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I heard from a seasoned Texas fishing guide that fishing is generally good when barometer pressure (BP) is in the range of 29.85-30.10, acceptable 29.60-30.40. He won't bring client to fish if out of this range.
Did you notice a similar pattern in BP?
Is BP an important factor when you plan your fishing trip?
Thanks.
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No.
1" of Hg = 0.49 psi, 1' in the fresh water column = 0.43 psi. So, roughly, a 1" of mercury change would equate to a foot of water. If the fish feel uncomfortable with the pressure change, they'll just move to a different depth - within a foot if pressure on them was so important. As you probably know, the fish are stacked at different depths, +/- a few feet within the water column at all times of the year. That being said, the fish can regulate the pressure they feel regardless of the atmospheric pressure at the time. They are in a different environment.
I don't pay attention to BP, so no ... it's not an important factor in planning my fishing.Quote:
Originally Posted by parfume4
I once saw Bill Dance say something along those same lines, about a specific "range" of barometric pressure being the most conducive to catching fish. But I think his range was 29.9 to 30.15 ... so your guide's range is within reason.
But, also ... many of the TV anglers, tourney Pros, and even some guides may have an ulterior motive for espousing a particular notion like this ... and that could be the promotion of a product, sponsor, or even their own following. I remember when the TV anglers were always telling us that you had to fish during a specific range of BP, a specific range of water pH, use a specific color to match the light penetration depth ... which was under the control of the clarity of the waters you were fishing ... and that you should spend 90% of your day "searching" for these ideal conditions and effects, and the other 10% of the time should be spent fishing (in what they considered the "ideal" circumstances for success). The point they were making was, you NEED this product or that product that I'm using (and being sponsored by), so that you can determine these conditions. I did purchase some of these products, only to find that they basically told me what I already knew was relevant to the waters I fished, and the other factors this product told me about were irrelevant and time consuming .... while all the other anglers around were catching fish (some of whom were my fishing partners, right there in my own boat) :Doh:
Now, I'm not saying the info is false or irrelevant to everyone. There is some good science behind a lot of that info. It's just that I've experienced too many trips where the conditions & timing were "perfect", and caught few fish ... and trips where the conditions & timing were totally "screwed up", and did fairly well. And those times have occurred in at least 15% of my trips.
Make scientific sense!Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracker123
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Thanks for sharing. This is what I hear most from fisherman around me. "You never know unless you go".Quote:
Originally Posted by CrappiePappy
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I think I know that guide and for sure if it's who I think he is .....he is good at putting folks on fish . That said I go when I can and pay no attention most of the time to the weather conditions.....
I do think a high barometer and a real low barometer effect fish and in lots of cases very dramatically as well .....sometimes they don't like the change , but if it stays either way long enough they adjust and get back to normal to some degree
Seeing as the barometric pressure impacts other spiecies,it stands to reason it in all probability it affects fish as well.That said,I'm gonna fish and hunt no matter the conditions.My son and I have started watching the barometer in the off season of deer hunting,it is pretty remarkable to see the difference in deer movement during different readings.......Then it all goes out the window during the rut!
If high pressure / blue Bird skies hit , I just fish deeper , slower , and tight to cover .
NIMROD nailed it.
I never looked at like one was better than the other but I can't say the pressure doesn't dictate my day to some extent. Now I'm not to the point that I check the exact pressure, but like nimrod said, I find the fish go deep and related very close to cover. I try more precision finesse presentations. But if it stays high for a few days I see the fish return to a pattern more normal to the time of year.
I agree with the scientific review posted above. The math does check out. However, don't discount the fact a sudden change of anything will cause the fish to act differently for a time being, whether it be pressure, lake level, temp, and such. Like when I scuba dive and have trouble clearing my sinuses in deep water. I can still rise up an atmosphere or two, but the headache is still there.
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Blue sky weather is pretty common for fishing trips. Thanks for providing general guide line.Quote:
Originally Posted by trypman1
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I've been fishing a long time. Before I retired, all we had was one or two days a week that we could fish (if we weren't working). If I worried about BP, the depth at which a color could be seen, or if the wind was out of the east instead of the west, I'd probably have never gone fishing! And I'd have wasted a lot of great fishing trips to boot. So I never paid this stuff no mind. I just went fishing whenever the hours permitted. And you know what? I had a great time each and every trip out. Never a regret. :)
That is exactly the same shoe I am in. I want to go fishing each week. In addition, I am pretty much stuck for bank fishing without a boat. I have several fishing spot within 2 hour driving distance. One job for me before each trip is to decide where to go. Here the water situation, air temperature, wind, and other factors starts to play their role.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crestliner08
Any suggestion / experience to share?
