This month's In-Fisherman has a great article that is a must-read for all smallmouth fisherman. These are a couple of the high points:

1. During the fall and winter, high pressure fronts, i.e. a rising barometer, STIMULATES aggressive feeding behavior.

2. The very best time of day to catch smallmouth?  10:00 AM - 2:00 PM.

Thanks for the insight RW! Nothing better than catching a PIG of a Smallie!!!

This month's In-Fisherman has a great article that is a must-read for all smallmouth fisherman. These are a couple of the high points:

Gentlemen, if you only subscribe to one magazine, by all means make it the "In-Fisherman".

1. During the fall and winter, high pressure fronts, i.e. a rising barometer, STIMULATES aggressive feeding behavior.

2. The very best time of day to catch smallmouth? 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM.

Not too much surprise there, eh RW?

Roger

In-Fisherman is great.  They have a bunch of videos available too.  

No surprise, but it is nice to see this in print from a "higher source".

As a side note,

The best day I have ever had smallmouth fishing was January 08, 2005. The barometer rose throughout the day as a high pressure system moved through. It surprised me a great deal at the time. For the most part, barometric pressure has very little impact on river bass, everything revolves around current and rising or falling water levels. When we have current and the water is steady or rising, smallmouth are active. If the water falls (at all), the bite ends even if the current is still strong and the river is high.

The best day I have ever had smallmouth fishing was January 08, 2005.

And in your avatar you are holding onto that memorable day with 'both hands' Kudos

It surprised me a great deal at the time. For the most part, barometric pressure has very little impact on river bass, everything revolves around current and rising or falling water levels. When we have current and the water is steady or rising, smallmouth are active. If the water falls (at all), the bite ends even if the current is still strong and the river is high.

Roadwarrior, do you believe it's possible that bass don't respond directly to 'barometric pressure' per se,

but respond instead to certain physical changes that typically accompany a rising & falling barometer?

What is your take?

Roger

I have always heard that high pressure causes a fish to feel full (pressure on the swim bladder or stomach?). Raul has pointed out in another thread that pressure in water is a function of the dispersed weight of the water. Therefore, a nominal change in the atmospheric pressure above water would have no impact on the pressure placed on a fish. Assuming that is true, your inference would seem more accurate.

When you consider that water is approximately 750 times denser than air

(depending on the temperature of each), a depth change of just a few inches

would equate to a significant rise or fall in barometric pressure.

Oh well, the many mysteries of our sport only add to its beauty.

Roger

When you consider that water is approximately 750 times denser than air

(depending on the temperature of each), a depth change of just a few inches

would equate to a significant rise or fall in barometric pressure.

Oh well, the many mysteries of our sport only add to its beauty.

Roger

Not quite.  I don't remember what Raul said in his earlier post.  But here's the deal.  We measure barometric pressure in "inches of mercury."  So what matters is the relative density of mercury (not air) versus water.  Mercury is 13.6x more dense than water. If the barometric pressure increases by 1" (say from 29" to 30") that's equivalent to 13.6" of water.  The fish will feel like it's 13.6" (or about a foot) deeper.  

Still, given that a 1" swing in barometric pressure is pretty big, and most fish move up and down more than 1 foot all the time, I don't expect a fish will be affected by barometric pressure directly.  (on the other hand, I wouldn't expect that a fish could detect a crawfish scratching along the bottom in pitch black night just by feeling vibrations through nerve cells in its side, but I would be wrong there...)

I find that smallmouth are always aggressive fish around here. They just keep hitting my bait over and over until I hook em'!

The secret's out! LOL

Thats a great acticle and many points they make I too have found to be very accurate. One of my best SM days ever was also smack in the middle of fall, after a strong low went through just 2 days prior, and the barometer skyrocketed and man did the fish bite.

I read this article this week as well. Very good insight. I still got up at 5:30 this morning and went fishing.

My question is this.... how many of you have a weather station at home and use it? I have been thinking of getting one. i am lucky, right now I get up and look out my bed room window at the lake and my neighbors flag pole. This gives me alot of info, but I don't always catch the fish!

I have a smallmouth fishing reference book that I am making myself. First, I went to every smallmouth fishing article I could find on the Internet (I also periodically check for new ones) and now I transcribe every article I find as I did this one into my reference book. It is structured into topics and categories. At present, it is about six inches thick. It helps me to be able to refer back to articles and to compare different authors when their opinions oppose each other.

This month's In-Fisherman has a great article that is a must-read for all smallmouth fisherman. These are a couple of the high points:

1. During the fall and winter, high pressure fronts, i.e. a rising barometer, STIMULATES aggressive feeding behavior.

2. The very best time of day to catch smallmouth?  10:00 AM - 2:00 PM.

RW, thanks much for the insight and the pointer to this great resource.    I've not really figured out smallmouth yet and maybe some of these articles will help me.