Fishing Theories - Effect of Barometric Pressure on Fishing Success.
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"G"....while "googling", I saw that article also.....read a bunch of different ones.....seems to be some conflicting opinions on the subject......I'm gonna stick to my tactics of just go when I can.....there are only 4 things you can do....shallow, deep, fast & slow.....I can do all that in 30 min........Quote:
Originally Posted by "G"
Thats the spirit......at my age I am not going to miss a fishing trip on account of some dadgummed barometer
Thanks for posting. Have been trying to figure out if I had enough sense to understand this thing and I'm still not sure I do. I will keep reading and like y'all keep fishing. I've caught a bunch without understanding it.
Good article Bruce. The "principal theory" stated is what I have been thinking about with the water column hydrostatic pressure versus what a fish actually feels in atmospheric pressure differences. Haven't seen that in print before, just what I was thinking. Thanks for posting. Much more pronounced in salt water due to it being more denser. Any type of wave/rolling action in the water would make the atmospheric pressure negligible. The weather.com article G posted concerning the effect on the fish bladders I don't buy. Seems to me the barometric pressure effect on the fish is not the pressure itself, but the weather system involved.
Regardless, I'm like you Bruce and G - I'm going when I can. Thanks again for posting.
That's me too. I have a good barometer now that I inherited when my Mother died, but it's just something to watch. It's always right on the money with Channel 3 here. The main thing I watch is the day time high. Like a lizard I want 60^+ by noon.Quote:
Originally Posted by prefers shiners
Attachment 187536now.....I am not fishing this week...so here I sit checking the weather and according to the research....these fish should settle into a pattern this week and not be moving around alot....so......when you find em...take pics of em.....whether you believe the barometer or not...I would rather fish on the falling pressure....just something neat about fishing then......
Well - Maybe its coincidence...but we fished all morning - while it was on the rise...didnt get a bite till 1pm...once it started to fall...I may start watching the pressure a little closer....not necessarily plan my trips around it, but just take some notes and see if there really is a pattern..
the weird thing the article stated was how when the barometer was falling the fish were heading to deeper water.....and I guess I never noticed that cause the fish seemed easier to catch.....but I have trouble catching fish in deeper water........and....when the sky is high and bright with high pressure I was taught to fish deep.......learning something new every day...
In reading both articles on air pressure, unless I'm wrong they seem to suggest that low pressure will tend to make fish bite less and harder to catch. This goes against most of my experience with a falling barometer based on mainly when I primarily was fishing for bass, but I can't help but think it would apply to crappie. Particularly, right before or during a snow event,I've seen bass and stripers go into a feeding frenzy that defies the mind, both in shallow & deep water situations.One of the most memorable trips was on Darbonne in late December when my brother-in-law and I caught over 50 bass in little over 2 hours....all on top water baits just before a hail storm.....overall, I would agree with the articles, in that fish will sense a change long before it actually arrives. Most of the time I seem to have better luck about TWO DAYS BEFORE a major drop in atmospheric pressure.
I haven't really looked into the studies that have been done, but I've always figured fish have an instinctive drive to feed on a falling pressure due to the inclement weather that usually follows. On a small stream or pond the water may rise significantly and become muddy for a few days after a large storm, making it more difficult for the fish to feed as compared to normal conditions.
I don't think it has much of an affect on saltwater fish, as they are so closely associated with tidal movement. If anything the atmospheric pressure has associated conditions that change the environment for the fish (lighting, windblown shores, etc.).