I'm a multi-species angler. Some of this may apply more to bass fishing, and some to other species.

 

I know the Primary Conditions are

• Season/Time of Year (Spawn, Summer, Fall, etc. and Morning, Evening, Afternoon)
• Temperature (Cold, High, etc.)
• Viability (Light, Water Clarity, etc.)
• Wind (Low, High and Direction)

 

I'm wondering about these secondary conditions. Do they matter? Or if I look at the list above, will I get the same info. I know a lot of the conditions are correlated.

 

Secondary Conditions (Do These Matter - Should I Factor Them In, for My Fishing Strategies?) (Either Bass or Other Fish)

• UV Light (humidity, etc.)
• Barometric Pressure (vs or in addition to just viability - after factoring in is it sunny or cloudy outside, does barometric pressure add additional info?)
• Lunar Calendars
• PH (Water Hardness)
• Anything else?

 

Basically, which of the items on the list above matter, which are unimportant most of the time, and which are false (not really a driver of fish behavior)?

5 hours ago, CoryRobertLowe said:

Barometric Pressure

 

A dropping pressure usually means low pressure (like an incoming storm or rain, etc).

 

This time of year when one of those things is coming in, it can be lights out fishing just prior to arrival.

 

To clarify, doesn't the pressure drop when it's cloudy outside, so you could attribute that behavior to the clouds?

-UV Light

 

To me not an issue or big deal. I can't do anything about UV and neither can the fish. So why bother thinking about this one and including it in fishing is how I see it. No value to bringing that one into fishing that I know of. I could be wrong. Won't be the first time, but UV is not something that can give me useful information towards fishing as I see it.

 

Who knows maybe one day some scientist will tell us fish can see UV and run from it. I know they run from bright overhead sun sometimes in clear water. Is it the light or UV chasing them away? I always thought it was the light because bass don't have eyelids. So run into cover instead or down deep away from the light.

 

-(humidity, etc.)

 

Not an issue for the fish, but might be for me and my comfort level, but I live in one of the most humid states in the union. Don't bother me none. Doubt the fish care either!

 

-Barometric Pressure (vs or in addition to just viability - after factoring in is it sunny or cloudy

 

This is a big one.

 

From my experience here in Florida bass go deep when barometric pressure is on the rise. It seems to push them deep and won't bite well. But when the pressure reverses and we are moving towards a low pressure, now the bass can sense it and begin to rise up out of the depths and move into shallow water and feed more.

 

I include this one all the time. One of the top choices to look at for fishing.

 

-Lunar Calendars

 

This is big one too. I swear by the lunar calendar and have a special app on my phone that shows me what I need to know on a minute by minute basis. As the number swings to a 96 day I am more likely to go fishing. If the calendar is on the downside and heading towards a 14 day, then I am less likely to bother with going fishing in the boat. I might try some bank fishing.

 

Or, take the boat out anyways, and just crank up the music knowing the fish aren't gonna bite anyway and so I might as well just enjoy going through all the motions even if the fish won't bite. Oh well. That's why its called fishing and not catching.

 

Just because it shows its a 14 day does not mean the fish won't bite. Sometimes I try anyways. But the lunar calendar in my opinion is reliable and important and the first thing I look at when thinking about going fishing.

 

PH (Water Hardness)

 

This one may be an issue, but not to me. I could not care less about PH. I've been fishing in Florida for more than 50 years and not once have I or anyone else I ever knew check PH on any body of water ever.

 

There is nothing we can do about PH. And I am not spending any time or effort into checking PH anywhere at any time. Not going to happen.

 

To me no matter where the PH is, is out of my control. And if there are fish in there and they feed and I might be able to catch one or two of them, then I am going fishing. PH be darned!

 

I guess for me the list goes like this:

 

1)Weather

2)wind

3)lunar calendar

4)barometric pressure swing

5)Light

 

And when I go fishing its

 

6)Water quality (cleanliness, purity, and lack of pollution, and whether clear or not.)

7)water level

8)is it crowded?

 

If windy I generally use the shoreline the wind is coming in from so I can use the trees and buildings to block the winds or find a canal as wind tends to die down towards sundown it gets quiet and the magical witching hour happens. So wind direction tends to guide my location choices to some degree.

