Barometric Pressure Trends

[BassHunterOttawa]

I'm a believer in the barometric pressure trends theory of fishing - at least for smallies. I'm a programmer by day, and made an app to measure the trends that I've been using all summer.

I decided to share it, so it's on GooglePlay (Apple devices don't have barometers) for anyone interested.

Needs an Android phone that has a Barometric Pressure Sensor in it.

 

I have tried fishing by moon phases, wind speed and water temp, and barometric pressure for me seems to work pretty good. But I mostly fish smallmouth between Ottawa and Peterborough.

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.garret.fishingbarometer

[Christopheraaron]

Cool idea, do you know of a solution for apple users (like a website with a barometer)?

[danc]

It's pretty simple actually. The more constant the mBar, the better the fishing. Personally I'm a big moon phase guy.

[bushart]

I'm not a huge fan of fishin when the moon is visible in the daytime (shrinking of the moon)

 

Some call me crazy---and ya still catch fish---but it's not very hot

[danc]

I'm not a huge fan of fishin when the moon is visible in the daytime (shrinking of the moon)

 

Some call me crazy---and ya still catch fish---but it's not very hot

Do a search of world record fish caught within preferred moon phases. It will blow your mind.

[cram]

Has anyone figured out why this stuff works? I believe it does, but I can't figure out:

 

- why a moon's position would have an impact on inland fish. There are no tides to push bait or create chaos.
- how the fish feel barometric pressure either way. They're under water, where I assume the above-water changes are either impossible or near impossible to detect (or not, apparently).

[BassHunterOttawa]

I can't say I've ever heard anyone call a steady barometric pressure good fishing conditions - usually you want it to be moving, slowly or quickly, down or preferably up. Might depend on the fish you're after, but that's what I find with bass.

You can follow along with the weather reports, they usually tell you what the general trend in the region is, from the local airport or whatnot. Also, they usually "standardize" pressure readings to sea-level so that we can get an idea of overall trends, making up for differences in altitude. That's why they always report ~101 kPa, give or take a few, even when raw data might be 80.

I have to maybe watch the moon schedule more closely if the monster fish are being caught along it, that would be an interesting study.

 

Honestly, part of the reason I made this was to get a notifcation whenever the conditions are prime - then I can tell me girlfriend "See? I MUST go fishing now!" ... it hasn't worked on my boss yet

Edited July 16, 2014 by BassHunterOttawa

[danc]

mBar is very important to fish feeding. I can explain it here, but it's very well documented on line. With all due respect, what you are trying to accomplish has been documented thousands of times decades ago. Google should save you a lot of time and effort, and give you more time with your gf.

[bushart]

Hunters know moon phases as well

 

Ask any nurse in a hospital about how full moon's affect the 5th floor

[danc]

Has anyone figured out why this stuff works? I believe it does, but I can't figure out:

 

- why a moon's position would have an impact on inland fish. There are no tides to push bait or create chaos.

- how the fish feel barometric pressure either way. They're under water, where I assume the above-water changes are either impossible or near impossible to detect (or not, apparently).

 

There are tides on an inland lake for starters.

[danc]

I can't say I've ever heard anyone call a steady barometric pressure good fishing conditions - usually you want it to be moving, slowly or quickly, down or preferably up. Might depend on the fish you're after, but that's what I find with bass.

 

You can follow along with the weather reports, they usually tell you what the general trend in the region is, from the local airport or whatnot. Also, they usually "standardize" pressure readings to sea-level so that we can get an idea of overall trends, making up for differences in altitude. That's why they always report ~101 kPa, give or take a few, even when raw data might be 80.

 

I have to maybe watch the moon schedule more closely if the monster fish are being caught along it, that would be an interesting study.

 

Honestly, part of the reason I made this was to get a notifcation whenever the conditions are prime - then I can tell me girlfriend "See? I MUST go fishing now!" ... it hasn't worked on my boss yet

You do know that you're disputing what the Lindner family has discovered over 30 years ago? Last I checked, they knew a thing or two about fishing.

[cram]

There are tides on an inland lake for starters.

Okay....up and down ocean tides move bait, shrimp/crabs, etc. Do inland tides on small lakes do that? I have a hard time believing it.

 

And why does a full moon or new moon (or moon underfoot, overhead) have an impact?

 

I completely 100% believe it does. Just don't get WHY it would affect a fish.

