Cold Fronts

[Fisher of Men]

We have had very nice weather the past several weeks and tonight we will be DEEP into the 20's...  HOw will this effect the fish?  Will they move into deeper water?  Will it cause "lock jaw"?  I undertand that bass wont be in a feeding frenzy mode, so a reaction bite will be necessary.  I've always been told when it gets this cold the deeper water is warmer than shallow, is this true?  I was planning on fishing tomorrow and saw a 20-30 degree drop in temp tonight.  Thanks guys.  God Bless

[TheLastRodBender]

We have had very nice weather the past several weeks and tonight we will be DEEP into the 20's...  HOw will this effect the fish?  Will they move into deeper water?  Will it cause "lock jaw"?  I undertand that bass wont be in a feeding frenzy mode, so a reaction bite will be necessary.  I've always been told when it gets this cold the deeper water is warmer than shallow, is this true?  I was planning on fishing tomorrow and saw a 20-30 degree drop in temp tonight.  Thanks guys.  God Bless

Cold fronts can be funky.  Personally i dont believe its the temps of a cold front that effect the bass, as much as i think it's a pressure in the atmosphere.  3 nights of cold weather can effect the water temps, but not as much as you'd think.  I dont think all bass go deep when it's cold either.  I've caught some great fish, in some REALLY cold weather, in just a couple of feet of water.   The key is figuring out what they want. 

You referenced lock jaw, and in my experience, the lock jaw isnt caused by a condition, as much it's caused by CHANGING conditions.  Everyone says that cold fronts cause problems with fish, but i think it's the fact that it's a change weather system.  Whenever the weather fluctuates a lot it messes with me... My nose starts to run, my body aches, my joints hurt (i know, i shouldnt live in Northern Virginia, it kills me).  It's not the cold weather that gets me, its the 70 degree weather one day, then 40 the next.  When it's cold and stays cold, i'm fine, when it's warm and it stays warm, i'm fine.  It's just that extreme change that messes with me. 

If you've had a few days of cold weather, you should be fine, you just have to slow things down, or go after the reaction.  They are there, dont let it scare you.