Ever hear someone say, these post-cold fronts will make for lousy fishing and make it challenging even to get a bite. Maybe you have even said it yourself or heard other kayak anglers say it. I am not about to dismantle the all-time most accepted reason for not catching cold-weather bass. Let us talk about the honest reasons why cold fronts make the bite less active.
Blue Bird Skies
Bright, bluebird skies that follow post-cold fronts. Is this the reason bass do not bite as well? The sun is bright when cloudless skies follow a cold front, and it is true that bass has neither eyelids nor an iris to regulate the light coming into their eyes. If the bright sunshine bothers their eyes, bass can move into deeper water or under weeds.
Cold fronts are often followed by clear air and low humidity, and the UV index is topped out. However, most UV light is absorbed in the upper few feet of the water column. There are suggestions out there saying fish may use UV to feed better.
Barometric Pressure
Another suggestion is that the change in pressure causes discomfort. Post cold fronts barometric pressure changes from the low pressure that draws the cold front to the high barometer behind the front. Except for events like hurricanes and tropical storms, barometric pressure usually ranges from about 990 millibars, or 29.2 inches of mercury, to 1030 millibars, or 30.4 inches. Any way you see it, the change in barometric pressure after a cold front is only a change of less than 5 percent.
Can bass detect this barometric change? Probably. Bass has a swim bladder which is a built-in pressure-detecting organ.
Water is heavy stuff, and atmospheric pressure increases one atmosphere for every 33 feet increase in depth. The 5 percent increase in pressure that bass would experience as a cold front passes would move bass in the water column about 16 inches. Maybe the pressure change that turns the bite off.
No Excuses
Now that I have stirred the pot that supposedly is the all-time best excuse for not catching fish, is it even true that bass does not bite after a cold front? Kayak Tournament catches do not rise and fall with cold fronts or barometric pressure. It does not matter what the weather pattern is. Using your electronics can help produce.
In conclusion, cold fronts have a much more significant effect on kayak anglers than they do on bass.
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