[AdamS]

Does this app run 24/7 on my phone? just curious because my battery drains pretty quickly these days..

[danc]

Okay....up and down ocean tides move bait, shrimp/crabs, etc. Do inland tides on small lakes do that? I have a hard time believing it.

 

And why does a full moon or new moon (or moon underfoot, overhead) have an impact?

 

I completely 100% believe it does. Just don't get WHY it would affect a fish.

There's obviously more to it than that. Believe what you want. I just choose to believe the research that has been done for decades about this rather than come up with my own ideas. I follow the solunar tables religiously and have for 40 years. Try it. You just might like what you experience.

[mike rousseau]

I fish on my day off...lol

 

That's what separates the men from the boys... Getting your fish on a tough day means way more to me then pounding em on a great day... I'm pretty proud of the fact that I can produce well almost every day... No matter what the moon... Sun.... Stars... Or Yoda says...

 

Don't get me wrong... I believe in barometric pressure and moon phases and so on... But until I'm retired... I'll fish when work... Weather... Wife... And kids allow...

[singingdog]

http://www.in-fisherman.com/2012/08/24/barometric-pressure-and-bass/

[lew]

One thing I do know for sure about barometric pressure is I've caught some of my best fish right before a big storm hits when the winds pick up, the sky is black and the lightning if flashing on the horizon.

 

As for the moon phases, I don't wait for a full moon to go fishing, but I find it does definitely improve the fishing when it does happen.

 

Couple years back I was on my annual trip to the West Arm of Nippissing with a full moon forecast in the coming days, and one day in particular had the full moon rising at the exact time as the sun was setting and I planned to be on a favorite spot when it happened.

 

Couple days before the event and shortly before sunset I caught this fish.

 

 

Day before the event and again near sunset I got this one.

 

 

The day of the event and just about 15 minutes before the exact moonrise/sunset time I hooked and lost a big fish near the boat. I continued on and was on my spot and exactly as I watched the full moon rise & the sun set at the same time this 50"er hit right on cue.

 

 

Certainly not the 1st time I've seen this happen and hopefully not the last, but in my opinion I think moon phases definitely trigger fish.

 

I'll be back up there again in a few weeks and again there's gonna be a full moon, so we'll see what happens.

 

 

 

 

[bushart]

1st off....I've learned a ton about "Catchin" fish from Al Lindner.....all's ya had to do over the years is keep an open mind to those techniques

 

remember F+L+P

 

Anyway----ya probably have noticed------like Lew says---oncoming storm----bite can be on fire

 

next day Bluebird skies---not a cloud---temp dropped --humidity gone--lockjaw is now in place

 

And yeah ---ya can still catch em---but it's tuffer

[hutch4113]

Downloaded the App. Will give it a try next week at the cottage.

[Sinker]

The moon controls a lot more than most people realize. Migrations, seasons, tides...it is a powerful rock in the sky. I know for sure it effects fishing, and it never lies. Now, that said, if you have crap weather on a good moon, the fishing will be impacted by the weather for sure, but fishing and hunting the moon phases will certainly increase your odds.

 

Same thing with the barometer. Get one and keep it in your house and check it when you go fishing. It doesn't take long to figure out that a rising barometer makes the fish bite.....why?? I have no idea, but its a fact. I have a borometer, and I ALWAYS follow the moon phase. Its a fact that they improve fishing when you get the right barometer with the right moon.....but like everyone else, I can't plan my fishing days accordingly, so I just fish when I can.

 

If anyone is into waterfowl.....watch the full moons in the fall. Migratory birds will fly all night long on a north wind with a big moon. Your almost guaranteed a great hunt on a full moon.

 

There is a lot more to it than I can type here, but the moon and barometer heavily impact a lot of things in nature.....in fact, most things.

 

S.

[cram]

There's obviously more to it than that. Believe what you want. I just choose to believe the research that has been done for decades about this rather than come up with my own ideas. I follow the solunar tables religiously and have for 40 years. Try it. You just might like what you experience.

If you read my posts they say I believe it works. I follow the solunar tables.

I just don't get *why* it works.

[hutch4113]

I thought the moon phases, etc. were hookum. But figured I would give it a test. Still remember the day - it was close to 100% recommended for fishing. Let me tell you - the fishing was hot hot hot. At one point I had 10 straight casts where I caught something.

 

The next day the phase was low - and I was back in the same spot......and pretty much caught nothing the whole day.

