Can someone please enlighten me on the relationship between bar. press. and the bite? I hear it makes a difference between catching and not catching but when do I go fishing hi or low?

I believe that a pressure of around 30 is best.  (Read that somewhere)

Steady or falling  

I have read that falling pressure is the best time to fish, and steady high pressure is the worst time... But what I have noticed is that steady weather is great for the bite. I think when the fish adjust to steady weater conditions, they get a bit more on a schedule. But with drastic weather changes, it throws the fish off...

I agree Bass don't care what the weather is as long as it stays the same.This also holds true with water depth.

I have actually been doing a little reading on this this morning and have read that fish bite the best when the pressure is steady (between 29.90 and 30.40) or slightly rising.  Usually right before a rain storm and just there after they say seems to be good times to go.  I have read that on high pressure days the fish tend to be suspended in the deeper water.

I also read that what Blue Eyed said.  Here's a quick reference that I have read before:

http://www.quickoneplus.com/fish/articles/page.asp?page=barometric

I first heard of barometric pressure from a park ranger.  He said that if the sky is clear, it usually is a high pressure day.  Fishing is a lot tougher / lousy.  Before a cold front comes in (falling pressure), fishing is great because the fish will feed fast before hibernating.  A couple days after a cold front (rising pressure), the fish are active again.  

I once bought a barometer from Bass Pro. The dang thing cost about $17.00. There's a picture of a similar one below:

After a few weeks I noticed the needle didn't seem to move very much. I thought maybe it just needs to be outside more in order to work. So I hung to a wall outside and checked on it every day for a few months. That stupid needle never moved more than a milimeter in any direction. The ONLY time I ever saw it move substantially was when a hurricane was about to blow through.

I wondered if maybe mine was just broken. So the next time I went to Bass Pro, I looked at the barometers again and I noticed something interesting. All of the barometers had signicantly different readings, despite the fact that they were the same brand and were sitting right next to each other! They weren't even in plastic box's. After that I decided cheap barometers ain't worth crap.

>

First off, bass are primarily structure/cover oriented.      Low light conditions such as darkness or a cloudy day help stage bass on the edges of cover, which make it easier to present a lure to.      

When a front has passed that was a major front, bass tend to put their nose right up against something or buried up in the cover.

Blue bird days, blue skies, means bass are buried in the cover because of brightness, its doesnt make them less active, just hard to get a bait to.

Steady summer barometer readings and wind position the fish at the same spots for most of the summer.     You can set your watch to feeding patterns because winds are generally the same all summer and major storms are through for the summer......ie the drought season or fewer storms passing, at least in Texas.

A fish does have to adjust to pressure, how much depends on the disturbance moving through.     Maybe six inches, maybe  3 feet.    

I believe on alot of lakes, there are 2 populations of bass, those that live in deeper waters most of the time, and the year around resident shallow bass.

The shallow bass is gonna just bury up, the deeper bass is gonna adjust in the water column by moving vertically.       A suspended bass is by far one of the harder to catch, ie..... its harder to keep the bait in the strikezone.

I do think severe fronts shuts down a good bite for numbers, but bigger fish seem to show up on some of those brutal cold front days.

Matt.

I once bought a barometer from Bass Pro. The dang thing cost about $17.00. There's a picture of a similar one below:

After a few weeks I noticed the needle didn't seem to move very much. I thought maybe it just needs to be outside more in order to work. So I hung to a wall outside and checked on it every day for a few months. That stupid needle never moved more than a milimeter in any direction. The ONLY time I ever saw it move substantially was when a hurricane was about to blow through.

I wondered if maybe mine was just broken. So the next time I went to Bass Pro, I looked at the barometers again and I noticed something interesting. All of the barometers had signicantly different readings, despite the fact that they were the same brand and were sitting right next to each other! They weren't even in plastic box's. After that I decided cheap barometers ain't worth crap.

>

My dad used a coke bottle full of water turned upside down in a fruit jar and he swore by it.  Only trouble is I can't remember if the fish bit best when the water in the bottle was high or low.  I bought a Minnkota barometer for about the same price as yours and mine does register changes in the barometric pressure but I don't know if it's calibrated correctly.  Anyway, I have started noting the barometric pressure on my fishing logs when I start and end my trips.  I just don't get to fish often enough to see a trend .

