Cold Front trumps solunar tables

[Big Cliff]

I've always said that an approaching cold front turned off the bite!

Well, the first three weeks here the weather was pretty consistent and so was the fishing, playing around with tide charts and solunar tables proved to be more accurate at predicting the most productive times for fishing than I expected. Then a cold front approached, even though the solunar tables and tide times indicated the best fishing, the bite became almost non existent!

Yesterday was +19 but the forecast called for temps to drop to 0 last night (we've been seeing low to mid teens at night up until now) with highs hitting high teens to low 20s every day. As of yesterday two of us totaled 5 fish and a check later in the day with about 50 other fisher persons resulted in hardly a bite in hours of fishing. Today was cold with a North wind (good thing I brought my winter clothing just in case). I fished for about an hour at what should have been a fairly productive time without a single bite. Might just be coincidence but...... 

Oh well two cold days then things warm back up again 🙂

[Reef Runner]

I've been fortunate enough to go down South to Florida for a week every winter and fish with my Dad.  Gulf/Ocean fishing is a different game than the lake fishing here in ON, whereas tides play a more important factor in the bite.  That said, and as you've experienced, that cold front affects the bite no matter what body of water. 

I'm not sure how much this will help you Cliff, as it appears you're pier fishing, but I've found that on those cold front days down South it's best to find a spot with decent current, significantly more so than the immediate surrounding water. Time your fish for exactly when the tide is at it's highest and the half hour-hour after when the tide is going out in that spot where the current is you'll find all sorts of fish clinging to bottom waiting for tasty meal to float by. I'm telling you it's like Swiss clockwork that you can time it down to the minute when the bite turns on!

Anecdote:  This past visit down to Florida we were on the hunt for those delicious near-shore species for our Christmas eve dinner; Redfish, (sea) Speckled Trout, Flounder and Sheephead. Normally, we wait for the hour or two when the hightide is moving in and hit the rivers that wind through the seagrass areas near-shore and target these fish with a live shrimp under a trout call (sort of a cross between a float and popper) and do well slowly navigating the river.  These rivers have, in places, tiny creeks running into them, which with steady high temps don't factor that much into the bite.  Low and behold on the day of Christmas Eve a cold front moves in and we couldn't buy a bite all along the river before the crest of the high tide.  So we settle down on a spot where a tiny creek flows into the river and wait until the hightide and I rig up some bottom rigs (bullet weight, swivel, leader and bait hook).  To the minute the hightide was at it's crest the bite magically turned on and we went through all our bait in a span of half and hour catching a few Reds, Trout and Sheephead all in the one spot no larger that 40m squared; if you moved off the spot you moved off the fish.

Just from my experience fishing down there, but perhaps you can find a spot similar to how I describe and hit those on those cold front days. Maybe one side of the pier has stronger current than the other? I would suggest setting up on that side. Time it just right and you may be pleasantly surprised.

Reef

Edited January 20, 2020 by Reef Runner

[Big Cliff]

Thanks so much! I still have so much to learn but I am loving the challenge.  

[Old Ironmaker]

Great tips Reef Runner, you are bang on. No tips from me Cliff but you are lucky to get warm weather in S.C. this time of year, that's warm for spots in Florida actually in mid January. I remember we were down there golfing on Halloween and woke up to a dusting of snow. It didn't stop us from golfing, the guys in the clubhouse thought we were insane. Walmart down there  does not sell Longjohns!! Enjoy you lucky guy.