We all know when the next cold front is approaching because the weather man tells us so but what about the fish how do they know when things are about to change for them? Well they have this thing called a Lateral Line and they can sense the slightest vibration in the water or change in the Barometric Pressure through it which tells them there’s a change coming, and for how long they don’t know that they just know something is about to take place in their watery world.
With a cold front approaching fishing is usually best 3 days before and 3 days after the system moves through your area. As it approaches the fish will feed up and get ready to Hunker Down so to speak cause remember,they know something is coming their Lateral Line lets the feel that they just don’t know for how long it will last. And during the passing of the front we have winds from the North which will Dirty Up The Water so this is why you want to wait some 3 days after it passes to get out there and fish usually by this time the waters have cleaned up the fish have been laid up for 3 days and haven’t fed so they are getting active.
There are a number of ways to fish for them when the weather changes and the exact amount of change for the most part will predict how we go after the target species personally I like to throw Hard Baits( Top Water baits) when we get some cloudy, overcast days providing the weather is not crazy cold or windy. These baits are very effective with their side to side darting action and surface racket the Trout and Red fish just can’t resist them.
Then there’s the Sub Surface style Jerk baits these baits will suspend below the surface hence the name Sub Surface at a variety of depths and this is based on the length and angle of the bill on the front of the lure. Water temperature will usually dictate how deep you fish these lures with a slight Twitch of your rod tip,these baits have an erratic motion and will trigger an explosive hit.
And last but not least there’s the old tried and true method of fishing with a Jig Head and Soft Plastic Paddle tail bait the same rig we use during the summer months but minus the popping cork. Here we want to work the baits SLOW hopping it along the bottom of the deeper canals or on Drop Off’s but we have to also maintain contact with the bottom which can be tricky for some.
We just touched on a few of the tactics used to catch fish after a cold front moves through your area so get ready for the changes to come,get out of the summer time pattern of fishing under a popping cork and get out there and practice some of the many different way’s to catch fish during the colder months.
Tight Lines