I've also read that a suspending fish will react to bar pressure by suspending at different depths. This has to do with the swim bladder that allows them to suspend and you will see an almost immediate response to air pressure change whereas an air temp. change may take days to effect the water temp. Found this with a quick google. Hope it helps.

STORM FRONTS Barometric pressure influences a fish's use of it's swim-bladder. The bladder is used to maintain the fish's position with minimal expenditure of energy. Low barometric pressure makes it difficult for fish to remain at mid-depths and they tend to sink to the bottom and go into a negative behavioural mode. High barometric pressure allows fish to remain at any depth it chooses with only the slightest movement of its fins. GOOD FISHING slowly rising barometer provides best fishing and a sudden, fast-falling barometer prior to a summer storm front also produces good fishing conditions. BAD FISHING a low or high barometer that stays constant for several days turn off fishing action.

ive read that bar. pressure makes the fish bite cuz of the insects they feed on...all insects are very sensitive to the pressure...its easier for them to flie when pressure is low  an when its high the pressure makes it harder for them to fly ( i guess its cuz there so small) but since the insects are more active the bass key in on it an begin to feed while its low

also when the pressue drops  the weather changes an that change may be enough to turn inactive fish into active fish

jus my two cents tho

Here's a link to an article that address barometric pressure. It dispels the notion that fish go deep as barometric pressure increases.

Something else to ponder...

another site

Can't catch'em if the line isn't wet.

S

Thanks for the info guys and girl. I gunna start watchin the ol' barometer.

i guess it depends on where you live. impo i believe a falling pressure is best, and steady to be the worst. i would always fish this gated community when the pressure was moving either down or up, i never went when it was steady. however i have caught fish with all 3 types of pressure. there are times when the wife gives you the green light, and the pressure is obsolete.

Fish have swim bladders that are filled with air; increases/decreases in barometric pressure affect the amount of pressure applied against the swim bladder. Dropping barometric pressure lessen the amount of pressure applied on the swim bladder which is more comfortable to the fish. Rising barometric pressure increases the amount of pressure applied to the swim bladder which is uncomfortable to the fish. Steady barometric pressure is neutral allowing the fish to become accustom to it easily.  Fish adjust to changes in barometric pressure changes by changing water depth; low pressure = shallower; high pressure = deeper.

This is way deep water fish are less effected by barometric changes thus making them easier to catch.

I said earlier that I believe it is change that affects the bass,I also believe Matt Fly Is right in saying that there is two populations of fish in a lake (although I would suggest three,Deep,Shallow, and transitional)and that pressure affects them all differently

First off, bass are primarily structure/cover oriented.      Low light conditions such as darkness or a cloudy day help stage bass on the edges of cover, which make it easier to present a lure to.      

When a front has passed that was a major front, bass tend to put their nose right up against something or buried up in the cover.

Blue bird days, blue skies, means bass are buried in the cover because of brightness, its doesnt make them less active, just hard to get a bait to.

Steady summer barometer readings and wind position the fish at the same spots for most of the summer. You can set your watch to feeding patterns because winds are generally the same all summer and major storms are through for the summer......ie the drought season or fewer storms passing, at least in Texas.

A fish does have to adjust to pressure, how much depends on the disturbance moving through. Maybe six inches, maybe 3 feet.

I believe on alot of lakes, there are 2 populations of bass, those that live in deeper waters most of the time, and the year around resident shallow bass.

The shallow bass is gonna just bury up, the deeper bass is gonna adjust in the water column by moving vertically.       A suspended bass is by far one of the harder to catch, ie..... its harder to keep the bait in the strikezone.

I do think severe fronts shuts down a good bite for numbers, but bigger fish seem to show up on some of those brutal cold front days.

Matt.

I am sure that most of you know that air pressure is the weight of air, but most don't know that the higher the humidity the lower the reading on the barometer, so wet air weighs less than dry air hence when the barometer drops the air is getting more humid and all storms are associated with low pressure readings. Also most barometric pressures range from 29.00 inches of mercury to 31.00 inches of mercury and kind of usually around 29.5 With that said a small change in barometric pressure, say .3 or .5 can result in a monster storm brewing. Also low pressures are easier to fly in so insects take advantage of the "lighter air" (low pressure) in which to fly. Fish move vertically based on changes in pressure to stabilize the pressure in their bladders but not too far (we "pop" our ears for comfort when driving up and down hills). This may not answer the question as to when fish bite based on the barometer but it is good camp stuff.