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The Effect of Barometric Pressure on Feeding Activity of Yellow Perch
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&sour...BDckePNeteJDSQ
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I would suspect that there are subtle effects on fish behavior caused by barometric pressure. It always a mistake to think a small brain means unsophisticated behavior. Fish are extremely complex organisms. There behavior is likely to be very complex but even if you consider humans there is one thing that is pretty universal and that is they are going to eat, what they eat depends on availability and habits. The fact that fish don't stop feeding with barometric changes doesn't mean there behavior doesn't change in other ways.
I have experienced fish feeding frenzy obviously triggered by summer thunderstorms. That is the only unequivocally connection to weather that I have ever experienced and that is specific to one body of water. All the folk wisdom rules that are supposed to predict catches have at one time or the other proven unreliable. The trick to using folk wisdom is to figure out the environment that is specific to the experience of the people that developed the wisdom was. I always look at lunar tables and barometric pressure before fishing unfortunately I'm not smart enough to make any practical use of that information because there are just too many variables.
Consulting the Almanac and the barometric pressure is just a ritual for me if nothing else it makes me feel connected to my ancestors who believed in such things. Every little bit of the fishing ritual has meaning it just may not be scientifically meaningful.
Thanks for sharing. My take away is that barometric pressure is NOT a STRONG factor on fish feeding activities.Quote:
Originally Posted by wolfhnd
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Took a friend fishing behind the last cold front last couple days . It was real warm then dropped to high 20's . Bluebird skies means high pressure most times . It is 30.45 right now . We just had to fish same depths as I had been but bump bottom in the brush piles or within a foot or two of it . Even with clear skies , passing cold front , pressure 30.45 we limited with 30 good Crappie apiece both days . The old tale about east wind fish biting the least ? Well today it was howling out of the east .Quote:
Originally Posted by parfume4
GO FISH BUT LEARN TO NEVER GIVE UP BUT ADAPT TO CONDITIONS .:twocents
Good story, thanks for sharing!
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I like a southeast wind because of lake geometry at Smithville. Pushes bait fish up to the dam face and flats on the north end.Quote:
Originally Posted by parfume4
Fish during this -don't fish during this period. I say patooey. The fish are are a captive target. They aren't in the sky or on land. They can't get up and leave. The are in the water. Your objective is to find them and make them bite. An old timer told me many years ago, he would only used flies for lures and would land just about any fish he wanted from catfish to walleyes to trout, " your job as a fisherman is to find and make the fish bite". I always went by that. If the fish aren't where your fishing go deeper or shallower. Go fast or slow. Live bait or artificial. You will catch fish.
I have always noticed that when my line was wet I had a much better chance of catching than if it was dry and my butt was watching tv. went in febuary and the local crappie dudes who usually catch their limits every day were struggling because they were doing what they always do, fishing off bank to brush piles in deeper water, even the crappie King there was shut out. I tried it, didn't catch diddly but went to my fav dock and caught 4 limits, with the bite turning on last two hours of day when full moon was coming up and the guru's had all given up. learned something that day and almost all the time when I fish, keep your lure in the water,change depths and colors till you find what works then repeat that. BP is nice indicator but if it keeps you from going? stupid, GO, get your lines wet, adapt to conditions and you have a chance. will it work all the time? uh, no but it will keep your freezer full of filets and even if you don't catch at least you are fishing and that is always good.
When the barometer takes a dive with a major storm imminent, have noticed that all species put on the feed bag, for a certain time. When a hurricane passed over georgia maybe 10 yrs ago, had out trotline (commerical fishing), and caught over 900 lbs of catfish. Talked to other commerical fisherman, that had similar results when storm passed over the state. Have heard similar reports, when various storms have passed over other states!
Animal movement is more pronounced on the back side of a high, front side of a low. That's why you sometimes get lucky to hit a feeding binge while fishing. However, when fishing is tough, I find they can be enticed to bite. It's just a matter of finding them. Most of the time when fishing is tough, we are the ones that lack the patience to find out what will entice fish into biting on. :twocents
Usually low pressure means clouds. I think less light pent ration has a lot to do with it. These fish are predators, so low skies let them hunt a little easier. It's like when fish bite better with a little wind. The surface action breaks up the light penetration. Just my 2 cents
I'm usually hungry six or seven times a day and I don't think BP has any say in it - I bet crappie ain't much different
The question isn't if they will feed but where, when and how.Quote:
Originally Posted by try'n hard
Unfortunately, we can't equate human activity & reaction to the world of aquatic critters.Quote:
Originally Posted by try'n hard
Try'n hard just did......;-)Quote:
Originally Posted by CrappiePappy
The physiology of the digestive system of fish would cause you to believe that they are constantly opportunistic. Calorie output to acquire food must be much less than the calories gained by eating. If my wife did not wait on me hand and foot I would weigh a lot less than I do. Same with fish......given a choice, easy morsel, even in tornadic conditions, it'll eat!