 

I also avoid bright sunlight and head towards shady areas more often than not like canals and choose to fish either in early mornings or afternoons. Never between 11am and 4pm in Florida. And I keep an eye out for places to seek cover when a Florida storm blows up on me and I mean they can develop right on top of me too. So I use bridges and boat houses for cover so I keep an eye out moving around a lake for places to seek cover quickly if need be.

 

You do not want to be caught out on a lake when a bad Florida storm hits. The winds can flow across the lake at 70mph straight winds. And the lightning? Need I say more?

 

That's kind of how it goes for me..... will be looking forward to other comments on this one.

 

 

"As the number swings to a 96 day I am more likely to go fishing. If the calendar is on the downside and heading towards a 14 day, then I am less likely to bother with going fishing in the boat."

 

So the 96 and the 14 refer to % full?

Water Temperature ...

Good Fishing

You look up my Cosmic Clock and Bass Calendar that details my thoughts on bass behavior.

Weather is a factor to consider but can’t predict in advance. The impact weather has is changing lighting conditions and wind direction both are important factors. The barometric pressure changes are important. Lower pressure indicates possible rain and cloudy conditions, improves fishing. Higher pressure indicates a cold front developing with wind increasing light that can be a negative for fishing.

Tom 
 

I think humidity is understated on how it can affect bass fishing, especially seasonally. In early spring, I do the best on warm, sunny, and humid days. Seems like humidity when the water is still cold can really get the fish going. 

1 hour ago, Swest18x said:

"As the number swings to a 96 day I am more likely to go fishing. If the calendar is on the downside and heading towards a 14 day, then I am less likely to bother with going fishing in the boat."

 

So the 96 and the 14 refer to % full?

 

These numbers refer to the solunar calendar catch percentage likeliness.

 

The cycle goes up and down. So the app rates days on a scale of 0 to 100%.

 

I can see the cycle shape in the app, and it kicks out a number for each day based on where the cycle is. You can see if it is going up or down.

 

So a 14 day is at the bottom of the feeding cycle, and a 96 day is on top of the feeding cycle.

 

It shows you down to the minute when the daily major feeding times are. Its pretty accurate and reliable. I use it religiously and refer to it while fishing. I am doing OK with the free version. There are numerous apps out there for this.

 

Here is some video a guy did reviewing and explaining the app

 

 

 

On 8/4/2025 at 1:31 PM, CoryRobertLowe said:

I'm a multi-species angler. Some of this may apply more to bass fishing, and some to other species.

 

I know the Primary Conditions are

• Season/Time of Year (Spawn, Summer, Fall, etc. and Morning, Evening, Afternoon)
• Temperature (Cold, High, etc.)
• Viability (Light, Water Clarity, etc.)
• Wind (Low, High and Direction)

 

I'm wondering about these secondary conditions. Do they matter? Or if I look at the list above, will I get the same info. I know a lot of the conditions are correlated.

 

Secondary Conditions (Do These Matter - Should I Factor Them In, for My Fishing Strategies?) (Either Bass or Other Fish)

• UV Light (humidity, etc.)
• Barometric Pressure (vs or in addition to just viability - after factoring in is it sunny or cloudy outside, does barometric pressure add additional info?)
• Lunar Calendars
• PH (Water Hardness)
• Anything else?

 

Basically, which of the items on the list above matter, which are unimportant most of the time, and which are false (not really a driver of fish behavior)?

 

In the dead of summer and the frigid heart of the winter time especially - list #2 is on my mind!

 

during spring and fall - not so much.  They evuh-whirrrrrr.

Current.  That should be one of the primary factors.

I couldn't care less about those secondary conditions.  The barometric pressure affects the weather, which in turn can influence the fishing, but I believe the pressure change itself have zero effect.

 

I know most anglers with more experience and expertise will disagree with me, but that will not change how I feel about the moon phase.  I don't believe it matters in the least.  Other than giving bass more light to feed at night, I feel the moon has zero effect on fishing, especially in freshwater.  Saltwater the tides can make a huge difference, and the tides are caused by moon.  So obviously the moon plays a major factor in tidal water.  Same goes for bass fishing in tidal zones.

 

I have a friend that swears by the lunar tables.  He studies them every day and is quick to point out how we caught our fish during a major or minor period.  What he fails to point out is when we don't catch fish during a major or minor period.  It is common for people to only use statistics that prove what they believe and don't use them to prove what they don't believe.  My friend never notices when the evidence points away from his believe, but quick to notice when it goes along with his belief.

