Tips for Fishing during an incoming cold front day

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Chubs
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Tips for Fishing during an incoming cold front day

Post by Chubs »

So yesterday I tried to fish oyster lake and Palacios. I think the winds started probably at 10 knots at 7AM SSW, then ramped up to 20 knots by 11 as SW (yes 20, I confirmed from the port Lavaca buoy). And hovered around 10 - 15 after that SW.
They changed to north by the time I left around 5 pm.

I had serious doubts and was reconsidering my plan when I arrived because I was on the north east part of Matagorda bay, which is completely exposed to SW to NW wind, and the winds were practically in my face already, and the water was pretty dirty unlike what I had anticipated. I didn't see any bait either.
I launched anyway and of course got hammered by wind and waves over my bow, and had a very hard time getting anywhere. Needless to say I caught nothing. My drift stock helped but nothing was biting.

So my question to the group, what would you do in a situation like that? Is it possible to take advantage of a windy day? Where will the clean water and fish have been? My thought was to go relocate to the north west part of the bay to get some protection from the wind, but due to some unfortunate events I ran out of time to try that out. Would that have worked?

I didn't want to stay home cause I rarely get to fish so have to take the days I'm dealt.

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Cuervo Jones
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Re: Tips for Fishing during an incoming cold front day

Post by Cuervo Jones »

Do what I do because I am lazy...er keenly tuned into the wants and desires of fish...yeah, that’s it. Find a marsh with protected bays and channels. Fish the deeper channels especially if they have oysters at the mouths. The fish stack in the channels to ambush bait that’s getting blown past by the wind. Oyster reefs are turbulence and accelerate current velocity as the water is compressed, discombobulating the hapless shrimp and baitfish. Evil, predatory trouts and redfish and flounder, oh my, wreak havoc on the masses. You stay out of the wind, the moving smorgasbord keeps the fish eating, it’s a win-win.


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Re: Tips for Fishing during an incoming cold front day

Post by TroutSupport.com »

Spot on Brotha... where might you have learned all that stuff Cuervo? :wink:

The thing with kayak fishing is that you have to plan and execute very well because you don't have the option to run even 2 miles if conditions change from the forecast. I think you planned ok for the direction, the next thing that's important, and it's actually important to both kayak fisherman and boaters.. "be willing to change your plan" based on the conditions or better yet forecast that morning. Sometimes we get it right and sometimes there's no good way to get a true forecast. Forecast are just guesses anyway right. Like Cuesvo said, probably would have been better to stay in the drains and marsh on the SW and W end that way even if the wind did switch to north you would still be ok. And even in the marsh you can take advantage of wind driven current.. especially in shallow water. Review the shallow water reds DVD for understanding what Cuervo is talking about with current and structure.
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Cuervo Jones
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Re: Tips for Fishing during an incoming cold front day

Post by Cuervo Jones »

TroutSupport.com wrote:Spot on Brotha... where might you have learned all that stuff Cuervo? :wink:
...
A combination of years fishing for walleye in Wyoming (all praise to the brothers Lindner for their “Secret Teaching” magazine articles and shows), trial and error, and....wait for it...Trout Support DVD’s.
The DVD’s helped me realize that specks are a lot like shallow water, salty walleyes. They even look sort of like them. Fish have very small brains and like people, the similarities outweigh the differences. Read, watch, learn, experiment, and report back.


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Yaklash
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Re: Tips for Fishing during an incoming cold front day

Post by Yaklash »

Cuervo Jones wrote:
TroutSupport.com wrote:Spot on Brotha... where might you have learned all that stuff Cuervo? :wink:
...
A combination of years fishing for walleye in Wyoming (all praise to the brothers Lindner for their “Secret Teaching” magazine articles and shows), trial and error, and....wait for it...Trout Support DVD’s.
The DVD’s helped me realize that specks are a lot like shallow water, salty walleyes. They even look sort of like them. Fish have very small brains and like people, the similarities outweigh the differences. Read, watch, learn, experiment, and report back.
Now if they only tasted like walleye...
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Chubs
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Re: Tips for Fishing during an incoming cold front day

Post by Chubs »

Thanks guys. I'll need to put that DVD on my Christmas wish list :)

I'm still getting into this sport (of fishing in general) and don't have a whole ton of experience. Took some online courses for inshore fishing and think I've learned a lot out of them, more than I would have just sitting out there piddling around. But any case, I understand the moving water concept; maybe just not the best way to locate the right type of moving water.

Anyway, I'm just lacking the experience that would tell me - "get the heck out of there and go somewhere else, this is going to end poorly."

Check out what the wind did to the area I had planned to fish, this is from Friday to Saturday to Sunday. And I can see the West/ South west side of the bay stayed relatively clean compared to the Northwest on Saturday. If only I'd known at the time!
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Re: Tips for Fishing during an incoming cold front day

Post by Cityfisher »

I'm not that experienced either. I just started saltwater fishing about 3.5 years ago. I didn't have a clue as to what to look for or where to fish for reds or trout except for reading advise here on the forum. (which helped a lot also) I bought those DVD's 3 years ago and it helped me tremendously. When I go now I at least have a plan of what I'm looking for when I get to the water and while I am out there. And I can almost always catch a few now compared to before I watched them.
To be honest with you though, with conditions like Saturday I know I would have gotten skunked at the area I like to fish once those winds kicked up. But I'm pretty stubborn and almost always fish the same area no matter what. lol
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