Pre-Front & as it comes in is great! However, if you are in the water as the front comes on in, not good advice to be still on the water, especially on a lake. Lake Limestone can be downright treacherous if it comes out of the north and you're at the bottom of the lake. There can be 4 foot waves easily. They will swamp you. This is where if you have set lines set out, bait them out just before & let them do the work & take the brunt of the incoming storm & you will see how well they bit, as you come after it settles down so you don't put yourself, others, boat & gear in danger.

If you are bank fishing, you can leave your poles out, but get to safety (in case of high winds, lightning, heavy rain, or a tornado). When I was a teenager, I used to always set a rod or two out in our sleugh before the rain came in. Afterwards, I would go collect my catch.

As to the river, when the water rises slowly (not fast), the Yellows go into their emergency run. And they will feed as they go. They run the sides to escape the current, as they head to their safe place. Their mouth & gills cannot take the faster current. Being so pliable, if they try to go up in it, they will suffocate (gills shut tight by current). Trying to go down (river) in it, they could drown (gills forced open). The bite, also with Blues & Channels is best as the rise is slow, not fast. A hard or fast drop is also not good.

Hey Lynn..what about the giant flatheads I have caught down at the floodgate that are in heavy current..fish that are 40+ don't seem to mind swimming right out in the middle of some of most turbulent water you will ever see...most Yelles hit that current and are immediately swept downstream but occasionally you catch one that will swim in and out of it for 30 minutes straight. It's truly amazing to see a fish powerful enough to swim out in that kind of current.

Yes, there are some that either brave it out of survival, thrill, feeding frenzy, or to who knows what. Another possible angle is that they can overcome the odds I spoke of for a short term, but not for the long haul, as once fatigued, then nature will take its toll on their weaker jaws & gills. I have also heard that some Yellows get "spilled" thru the dam.

Yellows are much more powerful than Blues, in certain respects. They can hold a jug down much more than a Blue can. Blues tend to just use their muscles to go down & you will watch jugs go under, then pop back up here & there. It is because they tire out. But a Yellow goes into a dive for the bottom. It will either try to go under a log or stump. It ialmost like a tractor doing a stump pull. Or try to burrow into the bottom to create a suction type grip. I have had a jug go missing, then pop back up a great deal time later, on my next run or the next day. I had one 57 pounder teach me how well they dive, their sheer strength, and they can literally clear the water easily (I guess she thought she was free, as I held the other end of the rope). Reminding me akin to a dolphin jumping out of the water.