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Posts: 105
Location: Jane Lew, WV | I am facing a cold front, as are the most of you I suppose. When you have these conditions, do you run and gun looking for that one fish that isn't locked up or do you stick to a particular spot and try to coax one into biting? I'm interested in your opinions. |
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Posts: 8721
| My take:
Extreme cold fronts that cool surface water below their comfort zone will send them deeper looking for the warmest water they can find. Cold water = slower metabolism = less need to eat. Chances are the fish are still relating to the same structure they were before the cold front, but they may be deeper and farther off in than they normally would.
I think you're best served to fish deeper, with slower moving lures. You might not get them to eat, but you've got a much better chance with a presentation that gets down to where they are, and moves slowly enough where they have a chance to eat it without exerting a great amount of effort. It's like those days when you're exhausted from work, sitting on the couch thinking "man, I'm kind of hungry..." but getting up to go make food is just too much work. If your wife comes by with a sandwich and puts it in front of you, you're #*^@ well going to eat it. But if you have to get up off your duff and make the sandwich, you're just going to stay hungry.
Edited by esoxaddict 5/8/2017 6:46 PM
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Posts: 238
| I stay home and drink 40oz. Save gas for a better day. But if I'm out I pound thickest weeds I can find |
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Posts: 718
| Deep |
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Posts: 1416
Location: oconomowoc, wi | yard work |
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Posts: 20180
Location: oswego, il | Great question. I caught alot of fish last weekend and it was precisely my choice of water that gave me that opportunity. Factors I considerded. It is springtime and we had a coldfront with falling water temperatures. Those two factors alone won't have me wasting time and money musky fishing. My experience your practising working lures and presenting baits to very inactive fish. Next consideration was the big rains with high muddy water. I really wanted to get out and fish. Armed with those considerations i needed to find a lake that was not as affected by the rain, falling water temps and cold front. The choice for me was clear. Fish a dug out man made cooling lake. It paid off. Consistent water temps and clarity. No muskies but alot of bass and blue catfish. I beat an inevitable skunk fishing for muskies.
Edited by ToddM 5/8/2017 8:10 PM
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Posts: 3784
| head to a river |
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Posts: 2237
Location: SE, WI. | I get a hand full of jig/ Creature combinations, fish your best spots, and hope for one fish. Usually IN a few hours, your fishing for # 2;)........ With a few bonus fish (other species) ,to boot!!! JD |
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Posts: 470
| jdsplasher - 5/9/2017 5:27 AM
I get a hand full of jig/ Creature combinations, fish your best spots, and hope for one fish. Usually IN a few hours, your fishing for # 2;)........ With a few bonus fish (other species) ,to boot!!! JD
What are some good Jig/creature combos?
RandalB |
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Posts: 2237
Location: SE, WI. | Randal: here is what my Creature box looks like right NOW! I just threw a few in a shallow Plano, just incase its a Cold crappy spring:( Except for a few Cobra Heads, ALL my plastics, and Jigs are custom poured. Jigs range from 1/4 to 1 oz. depending the depth and wind conditions. JD
Edited by jdsplasher 5/9/2017 7:12 AM
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Location: Contrarian Island | punt, save your time and money for better conditions & warmer water or fish for other species like I did  |
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Posts: 1767
Location: Lake Country, Wisconsin | I think sitting out is great advice
If you have to get out...shallow, darker water with thick cover. Skinny water (rivers/Flowages) if not too destroyed by rain.
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Posts: 983
| Ranger - 5/8/2017 8:39 PM
head to a river
rivers worse lot of times....super heavy flow from rain fall and really muddy due to smaller streams draining in and high water up the banks making mud everywhere.....I went to river Sunday water looked like chocolate milk about 6 inch visiability....bad bad....Found one cove that had lil cleaner water and current wasnt pushing you everywhere....Well the river Was sitting at 56 degrees 2 sundays ago it was sitting at 67 degrees....water fell 11 degrees in 2 weeks.... Flow was so heavy 20ft fiberglass boat was being pushed at 3.2mph down river without any motors running...Lost 2 nice fish Sunday and I watched another boat hit 3 Musky.....We were both fishing small cove maybe 150 yds long by 50 yds wide off the river only clean water around without heavy current and Mud brown water...Very interesting situation to say the least but think there were a lot of fish all in that area due to the cleaner water and current break... |
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Location: Grand Rapids, MI | jdsplasher - 5/9/2017 8:10 AM Randal: here is what my Creature box looks like right NOW! I just threw a few in a shallow Plano, just incase its a Cold crappy spring:( Except for a few Cobra Heads, ALL my plastics, and Jigs are custom poured. Jigs range from 1/4 to 1 oz. depending the depth and wind conditions. JD Is there cork in the tail of those paddle tails? If yes, and you have any that you can sell let me know.
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Posts: 2237
Location: SE, WI. | Yes, Will; all paddles I pour have the cork in tail. Will send u a PM. JD |
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Posts: 3240
Location: Racine, Wi | Jim makes some excellent creatures. Love how they sit in the water.
As for cold front fish, I tend to hunker down and fish a spot or two that I know have been holding fish, and pick them apart. I'll work a progression from tight into the cover to just off of the cover making sure to connect with the cover I'm fishing. Love crawling jigs or cranks through the edges of weeds, but a lot of times, we'll find fish suspending just off of cover near bait schools. If they are holding deeper off of the cover, usually really erratic retrieves with pauses tend to get bit.
If all else fails, I go have a beer.
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Posts: 3784
| Ok, assuming the river isn't flooded.......any significant time spent on one stretch of a musky river will reveal spots on spots, usually the intersection of current, relatively deep structure and lots of food. Spots when you see them you can't understand why you can't move a fish. So, when everything is bad on the big water, wind, cold or extended heat, go back to your river spots. My totally unfounded theory, closer to just faith, is that spots on spots on a river do indeed hold the biggest local fish. In great conditions those fish wander but in "bad" weather they return and hold in a very small area, the spot on the spot.
I look for a sudden, vertical drop on the bottom, just 2 or 3' is enough, in current, in the first narrow, deep stretch below a wide, fertile stretch of the river. Then the trick is to draw the lure downstream juuuusssst above the fish that is holding in that spot. A solid/rock bottom makes it easy to try and try again to get the lure just right. Timber or stump piles create way too much downtime. Should mention that I troll weighted-to-suspend 9" Grandma's, mostly, because they are easiest (for me) to maintain a glide path just over the target. Anyone watching would think me crazy because of endless loops, trolling downstream for 50 yards then reeling up and booking back up the river to do it over and over. But the trip is, it works, and the fish are always tankers. Just like you thought they should be there. |
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