Cold front - where's the fish?

BassinBrits · 01-15-09, 12:09 PM

These current cold fronts have plummeted the temps down to 26F at night here in Inverness, Fla. More freezes are forecast for the next few nights. How does this affect the fish?

Do they stop feeding or are they still feeding, but only in the deepest water?

The fish were coming into the shallows, I caught a few ( nothing big), but now everybody is saying " this cold spell will put the fish down". How long does it take after a cold spell for the fish to recover and start feeding again in the shallows?

JB · 01-15-09, 12:17 PM

If you see bright blue skies today and its 30ish, each day will get harder to get fish to bite until a weather change. Doesn't mean you can't catch something tho, just fish alot slow and try to figure out if the fish are deeper or on a drop, or more likely tucked into some warm grass. worm it or pnj, fish slowwwww

Brute · 01-15-09, 12:20 PM

Jack,
I haven't quite figured it out yet, but when you do make sure you let me know.

Brute

REDBULLCUBAN · 01-15-09, 12:22 PM

i went out yesturday missed one thats it

. and im not gonna bother going out again today it dropped way too much.

rodman rat · 01-15-09, 02:53 PM

Right now is hide and seek!! SLOW SLOW and deep would be my best guess! Use wild shinners if you can get them. Fishing should pick up again by next Fri or Sat both should be great fishing days!!

freakyfish · 01-15-09, 04:19 PM

I heard its about 3 consistent day's of weather.Before they bite again.After coldfront.

Raul · 01-15-09, 04:21 PM

Down here where I´m at throghout November, December, January, February and early March we live in perpetual post cold front conditions, not because of air temps or water temps, it´s because the skies are bluebird without a single cloud in sight. Where are the fish ? where they have always been, holding on cover and on structure; a place that produces fish consistenly will continue to produce fish consistently if you fish it with the proper presentation and baits

Let me give you an example.

For the last 4 Sundays I´ve fished the same lake and the same spots, what has produced ? soft plastic jerkbaits, grubs, reapers, stickbaits, suspending crankbaits.

4 weeks those baits have worked, the fish are in the same place, but one thing is the same baits working and a completely different thing has been the presentation applied to the same baits.

The first two weeks soft plastic baits had to be T-rigged weighted or shakey head rigged and worked on the classic bottom hopping fashion, rig them differently or work them differently -----> no strikes. Suspending cranks had to bump the bottom or no strikes.

The last two weeks the same baits have worked but now weighting them ----> no strikes, they had to be unweighted to produce strikes, suspending cranks had to suspend on the water column and practically dead sticked to draw strikes.

It´s more a matter of presentation than of location, if a location draws fish to it you can be pretty shure that the fish will be there, the "catch" is how to catch them.

bassthumb32 · 01-15-09, 04:40 PM

Whereever they were move out 50 yards or so and look for the next piece of structure or bottom chance and pound it cast after cast after cast. If that doesnt work keep moving out until you find them. They will be there.

zooker · 01-15-09, 05:31 PM

remember rocks, cememt ramps, and red clay banks hold heat.. the northern parts of a given lake will warm up the fastest.. when it gets cold there is NO early bite i would go fishing around 11am til 4 pm. this is a window bass will feed during this lil window.. they will almost never bite during the colder hours of the day.. bass may NOT be as deep as you think in winter.. i have caught WAY too many bass in less than 5 feet of water in the winter..

btw here in nc the are calling for a low of 9 saturday morning.. like any fool i'll be out in the duck blind quackin away hopin my shotgun don't freeze up....

zooker

JB · 01-15-09, 05:34 PM

zooker, hope ya dont freeze to the blind, bring a hand warmer or buttwarmer and hot thermos.
Its so dang windy here, 5 degrees right now but 16 mph winds.

zooker · 01-15-09, 05:40 PM

fear not mack daddy jack i'll be good. launch time is 3 am btw -oh the thrill of victory and the frozen nose..

zooker

01-15-09, 12:09 PM	#1
BassinBrits BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: Little ol' England Posts: 68	Cold front - where's the fish? These current cold fronts have plummeted the temps down to 26F at night here in Inverness, Fla. More freezes are forecast for the next few nights. How does this affect the fish? Do they stop feeding or are they still feeding, but only in the deepest water? The fish were coming into the shallows, I caught a few ( nothing big), but now everybody is saying " this cold spell will put the fish down". How long does it take after a cold spell for the fish to recover and start feeding again in the shallows? __________________ Tight lines >)))))0> ~ Jack & Doreen

01-15-09, 12:22 PM	#4
REDBULLCUBAN BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Punta Gorda, FL Posts: 245	i went out yesturday missed one thats it . and im not gonna bother going out again today it dropped way too much. __________________ Ill keep my Money, Freedom, & Guns You keep the change!

