Effects of a cold front...

[cpinkert]

So, I am looking at the forecast for this weekend and it looks like it is going to be pretty cold. This summer I was fortunate enough to be able to fish 4-5 days/week and really dial in the bite and the impact weather has on it. When it comes to ice fishing, however, I've never been able to spend that kind of time on the ice.

The question I have is whether fish are as affected by weather during the winter? If so, what are the effects of cold fronts and barometric pressure changes? I noticed that during the summer fish tended to slide deeper and the bigger fish became less active in the couple days immediately following a cold front/high pressure system. (I'm a musky fisherman in the summer so I don't know if this applies with different species). However, provided another front didn't come through, the fish seemed to get a bit more active a couple days after the front went through. Same deal in the winter?

Any advice on post-cold front tactics would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

Chris

[Hatchman9]

Was up there the first weekend in February last year and it was one of the coldest couple of days I have ever fished! Lows near -30F and highs -10 to -15. The fishing really wasn't that bad. Biggest problem was my holes were 3" wide by morning. Lack of snow a lot to do with it I believe. Tough to get a fish through. Had to move house and re-drill holes. We caught plenty of eyes, 7 URL Slabs and the big pike got us three times. Only one 38" made it through the hole. We fished in 13 fow and definately had better luck on set lines than jigging. Red glow was the $.

Sounds like the bite was pretty slow last weekend with nice weather, so you never know! Good Luck and stay warm!

[winks]

I was also on URL the first weekend of Feb in 2007 and I remember it being below zero the whole weekend. I was up with a group of URL rookies and they were all quite pleased with the fishing. Most of our fish came jigging Buckshot Rattle Spoons and the best crappie bite was from 1000-noon each day with waves of crappies moving thru occasionally. Read some Johnny P posts and you'll become aware that pressure is more important than temperature. I've been going to URL at least once a year since '01 and no matter what the weather or time of year some one, somewhere on the lake is catching fish.

[Random guy]

 Quote:

Read some Johnny P posts and you'll become aware that pressure is more important than temperature

Of course the pressure charts for the last three days looks like the Wild Thing roller coaster.

Not sure what is going to happen.