another site

http://www.jimporter...article16.shtml