As I plan to burn some vacation days over the next couple of months for fishing,  I of course want to burn them on good fishing days.   This time of year the temps yoyo quite drastically I know the fish "turn off" when the front moves in and the temp drops.  But whats the best (just as a general rule) time for them to turn back on?  The first day the temps head back up?  The second?  how should I try to hit them?

I used to work at the top of a tall office building.  If I had some time on the books I would look west and if I saw a storm front moving in, I would take the rest of the day off, and zoom out east getting to the water before the front hit.  Those were some of my most productive outings. 

I always found that getting on the water just prior to the barometer dropping was as close to a sure thing as I ever found

I knew a guy that kept a daily record of barometric pressure during the fishing season. He's been a pretty successful fisherman over the years. He never would share his information with us. >

Must be nice to be able to go fishing like that when you want to  8-) - I only get to go when I can go  :-[ - and by that point I am so desperate I will fish during after before a front whatever.

But I have always heard the convention of the best fishing before a front undler low barometric pressure....but I personally am very wary about such conventions.....many times its an excuse for people to say why they couldnt catch them - but I suppose if I had to plan, why not try to plan for the very best condidtions - hope you do well!  Take care.

What species will you be fishing?  Northern, florida strain?, spots?, smallies?

Weather Strategies

I'm self employed and can (try to) pick my fishing days. I'm also a small water angler (<50acres). What I'm relating here pertains more to shallower waters than larger deeper waters, or the shallow areas of deeper bodies. Weather appears not to affect deeper fish as much.

In general, I pay close attention to heating, and anything that obscures bass' vision: Clouds, wind, water color, broken weeds and other cover. What I look for depends on the time of year. And how this all pans out varies with immediate conditions -it's a complex world out there. What I am looking for are circumstances that offer bass a hunting advantage on prey. Weather and physical conditions that consolidate bass, or especially, prey and bass, make for those banner days.

Keep in mind that fish don't always just turn off, but they do react to conditions and weather can be a part of this. The fishing is all about adjustments. How do you adjust? Well you have to be there to get a baseline to adjust from. When we drop in for a day, we are essentially trying to find that baseline. Knowledge and experience helps there, but fishing' is required even for KVD.

Believe it or not, I like post frontal conditions (brilliant blue) a lot, especially very early in the season, coupled with slightly turbid water.

I like the 2nd or 3rd day post-frontal (brilliant blue) for early pre-spawn, post-spawn and pre-summer. (I like heat and stability, with clouds, for the onset of the spawn.)  At these times our summer weather patterns set up brilliant blue in the AM giving way to towering cumulus. What's great about this is that we get great heating with the sun, then overcast rolls in that obscures bass vision. They aren't nearly as spooky my waters are mostly very clear, until plankton blooms come in during the heat of summer.

In early spring I do not stop fishing during cold spells; I just adjust tactics, and often do just fine. The one thing NOT to do is shoot yourself in the foot by bemoaning the weather.

I like pre-frontal in general for the warmer times of year the warmer the better, except in mid-summer, when early morning, evening, and night are best. During the day, fishing deeper, or just having clouds or wind chop roll in to knock the smile off that sun helps in mid-summer.

Early to mid-fall I like those heating days again. Late fall doesn't matter just no snow. If I'm fishing close to shore, I like a heating day.

As to fishing: It's not cookbook exactly, but mindful responses to conditions doled out to us and the fish. It helps to keep records. I review them before each trip to help snap me right back to the right chapter of the cookbook. Each trip adds new footnotes.

Here are a couple past trips to give you an idea of how I approach early spring on my small waters:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1205773248/7#7

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1206553821/2#2

Talk about consolidated prey... Had a great and interesting day yesterday first fishing day of the year we're running late this year. If I find time I'll post it.

Good luck sorting things out and writing your own cookbook.

Big E......don't worry son, Some day you'll hopefully have enough vacation to burn it off as you please...one of the few rewards left for an almost 30 year employee. .. after the pay cuts and benefit cuts lots of vaca. is all I got left.....may as well go fishing huh?

Not looking for excuses.....looking for patterns...

Mr. Roberts...can I just come out and follow you around. For like a year?

Thanks guys

jettech, I hear you. All the fishing I've done has come at some career cost. Would I trade it? Not at present. But ask me again in 15 years and I may be singing a different tune.

hahaha, yeah man, I cant wait.  At present on avg. I am able to get out 2-3 times per month (weekend day only)- and by that time with the wait in between I am totally tweaking out to fish and it FEELS SO GOOD - I guess that is the good thing - the bitter sweet of it - just with the bitter didnt last so long for me.

Paul's comments seem well balanaced - interesting too that he even mentions better fishing sometimes on pre and post front depending on conditions - thats experience for you - also goes to show that the general "rules" that are always  regurgitated are incomplete at best if not many times absurd.

I too think that changing conditions does not necessarily close down the bite as I have killed em after a nasty cold front - but many times it may cause a shift in the bait fish, thus a shift in the location of the predator - at this stage in my learning - I simply fish the best structure I can find up and down for the most part anyway, I havent figured out all these little tid bits that paul has - still just sort of throwing myself out there and searching them out.

- also goes to show that the general "rules" that are always  regurgitated are incomplete at best if not many times absurd.

Very true, and well put. The rules are that bass are trying to survive regardless of what's thrown at them. Some make it some don't. What they have is a body honed over time to have a crack at survival, and some of it is pure luck being in the right place at the right time just like fishing.

When we suffer a couple bad fishing days we can at least go grab a burger and try again the next time. Our detachment from nature has its perks. I'd rather play at the survival game then live it.

- still just sort of throwing myself out there and searching them out.

That's what we all do. Knowledge (experience and book learnin') accrues.  But it doesn't HAVE to take years. If you are focused on what's important you can steepen that learning curve.

It would be a lot easier to try to help out if we knew what regional area and what type fishery you were going to.

For example, fish in shallower, structure lacking waters like the Florida lakes are probably more affected by unstable climates than the fish on deeper river reservoirs that involve current.