 

Same lures, same spots, roughly same time of day. No weather changes, temperature about the same, cloud layer about the same.

 

Anyway - I follow the charts now. Consider it part of my fishing toolkit. Of course there are other things that will have impacts - like a cold front, etc. But if I see a phase that says excellent fishing -> I am wayyyyy more motivated to go out.

[AKRISONER]

I dont necessarily know about the moon etc, but I think anyone here who says they dont notice a difference in fishing dependent on the weather is crazy. Barometric pressure relates entirely to what kind of weather we are experiencing and I find any time that there is a big drop, the fish are on. This is most likely due to the fact that when it rains, food is flooded into the lake and the fish feed, hence if you fish prior to the rain the fish are active and ready to feed but the food they are waiting for isnt available yet.

 

I fish a lot and I honestly do not think there is any denying that the majority of times when the fish are biting hard is prior to a storm system. This past weekend if fished buck horn and the bite was on hard all day albeit the very ...of course a storm blew in Sunday morning.

[doubleheader]

One thing I do know for sure about barometric pressure is I've caught some of my best fish right before a big storm hits when the winds pick up, the sky is black and the lightning if flashing on the horizon.

 

As for the moon phases, I don't wait for a full moon to go fishing, but I find it does definitely improve the fishing when it does happen.

 

Couple years back I was on my annual trip to the West Arm of Nippissing with a full moon forecast in the coming days, and one day in particular had the full moon rising at the exact time as the sun was setting and I planned to be on a favorite spot when it happened.

 

Couple days before the event and shortly before sunset I caught this fish.

 

 

Day before the event and again near sunset I got this one.

 

 

The day of the event and just about 15 minutes before the exact moonrise/sunset time I hooked and lost a big fish near the boat. I continued on and was on my spot and exactly as I watched the full moon rise & the sun set at the same time this 50"er hit right on cue.

 

 

Certainly not the 1st time I've seen this happen and hopefully not the last, but in my opinion I think moon phases definitely trigger fish.

 

I'll be back up there again in a few weeks and again there's gonna be a full moon, so we'll see what happens.

 

 

Lew, As you and I have talked before, we both respect Jim Saric of Musky Hunter. He is constantly talking about "windows" and musky fishing. According to him, two of the most important in musky fishing are moonrise and moonset. As for barometric pressure, I've always heard that fishing is impacted as follows: 1. Moving from steady to high-best, steady- very good, moving to low- anywhere from outstanding to below avg, steady low- the worst condition. Also, fish in rivers are less affected by barometric pressure than fish in lakes.

 

[bushart]

 

One thing I do know for sure about barometric pressure is I've caught some of my best fish right before a big storm hits when the winds pick up, the sky is black and the lightning if flashing on the horizon.

 

As for the moon phases, I don't wait for a full moon to go fishing, but I find it does definitely improve the fishing when it does happen.

 

Couple years back I was on my annual trip to the West Arm of Nippissing with a full moon forecast in the coming days, and one day in particular had the full moon rising at the exact time as the sun was setting and I planned to be on a favorite spot when it happened.

 

Couple days before the event and shortly before sunset I caught this fish.

 

 

Day before the event and again near sunset I got this one.

 

 

The day of the event and just about 15 minutes before the exact moonrise/sunset time I hooked and lost a big fish near the boat. I continued on and was on my spot and exactly as I watched the full moon rise & the sun set at the same time this 50"er hit right on cue.

 

 

Certainly not the 1st time I've seen this happen and hopefully not the last, but in my opinion I think moon phases definitely trigger fish.

 

I'll be back up there again in a few weeks and again there's gonna be a full moon, so we'll see what happens.

 

 

Lew, As you and I have talked before, we both respect Jim Saric of Musky Hunter. He is constantly talking about "windows" and musky fishing. According to him, two of the most important in musky fishing are moonrise and moonset. As for barometric pressure, I've always heard that fishing is impacted as follows: 1. Moving from steady to high-best, steady- very good, moving to low- anywhere from outstanding to below avg, steady low- the worst condition. Also, fish in rivers are less affected by barometric pressure than fish in lakes.

 

 

 

This is true (Rivers) couple years ago when we had that drought----lake walleyes got tuff---warm temps and low water

 

My solution was The Ottawa river-----same reasoning---river fish are "less" affected by some climactic influences