How Cold Fronts Affect Fishing for Carp
Cold fronts can have a negative affect on the fishing, especially if a cold front is followed by bright sun the next day. Typically, cold fronts will cause carp to become less active and when they do feed, the bite is much more finicky. There is one major exception to this though. Many times, cold fronts will follow a thunderstorm or some heavy rain. When this happens, fishing can actually improve after a cold front on rivers and in ponds that have spillways or drainage ditches where the water runs off. On rivers, you can often see dozens of carp swimming in the shallows in the backwaters after a heavy rain. The cold front doesn’t seem to stop these fish from feeding or maybe it’s just that there are so many fish packed into these areas, that even if only a small percentage of these fish will eat, you will still catch a lot of carp. In ponds, carp fishing definitely picks up near the spillways and drainage ditches. Some of these ponds will have water running in and water running out. Both areas will hold fish once there is some current.
How Warm Fronts Affect Fishing for Carp
Warm fronts will definitely help improve the fishing. Carp tend to feed more actively in the shallows and in deep water during a warm front. In ponds, you will often see carp feeding in the shallows on the surface during warm fronts. In lakes, you will often see carp moving around the shallows and jumping much more. They are definitely more active during the warm front and the fishing is usually very good. You may see quite a bit of surface activity, but there are plenty of carp down deeper, so go ahead and get your lines down on the bottom. You will usually catch more fish with your baits on the bottom than on the surface or suspended in the water column.
How the Rain Affects Fishing for Carp
Rain almost always helps to improve carp fishing. Heavy rains will push carp into the backwater areas in rivers and into the shallows in lakes. These fish are very catchable with corn, boilies and nightcrawlers. Live nightcrawlers usually work well after very heavy rains because worms will get pushed into the water and carp will move into the shallows to find an easy meal.
Light rains provide some good fishing opportunities for carp as well. A light rain will usually not cause carp to make any major movements into new areas like a heavy rain can do, but carp remain more active throughout the day during a light rain. It is much easier to catch carp with a light rain during the middle of the day compared to bright sun.
Fish the spillways after a rain.
There are tons of ponds out there that have spillways that are used for dumping the neighborhood rain water into them to prevent flooding in the streets, by the houses, parking lots, etc. After a rain, these spillways can be very good for fishing.
How the Wind Affects Fishing for Carp
The wind will usually help position the carp. Most carp anglers would agree that the wind-blown shoreline tends to be very productive in lakes and ponds, although, the wind doesn’t play a very big role in rivers. The currents will help position the fish in rivers. In lakes and ponds, there are almost always some carp on the wind-blown shorelines. We’re not saying that these shorelines will always be the best places to fish, but they are definitely a good place to start.
How Clouds Affect Fishing for Carp
Clouds are great once water temperatures warmer. In early spring and late fall, a warm, sunny day may be better for fishing than a cloudy day, but once water temperatures are in the mid 60s and above, cloud cover will keep fish active longer, so you can catch carp all day without the bite coming to a sudden halt like it often does during the middle of the day on sunny days.
How the Sun Affects Fishing for Carp
The sun will definitely help to position fish throughout lakes, ponds and rivers. In colder weather, the sun may help to raise water temperatures a few degrees in the shallows, which will push some carp into the shallows to feed. During the summer, the water is warm enough that they don’t need the sun to help raise water temperatures anymore. Carp will usually be more active during low light conditions in the morning and evening. A bright, sunny day can still offer some good fishing during the middle of the day. You may just need to fish a little deeper.