01-15-09, 04:40 PM	#8
bassthumb32 BassFishin.Com Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Fort Loudon, PA Posts: 682	Whereever they were move out 50 yards or so and look for the next piece of structure or bottom chance and pound it cast after cast after cast. If that doesnt work keep moving out until you find them. They will be there. __________________ MY LIFETIME GOAL IS TO KEEP AT LEAST A SMALL CASE OF BASSTHUMB FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.

01-15-09, 05:31 PM	#9
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	remember rocks, cememt ramps, and red clay banks hold heat.. the northern parts of a given lake will warm up the fastest.. when it gets cold there is NO early bite i would go fishing around 11am til 4 pm. this is a window bass will feed during this lil window.. they will almost never bite during the colder hours of the day.. bass may NOT be as deep as you think in winter.. i have caught WAY too many bass in less than 5 feet of water in the winter.. btw here in nc the are calling for a low of 9 saturday morning.. like any fool i'll be out in the duck blind quackin away hopin my shotgun don't freeze up.... zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

01-15-09, 05:40 PM	#11
zooker BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: denton nc Posts: 13,441	fear not mack daddy jack i'll be good. launch time is 3 am btw -oh the thrill of victory and the frozen nose.. zooker __________________ the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09

01-15-09, 12:17 PM	#2
JB BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,655	If you see bright blue skies today and its 30ish, each day will get harder to get fish to bite until a weather change. Doesn't mean you can't catch something tho, just fish alot slow and try to figure out if the fish are deeper or on a drop, or more likely tucked into some warm grass. worm it or pnj, fish slowwwww

01-15-09, 12:20 PM	#3
Brute BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Clearwater, Fl Posts: 38	Jack, I haven't quite figured it out yet, but when you do make sure you let me know. Brute

01-15-09, 02:53 PM	#5
rodman rat BassFishin.Com Active Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Gainesville, Florida Posts: 180	Right now is hide and seek!! SLOW SLOW and deep would be my best guess! Use wild shinners if you can get them. Fishing should pick up again by next Fri or Sat both should be great fishing days!!

01-15-09, 04:19 PM	#6
freakyfish BassFishin.Com Member Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 67	I heard its about 3 consistent day's of weather.Before they bite again.After coldfront.

01-15-09, 04:21 PM	#7
Raul BassFishin.Com Super Veteran Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 1,030	Down here where I´m at throghout November, December, January, February and early March we live in perpetual post cold front conditions, not because of air temps or water temps, it´s because the skies are bluebird without a single cloud in sight. Where are the fish ? where they have always been, holding on cover and on structure; a place that produces fish consistenly will continue to produce fish consistently if you fish it with the proper presentation and baits Let me give you an example. For the last 4 Sundays I´ve fished the same lake and the same spots, what has produced ? soft plastic jerkbaits, grubs, reapers, stickbaits, suspending crankbaits. 4 weeks those baits have worked, the fish are in the same place, but one thing is the same baits working and a completely different thing has been the presentation applied to the same baits. The first two weeks soft plastic baits had to be T-rigged weighted or shakey head rigged and worked on the classic bottom hopping fashion, rig them differently or work them differently -----> no strikes. Suspending cranks had to bump the bottom or no strikes. The last two weeks the same baits have worked but now weighting them ----> no strikes, they had to be unweighted to produce strikes, suspending cranks had to suspend on the water column and practically dead sticked to draw strikes. It´s more a matter of presentation than of location, if a location draws fish to it you can be pretty shure that the fish will be there, the "catch" is how to catch them.

01-15-09, 05:34 PM	#10
JB BassFishin.Com Premier Elite Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 8,655	zooker, hope ya dont freeze to the blind, bring a hand warmer or buttwarmer and hot thermos. Its so dang windy here, 5 degrees right now but 16 mph winds.

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