Cold Snap and Fishing This Weekend

[PaulB]

With the first hard cold snap of the season upon us, what impact will that have on the fishing? I've seen it shut down the bite in the summer, but is it different in fall when the fish are more actively eating, getting ready for winter? Just wondering about others views/opinions/experiences. Thanks.

[Northlander]

It may have a short term effect but who knows. Different bosies of water will be effected differently of course. One of the best walleye bites I ever had was on LOW in a snow storm.

Im just hoping it will finally knock the water temp below 50 degrees.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Paul- A cold front is a cold front. However, in the fall I dont think a cold front affects the fish the same. It can turn a bite off for sure, but it can turn a bite on also. I cant remember a cold front ever making fishing better in the summer. But there have been a few times where I have caught the heck out of fish in the fall during a cold front.

My opinon.. stay with the feeding fish.. Fish shallow, those will be the easiest to catch. If you find one, work tha tarea, as you may have found the mother load... But dont work an area too long, as you are always looking for the mother load!

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Here on Vermilion the cold fronts in the fall do not seem to affect the walleye or perch bite very much.

I fish mostly deep water, 26-50+ feet deep so that may be the reason. Just fish slow and right on the bottom as most of the fish are pegged so close to the bottom most of the time that you cannot even see them on your graph.

Good Fishing!

Cliff

[Northlander]

Cliff I have noticed most of the fish Im catching dont show up on the graph because they are deep and tight to bottom. Jigs and minnows working up your way like here? Sucker minnows or Rainbows?

[upnorth]

My fall fishing on Vermilion is pretty much as Cliff described it. I usually use chubs on a jig heavy enough to get to the bottom pretty close to vertical and fish as slow as I can go. My favorite fall spot is in about 30 FOT and transitions from a hard to a soft bottom rather quickly. I very rarely see any fish on the graph, so I am assuming they are pretty much "belly to the bottom".

[gunflint]

I was dancing with the fat girls last night ahead of this front. I might try fishing during the snow if the wind stays down to the teens and low 20s. Like everyone has been saying big minnow and jig right on the bottom. They're picking it up real slow. You have to give them plenty of time.

[Cliff Wagenbach]

Northlander,

I have been using almost any type of minnow that I grab from the bait bucket and they have all been working equally well.

I have a preference toward rainbows or pike suckers because they are much livelier on the hook.

Cliff

[Northlander]

Thanks Cliff you enforced my thinking.

Mark Im glad to see you have some Fat Women to keep ya warm in the boat. How Fat so far?

[Eye-lander]

I spend a lot of time fishing for walleyes in the fall, and I have been waiting for this cold spell for several weeks now. Yes, June is a very good month for me, but my most stable patterns come in late fall with cold water and cold temps. I cannot wait until next week when I have a chance to fish for 5 straight days. You will find me on the steepest breaks with a live bait rig, a short leader, and a large rainbow chub! Yes, I know that Redtail chubs are "the" bait, but they are quite a bit more expensive than the rainbows, and the fish seem to like them just as much. Just need to be right on the fish. Position is everything in the fall! So overall, this cold is the trigger I have been waiting all summer and early fall for.

[BigWadeS]

is it too late in the year to use crawlers?

if a guy doesn't have a minnow bucket what can he use?

[Cliff Wagenbach]

I have tried crawlers in the late fall and caught a few walleyes but a minnow will out fish a crawlers by 10 to 1 on most waters in the fall.

Better invest in a minnow bucket!

Cliff

[Northlander]

Or at least a 5 gallon bucket of icecream pail.

[BigWadeS]

Northlander, will an ice cream bucket work, for say a 3-4 fishing outing? If so, would I need to just use the water from the minnow bag or use the lake or river water?

[Cliff Wagenbach]

The icecream bucket will work fine as long as you keep the minnows cool and add a little fresh water from time to time.

Cliff

[BigWadeS]

thanks for the information I greatly appreciate and I do need to get a minnow bucket. Also, if I purchased some on friday night would they keep in the pail overnight in the garage?

[PaulB]

Thanks for the info everyone. Hopefully I'll get out Saturday a.m. and with any luck will find some biters.

[Northlander]

If you get minnows in a oxygen bag and keep them cool they will last a few days and some times more depending on minnow type. Fatheads/chubs are very hardey but shiners are very finicky.

After a few days get them in a pail and give them fresh cold water from the lake or river. This time of year I keep them in a 5 gallon pail in the garage and if Im worried about not being able to keep a good eye on them I put a bubbler in them.

[Wayne Ek]

PaulB, fall cold-fronts and storms effect the fisherman more than the fish. On Monday prior to the weather turning a little chilly Roy Good and I beat-up on some nice bass and northerns (I told him not to catch it!!!) We went to a small shallow area lake and the water temp was still running 55/56 degrees. Fall fishing is just getting started.

[BigWadeS]

thanks for the feedback, I appreciate it.

[solbes]

We're on our way up to our lake place this weekend to close it up and cover up the camper. We'll be busy most of Saturday, so unfortunately not much time to jig or rig with bait. Gonna have to be a night time thing while the wife stays nice and warm watching movies.

Any opinions out there on how fast I should be trolling for walleyes at night? Should I use the bow electric to slow it down a little, or is long lining at 2 mph adequate with the big motor? We'll be on a 800 acre lake that's pretty deep and clear. There are definate weedlines and plenty of structure, but little or no rocks. Depths?

[Northlander]

If your talking trolling live bait rigs or jigs go SLOW. It seems lately the fish are just kind of mouthing baits around here. Give them time.

For trolling sticks and cranks wich is a water coverage game and looking for active fish, start out in the 2.5 mph and slow from there. If that dont do it bump up the speed and see if you can get reaction strikes. Im guessing that the 2.0-2.5 range should do it though. Dont be afraid to use bigger baits than usual. Both live and fake.