 

Many times I have to point out to my friend, that we were experiencing slow fishing during a bad mood phase, but another boat was smashing them.  I guess the other boat had a different moon than us.  In the summer we would catch bass every evening regardless of the moon.  I told my friend I would take the evening bite and he could have all the midday major moon bite he wanted.  Even night fishing on a full moon might not be an advantage.  What if the moon isn't visible much of the night?  That extra light will do you no good if it is below the horizon or the sky is clouded over.  I learned this the hard way one night while guiding a moose hunter in Alaska.  I spotted a large moose right before dark.  The hunter was nervous about shooting it that late, because he was worried about not being able to get back to camp.  I assured him that spending the night out would be no big deal, besides it was a full moon that night and we would have plenty of light.  The moon did not come up until early in the morning, and the clouds and rain moved in making it one of the darkest nights I have ever had to pack meat in.  We were plagued with bear problems, and walking in the rough terrain with heavy packs full of meat was not fun.  We made it back to camp at 3 in the morning about the time the moon was coming up.

 

The bass do not go home and watch TV if the moon phase is wrong.  They still have to eat, and live in their environment.  Water level, water clarity, temperature, and daily weather patterns can help or hurt their ability to hunt and kill their prey, but other than changing the amount of light at night, the moon does not give or take away any hunting advantages.

 

The next time you are having a slow day of fishing, and the moon phase is wrong, find out if others were having a bad day, and if so, take a look at other more obvious environmental conditions that could have been the cause of your lack of success.  In my limited experience, the days I catch them, I can usually point out many reasons other than the moon why I was successful, and the same goes for when I don't catch them. 

 

I get outfished by better anglers regardless of the moon, I guess they have a different moon than I have.  Skilled anglers that pay attention to changing conditions and adjust to those conditions, will catch bass regardless what the moon is doing.  If an inexperience angler does not notice and adjust to what and where forage is available, water temperature, clarity, and weather conditions, they will not catch bass even during the best moon phase imaginable.

 

PH may have a big influence on the health of a bass population, but will not change enough from day to day to influence my fishing.

 

  

 

 

I have found some correlation between the lunar calendar and the likelihood of catching a 5lb+ largemouth. However, my biggest fish was caught on a non optimal moon phase. I don’t let it dictate when I fish but I do look back and connect the dots.

Barometric pressure reflects in the weather conditions. If barometric pressure is high and it's post-frontal, I like to fish quite tight to cover. All of the other 'secondary factors' I couldn't care less about - except for the moon phase. The percent illumination gives me an idea of how well I can see while night fishing.  

1 hour ago, Glenn said:

Current.  That should be one of the primary factors.

Agree!!

1 hour ago, king fisher said:

I couldn't care less about those secondary conditions.  The barometric pressure affects the weather, which in turn can influence the fishing, but I believe the pressure change itself have zero effect.

 

This for pressure.  The difference from the highest pressure normally exhibited (around 31 in Hg) and lowest pressure (around 29 in Hg) in the atmosphere is 2" mercury which translates to ~26" water.  In practice, the actual atmostpheric pressure range is usually no more than 0.4" mercury across a season (i.e. in summer the range is normally 29.8 to 30.2 or thereabouts) which is 5" of water.  Bass move up and down in the water column more than 5" all the time so the actual pressure from the atmosphere is having a negligible effect on the basss.  The atmostpheric conditions though and the trend/change in the barometer that creates them is more important.

 

1 hour ago, king fisher said:

I know most anglers with more experience and expertise will disagree with me, but that will not change how I feel about the moon phase.  I don't believe it matters in the least.  Other than giving bass more light to feed at night, I feel the moon has zero effect on fishing, especially in freshwater. 

 

With one exception/build from me.  On a bright night (half moon plus with minimal clouds) I've found that the bass will eat well through the night.  And then at daybreak their bellies will be full and they will shut down for a while.  The bite will pick up late morning to noon on those days.

Couple things worth pointing out with regards to the moon etc.

 

I think moon phase matters - but not in a vacuum and not necessarily to the bass - more so to it’s food.

 

The reproductive cycles of bugs, crayfish, amphibians and all manner of minnow based forage that bass relentlessly hound every day - ARE heavily influenced by the moon.

 

You don’t need a good moon phase window thing to catch a fish but I can assure you it helps to be aware of what things are doing and when and why.

