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Posts: 1938
Location: Black Creek, WI | The almighty COLD FRONT. One of the greatest excuses ever used by musky fishermen. I don't believe there are many musky fishermen out there that have not mentioned this weather phenomena.
I am not a meteorologist.... but I always thought that the cold front was the nasty weather (rain, wind, cooler temps, dropping barameter, etc) and that POST cold front conditions are the high pressure, bluebird sky days AFTER the cold front.
Which do you call a "cold front". Which is more of a challenge for us musky hunters? How do you deal with them? Thanks.
jlong |
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Posts: 1310
Location: Washington, PA | I call the cold front the POST cold front. That's when it sux. During the actual front, the fishing has been good for me. I.E. in the rain/wind. |
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Posts: 5874
| Usually, any day I travel to a lake outside my area, is a cold front day! They seem to follow me around, from LOTW, to Cass, to Green Bay, to Cave Run. I usually associate the cold front with the high pressure moving in. Usually brings high skies, and a bit cooler temps. Maybe this should be called the back of the front?
The front that brings in the nasty weather, overcast, falling barometer, warmer sticky air, and maybe T-Storms is what we all wish for on our major outings. I rarely get that.
The weather I dislike the most is the huge thunderstorms rolling through every night, with the extreme heat and humidary during the day. I'm talking the 95+ temps and the sauna type humidity.
But, any time there's 3 days of stable weather, seems to be ok with me. Doesn't have to be great weather, just stable.
Edited by Shep 5/23/2003 10:30 AM
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Posts: 32934
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I have always referred to the cold front as the high pressure frontal line pushing through the area moving a lower pressure area out. When the barometer starts to rise, the front is coming through. As the skies clear, the actual front has passed, and usually an area of higher pressure takes over. Winds change from counterclockwise around the system to clockwise (Low Pressure to High), and leaves on the trees turn dark green side up. What that means here is a West, Notrthwest, or North wind, clearer skies, and cooler temps. The INSTANT the high starts pushing to the east and Southerly or Southwesterly winds pick up, the barometer will begin to fall or stabilze, depending on what is coming in from the West. As the skies show high clouds, the influence of the leading edge of the High is waning, and fishing usually gets better for me. |
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Posts: 1936
Location: Eau Claire, WI | What Steve said....
Hey Shep...keep that crap in Erie this weekend... Good luck buddy. |
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Posts: 5874
| Thanks Pal,
I hope we have some decent weather out there. I leave in a hour!
I agree with what Steve said. I thought that is what I was thinking about saying, but maybe it came off different? |
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Posts: 1938
Location: Black Creek, WI | It sounds like people are thinking Approaching Front (during) vs. Post Front.... and not differentiating between a WARM and COLD front. Is there a difference in regard to fishing?
If "fronts" have such a significant impact on our fishing.... shouldn't we be more accurate in our references to them? Be more clear about Pre... during... and post. And maybe even clarify between warm and cold fronts?
Ultimately, I'd like to learn how to deal with all of these conditions... but it gets confusing when each guy has a different definition of each condition. One guy might say he does well during cold fronts and another may say fishing sucks during a cold front... yet they are talking about two totally different things. These same two guys may have had the same results if they fished the same lake on the same weekend... and on saturday in the rain the fish were smokin' and on sunday when it clear up the fish turned off. One thought the "front" was the rain and the other thought the "front" was the high skies on Sunday. See where I'm going with this?????
jlong |
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| I have noticed here in the south that a warm front will affect the fishing the same as a cold front, w/ the possibility that it may not be as dramatic as the cold front. A front is a front, and they basically share the same characteristics, only the temps vary. The fishing often peaks before a front(warm or cold), and right after it seems to die down somewhat; usually by the second/third day it will pick back up. We have had variable rain/showers here for 5 days straight, and the fishing has been somewhat slow. This is what I have observed here... |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | I'm with sponge. I've seen fishing totally shut off when things warm too rapidly in the spring or fall(summer doesn't seem to matter as much). Some of those real hot days around opener when it has been cold, have shut things down for a bit(but the next day or two can be awesome!). When it comes to cold fronts, I like the front itself even if it is bitter. I dislike the post front and people often mistake that as another warm front. things often are very clear and can even be quite warm out with strongger winds and high pressure(not great conditions). This has been the time we have seen and boated some real pigs though, and it only takes one to make the trip. Good time to be on open water for some reason. |
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Posts: 1938
Location: Black Creek, WI | For those that fished the northern WI opener this past weekend..... how would you describe the weather conditions???
Cool, dry NE wind and not a cloud in the sky. Traditionally this is a tough condition for contacting fish.... but was this a cold front?
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| Here that would be classified as a "post frontal condition", or also a day that wives would require us to do outside/around the house stuff, thus requiring us to plead it's the best fishing day of the year... |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | to me this is post frontal conditions....strong high had moved in and camped out ALL weekend. N-NE winds in Madison all weekend made for fairly tough conditions. Even the panfisherman were complaining. Managed to move a FEW fish and get some hits but not anything like I thought it would be with the warm weather. NOW, today/tonight the winds are suppose to switch around to the SW as the low front approaches so with the warm temps and the pressure drop, wind switch I would think the fish would really start to go today/tonight....OH yeah and I can't go.
I would not said this was a cold front but mearly a post frontal high. We had quite a few lows move through and then WHAM the high comes in and camps out.
Sure wish I could get after them today to see if the change makes a difference.
Cory |
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Posts: 32934
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | We had a very odd combination of systems this weekend, actually two affecting the weather at one time. A dome of high pressure was moving in from the west, but wasn't the dominant feature with the winds,which here in Wisconsin were from the Northeast. That was a result of the counterclockwise rotation around a strong low centered over the Northeastern section of the East coast. It is nearly impossible for a high to cause NE winds here unless it is centered so far into Canada that as it approaches we get the clockwise NE flow. That is pretty rare here. SO! We had a high that really didn't center over us until last night when the winds went to light and variable. It will move East today, and if it moves far enough clockwise rotation brings SW winds. There is cold front just West of us now that is attached to a Low in Canada, far as I can see. Look at this link for wind directions, easy to see the low in the East that was causing the NE winds there. Bookmark this page for your future fishing trips, too. http://www.weather.com/maps/activity/aviation/uscurrentsurfacewinds_large.html |
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Posts: 1245
Location: Madtown, WI | Yeah, I agree Steve, I was wondering how when I looked at the map with the High over us how we were getting the NE winds....that explains it....bottom line fishing sucked FOR THE MOST PART! |
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Posts: 2091
Location: Stevens Point, WI | The wind was pretty brutal on the Three Lakes Chain with a lot of the lakes orientated north and south. MuskieE nailed three fish on twitch baits, we only had a couple of follows other than those fish that hit hard. All but one fish were caught in calmer bays with fresh weed growth and rocks. He missed a pig on a very wind swept south shore that took heavy waves for days. The last cold front was on Sunday or Monday so it was 5-6 days post front. |
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Cold Front Clarification