There's an old saying, wind from the east fish bite least. Why does the bite shut off just because wind blows from the east, but there's not a huge differance when it blows to the west, south, or north?

Maybe an old wives tale?  I had horrible days and great days with east winds.  A cold front from the North is what kills it for a while, imo.

 

FL

Bill Dance talked about this on his last show ... Here is a quote from his site ... 

 

 

 

"I think these sayings have more to do with barometric pressure changes than the wind. Traditionally, when the wind blows out of the east, you have a barometer reading that is not favorable to fishing. When it blows out of the west the barometer reading most often favors fishing."

 

He is not the first to refer to the barometric pressure as a possible connection to this saying.  Jimmy Houston's book also stated something similar.

Well, if you go and have a terrible day it´s another good excuse for having a terrible day.

Wind from the west, fish bite the best

I try to tell myself that it's just superstition. But when I'm having a bad day, I find myself checking the wind. Sometimes it's from the east. But like FlipnLimits said, it seems to me like wind from the north is worse. It could just all be in my head though.

On lake erie east winds blow the colder water from the eastern basin westerly and it always has an adverse effect on the bite. Like a light switch it shuts down quickly.

Bill Dance talked about this on his last show ... Here is a quote from his site ... 

Quote

 

 

"I think these sayings have more to do with barometric pressure changes than the wind. Traditionally, when the wind blows out of the east, you have a barometer reading that is not favorable to fishing. When it blows out of the west the barometer reading most often favors fishing."

 

He is not the first to refer to the barometric pressure as a possible connection to this saying.  Jimmy Houston's book also stated something similar.

 

Hum, let me think this out loud...if the wind is blowing from east, doesn't that mean a front is approaching therefore fishing should be good? If the wind is blowing from west, the front just passed there for blue bird sky with less fishing action? i don't know.

 

Actually I have never heard of this saying.

I have always heard this and somewhat believe it!

The wind blows from the east after the passing of a low pressure system to the south of your location, which generally is associated with a cold front.    

I think the full saying is something like this:

 

When the wind is from the east, that's when fishing is the least,

When the wind is from the north, do not bother to venture forth,

When the wind is from the south, it blows the lure into the fish's mouth,

But when the wind is from the west, that's when the fishing is the best

I think the full saying is something like this:

 

When the wind is from the east, that's when fishing is the least,

When the wind is from the north, do not bother to venture forth,

When the wind is from the south, it blows the lure into the fish's mouth,

But when the wind is from the west, that's when the fishing is the best

 

That's about it. I've heard it a tad shorter, but it works for me!

This prompted me to do about 15 minutes of research... and you know what? I can't figure out what causes wind to blow out of the east (unless you're on the equator, or the poles).  Cold fronts generally cause a change in wind from the SW to the NW (clockwise)... so it wouldn't normally be due to a passing cold front.  This leads me to believe it's resulting of something much larger... the moving of a huge air mass, something cyclonic, or maybe extreme weather nearby.

 

Ever since I heard this saying, I've paid attention to how often the wind actually blows from the east, and around here, it's RARELY.  Seems to me like it's something more complicated than "just a front", and tends to be associated with abnormal weather.  Makes sense to me why the bass would be confused.

It would most likely vary depending on where you are located in  the country.....In Minnesota winds from the north or northwest usually produce cold fronts , but it seems that winds in other areas of the US would produce different results.                     

Generally around here in MO the east wind is associated with the passage of a cold front and the resulting low pressure area which spins in a counter clockwise direction.  That happens after the cold front's barometric pressure change which usually has shut off the bite, especially in the prespawn period.

For some unknown reason, when we have an easterly wind on the Chickahominy River in Richmond the bite shuts down.

 

I have no scientific answer to this situation.

 

But it happens all the time.

In the SE US, this is generally true.  As a front approaches, the wind is from the West and South with warmer air and the bite is good.  After a front passes, the wind is from the North and East and cold.

 

In Florida the bite is generally best with stable warm air.  Any change either way and you might as well stay home, particularly Jan through Mar.  We had a front move through Thursday afternoon and the bite is not likely to be back until Sunday afternoon even though it will get into the 70's today.

Thanks yall for all the answers, I dont know what I'd do without this site!

Wind from the West, fish bite the best.

Wind from the East, fish bite the least.

Wind from the North, do not go forth.

Wind from the South blows bait in their mouth.

 

 

This is the saying I learned.

Not here..............Nothing better than a Northeast wind.  That said, wind direction dictates the target species.

I regularly fish East winds in Maine. It makes no noticeable difference to me. My first thought when I heard this that it's made for the south or central US... Just like just about everything in bass fishing

In MN the wind rarely comes out of the East so when it does, it means some weird weather is happening or just happened. My grandfather always paid attention to the barometric pressure and I believe that's the culprit here.

 

If I didn't go forth when the wind blew from the North, I'd hardly ever fish!

I think the full saying is something like this:

 

When the wind is from the east, that's when fishing is the least,

When the wind is from the north, do not bother to venture forth,

When the wind is from the south, it blows the lure into the fish's mouth,

But when the wind is from the west, that's when the fishing is the best

 

And when the  wind is from the rear...  Ooh boy  .

Heard this awhile,ago. Just thought it changed barometric pressure. Good posts tho guess deffiently need to research this.

The jet stream moves across the country from west to east in a sine wave north to south pattern.

Wind out of the west is usually from low pressure of an oncoming storm...falling barometer = good fishing.

Wind out of the east is created by high systems generating clearing skies and high wind or raising barometer = poor fishing conditions.

Tom

On lake erie east winds blow the colder water from the eastern basin westerly and it always has an adverse effect on the bite. Like a light switch it shuts down quickly.

I actually made a post with this question a few years back. I was asking with having Erie in mind with me being from Cleveland. I could just always remember wanting to go out as a kidand my grandfather or who ever I was asking saying no because it was a east wind.