Ask any angler and you are bound to get a range of answers as diverse as the lures in your tackle box. However, some experts do agree that fish behavior is influenced by changes in barometric pressure. While barometric pressure may not directly affect the fishing conditions, it is a major factor that can influence what a fish may be doing at any given time.
Having a better understanding of this variable along with others such as: time of year, water temperature, etc. So what exactly is this invisible variable that so many anglers seem to swear by? To get a grasp on the understanding, take for example this. Standing high on a mountain top you will have less air above you than at sea level.
Therefore, at higher elevations, there will generally be lower barometric pressure than at sea level. A greater influence of fluctuations in barometric pressure, the short term fluctuations that can influence fish behavior are caused from local weather patterns which involve pressure ridges of air moving across the landscape.
Barometric pressure can be measured in several different units of measure. This was done by reading the movement of mercury up and down in a u-shaped glass tube. The atmosphere would influence the open end and drive the mercury up or down and allowed a standardized way to measure barometric pressure. Nowadays, fancy equipment has mostly replaced these mercury and glass tools. So as we briefly touched on, one of the primary influences of daily barometric fluctuations is weather and climate moving over the landscape.
In a very general scope, storm fronts involve low pressure; bluebird sunny days typically represent high pressure. Higher elevation will have a lower baseline barometric pressure than lower elevations. It is better to watch your local weather patterns to understand your local baseline conditions. When a storm system begins to move in, barometric pressure begins to drop. In the midst of a storm, the barometric pressure readings are often low, around ,generally.
After a storm has passed, barometric pressure will begin to rise as calmer and clearer weather takes over. High pressure is generally associated with very calm, clear, and warm weather.
These organs are inflated air sacs that help fish maintain their buoyancy. When the barometric pressure goes down, the air bladder will inflate to accommodate for the lessened pressure. When it rises, the bladder will shrink. These organs, responsible for helping to keep fish afloat, will experience pain and discomfort as the pressure changes. They may have a more difficult time staying balanced, too.
To a fish, an inflated swim bladder will feel like a bloated belly for a human. Not comfortable, right? This change is especially pronounced in small fish. Fish that are naturally tiny may feel the effects of pressure changes more easily than those that are larger. As a result, the fish will head out into deeper waters to weather out a storm.
This exodus will help them relieve their discomfort and become more balanced, too. By swimming deeper into the water, the fish will enjoy higher pressure from the weight of the water alone. This reduces the size of the swim bladder. While we need advanced technology to stay breathing and comfortable, fish are unique because they have everything they need to make the change themselves. They will feel more comfortable feeding at all levels of the water column and will likely be more active, too.
Fish are often more active in regards to feeding when the atmospheric pressure is changing. Keep an eye on the barometric pressure, because both of these times will be prime time for going fishing.
What is important to note is that not all fish are the same — some fish are not always impacted by the change in barometric pressure like others are. However, despite not being affected in the same way , all fish are ultimately affected.
So it stands to reason that as prey feel a change in pressure and head to deeper water to weather the storm, the bigger fish are going to follow them, too. While you can fish during times of both high and low pressure, the very best time to go fishing is when the barometric pressure is in the process of changing.
Again, fish are more likely to feed at these times. If the barometric pressure is dropping, use faster bait. The fish will be more likely to chase it down since they will be feeding more actively and voraciously. Once the pressure starts to rise after being in a period of low pressure, prepare yourself for a brief period of sluggish feeding behavior.
The fish might take some time to turn back on. In fact, it can take a full 12 to 24 hours for them to start feeding again once the storm has moved through.
But what does affect them is barometric pressure. Incoming precipitation and cooler temperatures drive barometric pressure down, and pleasant, warm and clear weather sends it up. During a rising pressure system and when fishing larger water bodies you may find the fish stacked up within the same zone in the water column.
This is a good time to try to irritate them into striking your gear with some sort of lure that provides vibration. For many anglers, windy conditions are both a blessing and a curse. Wind action concentrates plankton, which attracts baitfish and in turn bass, meaning that wind-blown areas can be really reliable patterns across the country. As great as wind can be for the bite, it can be equally bad for anglers.
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