Barometric pressure....

[Shloim]

Will the fish be biting this weekend with the weather the way it is? And is there a simple way to explain the pressure phenominon?

[Gnote]

For most fish pressure is considered a minor factor. Light and temperature are more major factors. Ive caught pike with the pressure as low as 90 and as high as 103.5. I wouldnt let pressure stop me from trying.

[kickingfrog]

For me there are so many other things that need to line-up for an outing that I don't worry too much about, or pay attention to the barometer.

[Rich]

Raising barometer - fish tend to be more active.

Lowering - inactive

Stable - stable

[fishindevil]

Fish will also turn on in bad weather just their feeding window will be a lot shorter !!! And there is many variables with the barometer if its dropping with a cold front it's about the worst of the bunch !!!! It's always a guessing game for sure but a bad day of fishing is still better than any day at work or at home !!! Lol

[farsider]

Big Jim's "Just Fishing" touched on the fallacy of barometric pressure(s) impact on fish in Gord Pyzer's article "...with the Doc"

 

http://www.justfishing.ca/wp-content/plugins/page-flip-image-gallery/popup.php?book_id=22

 

Its in the 1st question/answer on page 18.

 

Cheers,

Mark

[fishindevil]

 

 

 

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General

Walleyes and Weather by Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson

 

An easy-to-understand story about barometric pressure and its impact on your fishing

 

Todd Heitkamp still remembers the day his professor first explained the basics of barometric pressure in a Weather 101 class at the University of Wisconsin in Madison.

 

Barometric pressure is just the weight of the air, the prof said. It constantly pushes down on everything, like a big hand. It presses down on you, the earth and the surface of the water. He went on to say that stormy weather results from low pressure, when the �hand of the atmosphere� pushes down with less strength. On the opposite end of the spectrum, clear blue skies come from high pressure, or a heavy hand, the teacher said.

 

Heitkamp instantly recognized how that analogy could help fishermen understand how fish behave. Most people use a barometer simply to help them guess as to whether they should take an umbrella with them. But, barometric pressure readings can also predict whether fish are likely to be biting, or if they will soon be biting� or, perhaps, if it�s best to stay home.

 

Time on the water has confirmed the professor was speaking the truth, according to Heitkamp, who�s been a meteorologist for the National Weather Service for the past 20 years. He also owns Dakota Angler bait & tackle store in Sioux Falls, SD.

 

�Weather is the most important influence on fishing,� says Heitkamp. �In the tackle industry, I see all the latest gadgets and tackle. But what people haven�t come up with is how to control the weather. If the weather doesn�t cooperate, there�s nothing you can do.�

 

In simple terms, here�s how Heitkamp sees it:

 

* Barometric pressure� the weight of the air� decreases as a storm approaches. It�s called low pressure. To understand how it works, imagine the palm of that giant hand the professor talked about easing up as it presses on the water�s surface. Its touch is lighter. The water isn�t as compressed as it was, and fish can move more easily through it. The mood of many fish often changes to what we might call a more �active� mood. They move around more freely and feed.

 

A storm also brings clouds and wave-creating wind, reducing sunlight penetration. Active fish can move to shallower water. In the case of walleyes, they often rise in the water column. The sonar screen shows them moving up off the bottom. Or, they just move shallower on shoreline-connected and midlake structures.

 

Heitkamp believes that the absolute best fishing periods often occur when barometric pressure reaches its lowest point, just before the front arrives.

 

�The old saying, that fish bite best right before the storm,� he says, �is true.�

 

So, Heitkamp says, the best time to head to the lake is when the forecast calls for storms moving into the area.

 

The picture changes when the storm is over. Barometric pressure starts to rise again. The giant hand presses down harder, and the water becomes more compact. High pressure also brings clear, bluebird skies, and light penetration is often intense for the next several days. Fish feel the increased pressure and become less active. They move tight to cover or deeper, where the sun isn�t so bright. Their mood is lethargic.

 

�With underwater cameras, you can watch fish come up to a bait and not bite it,� observes Heitkamp. �People don�t understand that, but when air pressure is high, fish become less aggressive. They just come up and look. They may eventually take it, but you have to work a little harder.�

 

The effect of the pressure change is most pronounced on the first day after the storm passes.

 

Heitkamp said time of year must also be considered. The impact of a change in barometric pressure is more severe in winter. For one reason, the swing between high and low pressure is more drastic during the cold months. For another, the same high pressure is affecting less water volume when part of it is locked up as ice.

 

Heitkamp thinks fish like northern pike may be the least susceptible to changes in barometric pressure; they seem to be aggressive no matter what. But, the perch family, including walleye, may be the most impacted by the changes, followed by crappies and bluegills. Heitkamp doesn�t target muskies often, but anyone who does will tell you the best time to be on the water is when black clouds appear on the horizon.

 

A barometer isn�t needed to know what�s happening with air pressure. Read the wind instead.

