The Challenge of Fishing in a Severe Cold Front
The change we see as cold fronts come through can easily challenge the best of fishermen regardless of experience. The difficult challenge even gets worse as we go on into winter fishing in most lakes as the late fall time frame cold front generally means clear water and that is the most severe affect of a cold front we have!
The challenge is where do the fish go, I have found that many times you just have to move to the next contour break; for example if your last fishing day you were working mainly 5 ft contour breaks that cold front has probably moved them to the next break maybe 3 to 4 feet deeper. Cold fronts also push the fish into the deeper grass edges so if you were fishing 6 ft deep grass it might now be time to move the 8 foot grass edges; take a heavy jig and make sure you get to the bottom as this where the fish will bury at least for the first day of the cold front.
The next important thing to remember is to slow down your presentation; this requires you to let the bait sit on the bottom for some period of time I generally shake a big jig on the bottom while flipping the grass. One of the better presentations is a whacky rigged sinko it just by design of dead sticking technology forces you to let this bait slowly drop to the bottom. If there is a wind I generally rig it on a Punisher Shaky Head like a 1/8 oz. just enough to get it to drop on a windy day. The key here is to fish it slow, that old saying "when you think your fishing slow enough, slow down some more," this is key to catching fish when you're experiencing a severe cold front.
The important thing is presentation and a slight adjustment to water depth; this will help make you a better fisherman during the movement of a severe cold front.
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
Email: bassguide@comcast.net
Phone: 256 759 2270
Captain Mike Gerry