Fishing summer cold fronts doesn’t have to be an exercise in futility.
When low pressure starts to rear its ugly head, many anglers go straight for a good book instead of to their favorite fishing spot. The signs aren’t hard to miss – a notable chill in the air, sometimes followed by bright blue skies, and a small but obvious drop in water temperature. It’s at these times when it seems like the bite is gone, but hold on.
Cold front fishing requires an open mind which can be as simple as passing up the spinnerbaits and topwater baits for a subsurface offering. Since the weather is off, you’re going to have to slow down and use some finesse. You have two choices now, either give up and go home or just go fishing. Effort and desire are what will put fish on your hook now that the weather has gone south.
Finesse It
Depending on what species you are targeting (let’s say largemouth bass for now), turn to finesse baits such as drop-shots, Carolina rigs and shaky heads tipped with smaller soft plastic baits such as a 4-inch worm, creature and minnow imitations.
I’ve had good success catching crappie while suspending jerkbaits at this time using a stop-and-go retrieve technique. I’ll leave a stickbait lying still for 30 seconds or more, almost like using live bait. Remember, the strike zone during a cold front will be smaller, and bass especially tend not to exert a great deal of energy or movement during post-frontal conditions. For walleye, slow your bait nearly to a stop on the retrieve as it will produce strikes when fish think that their target has given up.
Target Structure
Sure, all freshwater species will relate to structure most of the time, but during cold front conditions this fact matters all the more. Even though we’ve all heard it before, areas like brush piles, boulders, sunken trees, and bridge piling are even more important during a cold front since these are areas where fish will congregate for the time being.
Slow sinking finesse baits worked slowly and meticulously is the name of the game now. Patience and soft plastic baits are the key to garnering strikes in these areas when nothing else will.
Go Deep
Start with deeper weed edges that are near drop-offs, but offshore humps and submerged points adjacent to the shallows are all key areas to target once a cold front has passed you by. It shouldn’t be all that difficult to find these areas on waters that you are used to such as the local lake, impoundment, or reservoir, even if you don’t have electronics.
Since most species of freshwater fish like to get some water over their heads during low pressure, fish will gravitate to these locations and stay there until the barometer starts to elevate.
Add Some Flavor
Cold front conditions are a great time to make your bait smell a bit, as this will give the fish more impetus to find and attack your offering. With so many great choices out there, including sprays, gels, and already scent-infused baits, you can’t go wrong.
Since post cold front fish will slow down and inspect your offering more closely, it stands to reason that if it smells more natural you will have a better shot at hooking up. Without it, you may be sitting on top of fish that you never knew were there.
Light Line
Cold fronts are the time for your favorite fluorocarbon line since it will disappear in the water column very well. While you may want to shy away from braided line or heavy mono, you can still use these if you take the time to tie on a leader of fluorocarbon.
This may cause you to give up some sensitivity since you will be fishing deeper at times, but the trade-off is worth it. If you would rather go with a stronger, more sensitive line there are some braided line options which are thinner than ever.
Finally, don’t forget about the live bait option. While many anglers are affirmed artificial bait aficionados (to keep things moving), fishing during a cold front means slowing down. Worms, minnows, leeches, and crawdads are some of our favorite live offerings and the main reason for the patterns we use on our artificial baits. Cold fronts are a great time to remember why fishing with live bait is often how we all started, and provides a good reason to get back to our roots.
