barometric pressure?

[shea900]

can someone explain how barometric pressure affects bass and other fish?

[cgs2004]

There is no evidence that proves barometric pressure affects fish.  A falling pressure means a front is moving through, while a rising pressure means the front has passed and sunshine is on it's way.  It is generally found that the fishing is much better before a front hits rather than after a front hits but if that has anything to do with the pressure, we don't know.  I believe that the barometic pressure is a good indicator on fishing conditions but not simply because of the pressure but rather that it indicates good weather for fishing.

[Raul]

It 's not the barometric pressure but the changes in climathological conditions that come with the change in the pressure what affects fishing, low pressure means cloud cover, many times rain, lower temperatures, wind, all which diminish the light penetration, fish will be shallower; high pressure means sunny days, little or no cloud cover, no rain,  all of them increase light penetration, fish will be deeper and hidden in thick cover.

[woodghost]

This isn't scientific, but I think barometric pressure does have something to do with catching fish.

I grew up in England andwas fortunate enough to fish for Atlantic salmon 2- 3 times a year.  At times when the pressure was changing rapidly, it just "felt" like a good time to fish. More often than not a Salmon or Sea Trout would be caught.  ;D

[bassboy]

I noticed that my new Humminbird Matrix has a extra add-on that gives the barometric pressure and such. Would it be worth the buy or kinda silly as you can easily examine the coming weather system or a cheaper barometer?

[TommyBass]

Barometric pressure has plenty to do with fishing.  Have you ever noticed the pressure on yourself while diving under water?  It vaires with pressure, just as the air does.  When barometric pressure changes it pushes more or less on the water and the fish.  Higher pressure means there is more pressure on the fish from above, sending some retreating to deeper water.  A recent article I read even went as far as to say it effects their swim bladder effectiviness and could possible even give them the feeling of being full.  The opposite would be true on days of low pressure.  Less pressure down on the fish lets them move around more actively.  Also, according to that article by state DNR, they could even get a feeling of hunger or emptiness due to low pressure, possiblely making them feed more.  All this contributes to why you have better days fishing on low pressure days.  Bass jsut dont wake up and think they will or wont bite.  Pressure under water is greatly amplified to fish.  One thing is largemouth have a tendency to move more laterally then smallmouth or spots, which tend to move up and down more in the water column with changes in pressure.  This isnt saying largemouth wont move out deep during high pressure, but they are also more likely to stick right on the cover, practically making you hit them in the head before they bite.  This is my take on it any ways.  

[TommyBass]

Also.... Raul is partially right in that the changes such as cloud cover and rain with pressure changes effect fishing too.  All weather plays a role, but pressure can too.

[Nick_Barr]

I usually just go by weather and dont deal with that barometric pressure stuff.

[lookin4lunkers]

Tommy hit the nail on the head with his answer, everything I've ever read said what he said. The best tip I can give on high pressure days is fish very deep for some reason the high pressure does not affect the fish as bad when they are deep.          That is a good topic.   tight lines.

[scbassin]

I am not so sure. High pressure mean clear skies & sun. Largemouth have no eyelids so depending how clear the water & how bright the sun is determines how deep or where they will go. You can bet it will be tight on some cover though. I don't think it's the pressure that makes them go deep because the deeper you go the higher the pressure. I think it's the sun. I guess it don't really matter what exactly  makes them react to high & low preassure as long as you know they do it and you know what they do. This way you can adjust.

[shea900]

thanks ya'll. That kinda clears that up. Good luck.

[Muddpuppy]

I fully beleive fish are effected by barametric pressure. I have a friend that I fish with regulaly and we may go different days of the week depending on his workload. We have been noticeing lately that (on avg.) days that the pressure is dropping he doesn't have as good of luck as the day before(best) or the day after(okay) if we go, together or seperatly. Due to an increase in pain durring pressure changes. I do not go fishing when the pressure is dropping significantly. That is how I noticed the pressure difference in the first place. It may also be that the wind is blowing to hard or I have installed a guilt complex in him leaveing him incappable of catching fish ( yea, I'm sure that's it).

[cgs2004]

I've searched extensively for research that shows that fish are affected by barometric pressure and have yet to find it.  The pressure underwater is generally always the same and only fluctuates slightly with the changing barometric pressure above water.  When a strong high pressure comes through the average barometric pressure of 30.00 inches can go up to around 30.70 inches.  In an extremely low pressure situation such as a hurricane it can dip to 28 inches.  The difference between those two high and low barometric pressures is 2.70 inches which is equal to about .09 atmospheres (1 atmosphere being the weight of all overlaying air at sea level).  A normal incoming storm will lower the barometric pressure at a rate of around .03 to .04 inches of pressure per hour.  That slow of an increase/decrease in barometric pressure can hardly affect fishing.  The barometric pressure plays a more important role in the weather process which in return affects the fishing.  Researcher's can prove the link between pressure and weather, and between weather and fishing, but are still missing the proven link between pressure and fish.

[Rattlinrogue]

When the barometric pressure is dropping,it seems to really turn on the feeding activity of the bass at my home lake.Being that it precedes a storm(usually),I really like to fish before and during the rainstorm.

[Sam]

The April 2005 issue of Virginia Game and Fish magazine has a fantastic article about barometric pressure and bassing written by Ed Harp. If you are serious about learning how the barometric pressure affects bass then please get the issue and read the article.  Go to www.virginiagameandfish.com, for details on how to get a copy of the magazine.  Or contact PRIMEDIA, Inc., Suite 110, 2250 Newmarket Parkway, Marietta, Georgia 30067. It is a super article that explains a lot about bass behavior.