9 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

With one exception/build from me.  On a bright night (half moon plus with minimal clouds) I've found that the bass will eat well through the night.  And then at daybreak their bellies will be full and they will shut down for a while.  The bite will pick up late morning to noon on those days.

This was the point I was alluding to.  The amount of light can make a difference on when the bass will feed at night.  A night with a full moon and cloud cover has less light, than a clear night with half a moon.  The moon phase alone does not determine the amount of light.  There might also be times when the bass will have a distinct advantage over certain prey on nights when there is very little light.  Again, other factors are at play besides the moon phase. 

2 hours ago, king fisher said:

The barometric pressure affects the weather, which in turn can influence the fishing, but I believe the pressure change itself have zero effect.

 

 

I think us Florida guys are going to be more prone to disagree with this statement. I know I disagree with it because of decades of personal experience.

 

From my perspective our Florida bass are extremely sensitive to pressure changes. When a cold front is moving towards Florida but still hundreds of miles away, down at the bottom of the pressure change cycle as the pressure makes that turn upwards I think the fish are feeling it and bass in Florida will shut down long before the "weather" and cold front and cold air even reach central Florida and the bass are already gone!

 

They do usually feed fast before fronts arrive, but as that pressure rises before the front and cold air actually arrives in central Florida the bass shut down.

 

After 50 years of fishing in Florida when I know a cold front is coming we try and fish before but as it arrives and moves over us I'm not going out there until the cold front is moved on past because I know I will be spinning my wheels out there. I might get one or two bites, but not what I want.

 

Take a read on what another central Florida bass fisherman says about this subject.

 

https://www.orlandobass.com/2016/11/the-truth-behind-cold-front-bass/

 

"With this change the bio-metric pressure begins to rise and the barometer will go from one extreme to the other. This is not a good thing for fishing and there are a few reasons why. First bass don’t like extreme changes in bio-metric pressure. They are most active when the barometer is steady and neutral or the the first 6 to 8 hours of a falling barometer."

 

Steady and neutral and falling. That is what I look for. I watch the news at night which tells me if pressure is on the rise or on the fall. I prefer to fish on the fall and neutral, but the rise is opposite.

 

I'd say most of us Florida guys consider pressure very important here. Can't say about other places, but here there is a pattern we see.

 

On 8/4/2025 at 1:48 PM, FloridaFishinFool said:

I swear by the lunar calendar and have a special app on my phone that shows me what I need to know on a minute by minute basis. As the number swings to a 96 day I am more likely to go fishing.

 

Thanks for the tip. I just downloaded a lunar app.

 

As far as Cory's question, I don't consider major or minor factors other than wind. It has to be calm enough that I won't spend half my fishing time correcting my canoe's position. Whatever the factors, I can usually coax a few to bite. 

 

 

I have zero doubt of the accuracy of your observations of the bass behaviour in Florida.  I do not live or fish in Florida, so I have to say if you if barometric pressure has a large influence in your bass fishing, than I have zero knowledge or experience to dispute your beliefs, so I defer to your expertise.  What I would question is if the the behavior is associated with the cold front, or the change in barometric pressure.  I guess it really doesn't 'make any difference since the outcome is the same regardless.  I have been other places where high pressure does not lead to cold fronts, and the bass could care less about the pressure change.

 

My other question is if a large pressure change in the summer makes much of a difference.  In the spring the change leads to a cold front which shuts the bass activity down.  In the summer a rising barometer may not result in a severe cold front.  Do you notice a negative effect on bass activity from the pressure change in the summer? I have not fished in Florida in the summer so I have zero idea of what pressure or weather bass prefer there in the hottest time of year.

 

In most areas of the country high pressure is associated with light winds, and low pressure brings storms, in the extreme all hurricanes are in areas of very low pressure.  There are a few places where the exact opposite occurs.  In Southern CA, the strongest winds of hurricane force, happen during times of extreme high pressure.  These winds are called Santa Ana winds, happen often in the winter, and are predictable depending on high pressure systems.  Point being that if pressure changes can influence weather in different ways depending on location and time of year than pressure could be responsible for fish activity differently in other locations.  