Fish have swim bladders that are filled with air; increases/decreases in barometric pressure affect the amount of pressure applied against the swim bladder. Dropping barometric pressure lessen the amount of pressure applied on the swim bladder which is more comfortable to the fish. Rising barometric pressure increases the amount of pressure applied to the swim bladder which is uncomfortable to the fish. Steady barometric pressure is neutral allowing the fish to become accustom to it easily. Fish adjust to changes in barometric pressure changes by changing water depth; low pressure = shallower; high pressure = deeper.

This is way deep water fish are less effected by barometric changes thus making them easier to catch.

When are you going to learn that the swim bladder is not just a balloon full of gas ?

Barometric pressure DOES NOT AFFECT the fish 's bouyancy, the swimming bladder is a hydrostatic ORGAN and it has a very complex system of boold vessels and specialized cells to perform exactly that, maintain the bouyancy by adjusting the ammount of gas inside the swim bladder.

... there are times when the wife gives you the green light, and the pressure is obsolete.

so true!

for the past month or two weve been covering weather patterns in my science class....i asked my teacher boutt his an he said that because insects can fly easier durin low pressure they become more active the bass will react an start feeding

I don't think it is the barometric pressure as much as other conditions. Lets start after a few days of consistant weather the fishing seems to improve daily. The humidity builds and the skies become hazy so light penetration decreases.

Just before a cold front comes through clouds build up and light penetration decreases even more. Fish usually become very active. After the front passes it becomes very clear and light penetration increase pushing the fish into cover or deeper.

A 10 point change in a barometer  would probably not affect the fish as much as a 5" change in depth. That could be calculated but I have never bothered. If I have the time to fish I go. If a front came through the night or day before I know I'll have to fish in more cover or deeper and often slower.

Quote "A 10 point change in a barometer  would probably not affect the fish as much as a 5" change in depth. That could be calculated but I have never bothered."

Well I was bored, so I did bother.  ;D

Here it is.

The highest recorded barometric pressure was 32.06"Hg

The lowest recorded barometric pressure was 25.69"Hg

So, the absolute wildest possible swing would be 6.37"Hg. I expect to never see such a change in pressure.

But, if it did, it comes out to 7.28' of water column. That's it, a little over seven feet.

Typical changes in pressure are much less than that. I've just given a worst case, impossible scenario.

A bass experiences pressure changes much greater than any possible effect of atmospheric pressure on a daily basis. Diving down 33 feet doubles the pressure on the fish. Pressure increases by one standard atmosphere for every 33 feet of depth. Makes the usual swing in barometric pressure seem trifling by comparison.

Having said all that, I do believe fish use their sense of changing pressure to put on the feed bag, but not because the pressure changed. They're using the change as an indicator of changing weather conditions. Bass are opportunistic feeders, and have "learned" that falling pressure indicates inclement weather. I'm using "learned" in an instinctual sense. That means more food could be washing into the water shortly. I'd buy the idea of more insect activity also. It also means cloud cover, with a decrease in light level, making the fish more comfortable in shallower water. All this has nothing to do with pressure felt by the fish.

On the other hand, rising pressure means clearing skies and an increase in light levels. This is what pushes them back into deeper water. The fear of predation.

bocabasser may just have the best answer. If you can get out the house, go fishin'.

Cheers,

GK

Just before a cold front comes through clouds build up and light penetration decreases even more. Fish usually become very active. After the front passes it becomes very clear and light penetration increase pushing the fish into cover or deeper.

yes but the the formation of a cold front an then it clearing up will always mean a change in pressure so this can all be traced back to the barometric pressure

I am going to blow your minds, when you go to the bathroom if the water is

low in the bowl you just as soon stay home. If it is at the normal hight get

your rods and head out. This is true. Anybody in the plumbing buisness will

tell you this. Try it for a couple of months and you will see. When you

have low pressure it will suck the water out of the water closet ( Toilet )

When the pressure is around 29.9 it will be normal and when it's hight the

water will be a little high. Now you don't have to buy a gauge. 8-)