Post Cold Front Tactics

[MNBIGBEAR]

How do you guys deal with post cold front conditions. I know I have heard down-sizing baits and slowing things down is sometimes the way to go. Whats worked for you?

[50inchpig]

i think it depends mostly on what lake you're fishing. some have a really good post front bite. the metro lake i usually fish is pretty good post frontal, so i don't usually have to worry about changing tactics much. northside of mille lacs? give me a northeast breeze and clear skies and i'm there. i have a buddy who usually fishes tonka but heads to another lake post frontal, and that's the best time to fish said lake.

if there are 3 or 4 lakes in your area one of them is probably a good cold front lake. if you don't have options then be on your best spots first thing in the morning or last thing before dark which have been the best cold front times for me. nightfishing is always a good option and as things cool down gradually in the next few weeks the shallow bite will turn on and that can be good post frontal too.

[50inchpig]

i thought this would be a good thread - anybody have any luck yesterday after the front blew through?

[bemidjibasser]

a lot of times doing the opposite works well, bigger and faster to get a reaction bite..

[RK]

Hiya -

Yeah, lovely cold front this past weekend. I was tied up with other stuff and didn't fish, but I wasn't feeling too bad about it.

With cold fronts I have a few things I do...

One is to go to the lake in the area I think has the highest population density. (When all else fails, go where there are lots of fish.) If it's a darker water lake relatively speaking, so much the better.

From a presentation standpoint I pretty much rely on a pretty short list of tactics:

- Slow roll single spin spinnerbaits. If I'm in Canada it'll be in thick weedbeds (what Richard Pearson calls 'grinding') or on rock points. In MN it's weedlines, points, etc.

- Fish a jig and lizard or reaper on weedlines. The clearer the water, the more likely I am to try this. It's something I've come to rely on a lot. Get tight to the weeds and just poke and probe your way down the weedline...

- Burn a tiny bucktail or twitch a minnow bait fast and erratic. Sometimes pure speed can just trigger a fish. I throw little French-bladed bucktails with barely any hair and really zing them in. I also throw baits like a Bomber Long A and fish them fast and erratic. In both cases it's a cover water approach. You can cast them both a mile and fish them fast. It's kind of the Mark Windels approach - somewhere there's a fish that will bite...just have to get to it.

- Short line trolling. I troll crankbaits or a jerkbait like a Sledge on a very short line off the transom. Something about the motor triggers fish sometimes. Run 3 lines if you have the bodies, and put a spread of baits 10-30 feet back then troll down weedlines and breaks.

Honestly though, unless I have to fish cold front muskies for some reason, I just go bass fishing instead and wait until the weather sorts itself out.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Musky Buck]

I deal with cold front tactics by washing,cleaning,vacuuming my boat and truck, playing catch with my son. I fish plenty before it rolls in and none afterward for several days depending on how severe the cold front is. Time to oil and ready the shotgun for early season honkers.

[fishinorfarmin]

Was out last night after the cold front and didnt move anything on big blades, then switched to smaller bucktails and moved a couple and put one in the boat. Hard to believe but small bucktails still do work

[TruthWalleyes]

Had a follow on a Mepps Maribu last night, was my first time muskie fishing...not sure how i screwed up that follow.

[aroep]

Had a follow on a Mepps Maribu last night, was my first time muskie fishing...not sure how i screwed up that follow.

I think it might have to do with your extreme lack of talent. JK, we still have to get up to Leech this fall, maybe even drag my brother with after that kid pops out.

[delmuts]

Get use to having follows and no bite. That is just part of musy fishing!Work on your figure 8 so you may turn some of the follows into bites!

[kyleharty]

Had a follow on a Mepps Maribu last night, was my first time muskie fishing...not sure how i screwed up that follow.

If you saw a fish your first time out your not doing too bad, try to look at it that way!

[Shawn Kellett]

Inside tapering weededges with glider. Enough said.

Well, Muskie Treat gliders

Now enough said