 

Where I fish in Mexico the weather is the same within a few degrees for 6 months of the year.  My success bass fishing depends mostly on the water level, and type and size of prey.  By June due to high ocean temperatures the weather changes and the rainy season starts.  Almost every evening we experience extreme thunderstorm activity.  The bass go crazy before during and after the first rain.  I don't know if they are just bored and like the change, or if pressure or some other factor causes the bite to happen, but I do try and be on the water during the change.  The bass start to bite long before any runoff starts to go in to the lake.  After the rains have come for a few days and the water starts to rise, and the clarity goes the fishing can be good but the whole lake doesn't go crazy when it rains like they do during that first change in weather.

7 hours ago, king fisher said:

 What I would question is if the the behavior is associated with the cold front, or the change in barometric pressure.  I guess it really doesn't 'make any difference since the outcome is the same regardless. 

 

That is what I was trying to get at. My observations tell me that the bass are reacting to the oncoming pressure change long before the weather arrives. Long before the temp starts to drop.

 

As I see it, it can't be the cold since its not here yet. Still hundreds of miles away. It can't be the weather of the front either. Has not arrived. So what is it that is telling the fish to stop feeding and run deep until the front passes and the pressure swings back to a low?

 

It is decades of repeat patterns that have sunk into me on this issue. Simply put when a cold front is on the way fish like crazy and then put the boat and rods up until it changes back.

 

I have been so frustrated over the bass shutting down I won't even bother with them under a cold front or right as it is about to hit us. Its like the pressure change gives them lockjaw and they will not bite well if at all.

 

I'm just saying my personal observations tell me its the pressure change for my location.

Things that affect the way I fish.

Season 

Temperature 

Current 

Wind 

Rain

Light Level

Water Clarity

Thermocline

Aquatic Vegetation Life Cycle 

Willow Fly Hatches

Shad Spawns

 

Things That Matter but I can't control or adjust to

Water Level - Usually, not a factor but if it's rising or falling significantly it's major.

Weather Fronts

Moon light

Water Quality

 

Things I don't think matter

Barometric Pressure

Humidity

Solunar Calendar

Cows lying down.

 

Things I'm not sure about

Sonar Noise

College Football scores 😆

 

 

 

 

 

(Water temperature and bait types.) Food types are critical except when they are nesting. Oxygen is critical. Time of year as in pre-spawn, spawn, post, then summer doldrums followed by Fall. These seasons determine how we should approach our day on the water. Our waterways are also vastly different, Florida vs Kentucky..

Tennessee vs Texas then we have the Western states, totally different water and different fishing methods. The science concerning our sport over the past many years has been fascinating & most helpful but I’d argue it’s imperfect. Nonetheless it’s our roadmap to understanding and our interpretation of this information has to be considered. When these type of threads start there are still debates on one topic or another of this science which proves people and their understanding is different. One thing is certain, you better find the schools of fish. You can understand the science but if you can’t locate the fish..

 

Now, let’s talk about FFS and strolling zig zag zig zag zig zag 😂😂

 

No thanks, give me a stretch of hydrilla and a flipping stick and I’m good.. 🙂 

Glenn hit it. If fish are current related many of those secondary or tertiary factors don’t really come into play.  Drastic changes in barometric pressure and light penetration are factors for my fishing.

https://www.amazon.com/High-Percentage-Fishing-Statistical-Improving/dp/1517384206

A forum member wrote a book about this question, based on large-scale statistics. 

 

It is a really good read and 10x more valuable than a couple bags of senkos, which is what it costs.

 

I'm generally with @Tennessee Boy, @king fisher, & @casts_by_fly on this. 

 

The immediate conditions of the bass environment, such as light, clarity, wind, current, water temperature, dissolved oxygen, water level, food chain and forage activity, AS WELL AS recent changes in these and fishing pressure are what I care about the most. Moment to moment, these are the things bass experience directly and respond to consistently. 

 

The potential effects of other factors that are farther removed and less direct like lunar cycles and barometric pressure, to the extent that they matter, mostly do so by influencing more immediate conditions.  Moon phase and barometric pressure are both associated with changes in lighting, for instance.  The moon affects tides, but I'm fishing fresh water. There isn't much reason to think bass respond to normal changes in barometric pressure itself, but rather to atmospheric states like cloud cover, wind, rain, etc. that come with it.  The key thing is that once I have adjusted my fishing to account for immediate conditions, and how much they recently have changed/are changing, I've already accounted for the major influence of less-direct factors, and whatever additional influence they have above and beyond immediate conditions, it is unlikely to be more than a drop in the bucket.