 

�Anyone can play amateur weather forecaster,� says Heitkamp. �Before the (storm) front, wind is out of the south. When it switches to west-northwest, pressure begins to rise.�

 

The old saying, �Wind from the east, fish bite the least,� has a basis in fact, he added.

 

�Wind comes from the east the longer high pressure is in place,� he says. �By then, high pressure has taken a real toll on the fish.�

 

Test the professor. Make your own fishing predictions for a year by looking up the barometric pressure on weather websites. Then, keep a log and see how often you�re right.

 

Heitkamp is a busy guy, like all of us. He must go fishing when he can, whether he thinks the weather will cooperate or not. Even when conditions are less than ideal, the barometer can help put more fish in the boat if you�re willing to analyze the effect air pressure is having at that moment, he said.

 

�When you get out on a body of water, people do what they normally have done,� theorizes Heitkamp. �We fish in a comfort zone. What they haven�t done is check the weather. If you don�t understand what the weather is doing, you�re already behind the eight ball on learning what the fish are going to want that day.�

 

Storm coming? Then low pressure is on its way, and faster, aggressive tactics may be best. For walleyes, trolling or casting crankbaits at shallow structures may be the keys. Look for schools cruising up off the bottom. Note the changes in depth as time passes. Keep the Beckman handy.

 

�When fish are aggressive,� he says, �you can drop anything down there.�

 

Heitkamp likes to use live bait anytime, so he tends to be a little more conservative even when the barometer points to the aggressive end of the scale. When the barometer is moving downward, he uses bottom-bouncers and Red Devil spinners. If he must slow down, he uses Lindy rigs.

 

He�ll slow down even more as the grip of high pressure takes hold. Jigs are one tool of choice. He�ll jig live bait on one rod to attract walleyes and use a dead-stick to get the bites. The approach works either in open water or through the ice. Because walleyes and other fish hold tight to cover, slip bobbers are another Heitkamp favorite.

 

The lesson? You can�t do anything about the weather. But, you can watch the barometer and predict where fish will be, how they�ll behave and what tactics to use.

 

Weather, if you understand it, can help you choose where and how to fish.

[Bernie]

Up here on Nip I have found the pickerel really turn on just before a storm hits or as one is going by.
But if I feel like fishing, I'll go anyway. Can't catch em if you don't have the line in the water.

[BillM]

Barometer is always a pretty important factor when I'm fishing.. Like today, I knew it wasn't going to be a slammer after a storm rolled through, we had to work for our fish but we had a pretty good day when it was all said and done. If I could have been there yesterday morning (or even Thurs evening) , it would have been slammer.

[Shloim]

Thanks for the replies, starting to undestand

[davey buoy]

Good read,little bit wiser now !

[lew]

Up here on Nip I have found the pickerel really turn on just before a storm hits or as one is going by.

 

 

Same with muskies Bernie, we've often done extremely well just before a storm hits and is one of my favorite times to fish. When the sky is black and the thunder is booming, the fish really turn on.

[mike rousseau]

I'll worry about that when I'm retired...

 

Otherwise I fish when I can...

 

40+ hours at work... And 2 kids under 3... I don't care what the weatherman says or a berometer... If I can go I go...

[aplumma]

I haven't found an answer that I believe as far as pressure on the fish changing their patterns. I agree that they react to wind,light,presents of rain and other factors effecting their environment.

 

The barometer pressure fluctuation before during and after a storm is slight compared to a change of only 10 meters of depth which is equal to 1 atmosphere. (1.03 kg at sea level) with this in mind a move up or down in the water column of only 2 meters is greater than the difference in pressure between a blue bird day and a hurricane. We then have to look at water is not compressible to the extent that the deepest point in the ocean is 1000 atmospheres which does not change the state of water meaning there is no increase of density at that depth. I will say that water can be compressed to 90,000 PSI and still be a liquid because we use it to cut stone with it.

 

 

Art

[fishindevil]

Well how is it that cold water is more dense than warm water because the molecules are closer together ?? So would there not be more weight on cold water than warm water ?? And with the atmosphere pushing down on it would that not increase that as well ?? And for the most part it's about lakes not the ocean . That and temp changes of the air as cold air sinks down

[aplumma]

Well how is it that cold water is more dense than warm water because the molecules are closer together ?? So would there not be more weight on cold water than warm water ?? And with the atmosphere pushing down on it would that not increase that as well ?? And for the most part it's about lakes not the ocean . That and temp changes of the air as cold air sinks down

Good thoughts on these points. Water as it is heated changes state from a liquid to a vapor. the temperature as it increases allows vapor in the water to expand and the total weight of the water is the same it is the vapor the weighs less thus the combination of the two rises above the cold water. Atmospheric pressure does change a small amount this change can apply more pressure to the water column but the density of the water is not affected by the change. Picture a nut with a brick on top of it. Now hit it with a small hammer you will have no reaction, hit it with a larger hammer and the nut cracks. Did you change the density of the brick with the blow ? No you transmitted the force thru the brick to the compressible item below. The ocean reference is because lakes are not deep enough to begin to illustrate that water under great compression from it's own weight will not cause the water to become denser. I did take one liberty and that is not to mention that saltwater has enough salt to be tested and compressed which is not the water again compressing but the impurities. I don't contend that barometric pressure is not a good indicator of when to fish. I contend it is the conditions around the reading that are affecting the fishing not a pressure change in the water column.

 

 

Art

[Roy]

 

Barometric pressure is just the weight of the air, the prof said. It constantly pushes down on everything, like a big hand.

 

If I saw a big hand coming down from the sky, barometric pressure would be the last thing on my mind.

[manitoubass2]

 

If I saw a big hand coming down from the sky, barometric pressure would be the last thing on my mind.

hahahahaha

[fishindevil]

I agree art,and some renown scientists are saying that it's the fish in lakes feel the pressure on their swim bladders ??? Pretty weird but sounds very plausible and from what I can research that the pressure is detectable to around 30feet !!!! So does that seem likely ??? I have really been reading up on this and learning a lot !!! Lol like you said it seems that what happens directly before and after the pressure raises or drops is a very big factor !!!! And if they do feel pressure on their swim bladder than it all fits in the puzzle !!!!! And yes Roy I would be worried too if I seen a big hand Comming Down too !!!! Lol.

[fishindevil]

 

If I saw a big hand coming down from the sky, barometric pressure would be the last thing on my mind.

. Yes I would panic as it would probly be karma catching up to me !!!! Hahaha lol

[aplumma]

The swim bladder of a fish is designed so the fish can take O2 from the water thru the gills or gulping on primitive fish and adjust it's buoyancy to the depth it is swimming at. It is not a fast process that is why you sometimes see a deep depth fish having trouble leaving the surface. A fishes swim bladder is also able to feel vibrations in the water and in some produce sounds (catfish). This means a fish can move up or down in the water column to an extent without gassing off so barometric pressure can be tolerated or adjusted for if it was severe enough. (unlikely considering a 2 meter move is much larger than any storm front). Some claim that the swim bladder swells up and the fish are not hungry but since a minor adjustment is so easy I find this to be unproven in my book. We can also look at fish that do not have swim bladders(sharks and rays to name two) and we will find that they also can be off the feed as storm fronts come and go.

 

 

Art

[fishindevil]

It sure seems art that there are many variables that's for certain !!!! And it still really is a mystery and if the pressure really does make a huge difference or not,but like I stated above regardless of the weather a bad day of fishing is still better than a good day at work right. !!! Lol and all the years of crewing on a salmon charter boat it would be stormy rainy as hell on Lake Ontario and down 90feet we would still hook up on salmon and trout so does the pressure matter then ?? It's hard to say . Other times I have targeted walleyes after a cold front with north winds bluebird sky and can't even get a perch ?? Then a day or so later the bite is awesome !!!!! Also I find even in a stretch of bad weather and wind for a few days in a row the walleyes turn on big time !!!!!! It's like if it's stable good or bad weather the fishing is good it's that intermittent change that upsets the apple cart ?? And I enjoy figuring out the patterns almost as much as catching the fish anyways so at least the changes in weather keep the game interesting for sure !!! Cheers art !!!

[fishindevil]

Pressure Trend Typical Weather Fish Behaviour Suggested Fishing Tactics

High Clear skies Fish seek cover, look for logs, weeds in shallows. If water too warm, will stop biting. Fish structure close to surface, with shallow crankbaits, poppers, etc..

Rising Clearing or improving Fish start to move out of deeper water. After a day or so, go to normal feeding. Fish with brighter lures and near cover, moving from deeper water to shallower water.

Normal and stable Fair Normal activity. Experiment with your favorite baits and lures.

Falling Degrading Most active feeding. Range of different methods. Surface and shallow running lures may work well.

Slightly lower Usually cloudy Fish seek deeper water, with water temp maybe also slowing them down. May need to settle before feeding again. Use deep running lures at a moderate speed.

Low Rainy and stormy Fish move to deeper structures, may not feed. Fish deep structures, vary your methods.

Here is a basic guide I found online !!! Sort of sums it up I guess ... Most sites I checked pretty

Much agree on it !!! Check it out art !!! Cheers

[chris.brock]

I also believe deeper water species (lakers) respond differently to weather and pressure changes than warm water species

 

I can remember a few times, when the weather was changing from a clear, stable weather system, with a nasty storm looming, and the fish just went bananas, as if any fish that could find the bait would desperately take it, I believe it's the change in pressure not the clouding over of the sky, you can feel it yourself when a big storm is approaching

[cram]

I don't know a rational explanation for fishing tied to lunar cycles either (at least in smaller inland lakes where there is no tide), but I believe they do affect fishing.