Barometric Pressure And Bass

[wasilvers]

I saw pressure dropping today and wondered if it would be good fishing or not. So some inet research and found this - rrom the mouth of those who know best - In-Fisherman

https://www.in-fisherman.com/content/barometric-pressure-and-bass/1

"We await any scientific information or interpretation that better explains the relationship between gamefish behavior and changes in air pressure, when isolated from the confounding effects of weather conditions. Until a biologically reasonable mechanism is proposed, we think it’s more reasonable and likely more accurate to consider weather and sky conditions rather than barometric pressure in explaining fish activity and inactivity."

 

[thudpucker]

My uncle used to say of Rainbow Trout: They feed on the rising and falling Barometer.
They feed best in advance of a Storm.
Our fishing seemed to bear that out.

 

[bigbasshunter]

Any suggestions on the bass? Around here, if a storm is coming, bass are biting. Shortly after, them seem to shut down. Any thoughts?

 

[thudpucker]

my Thoughts are worth only what your paying for them! =D>

I think most if not all animals that feed in Ambush like a Tranquil hunting area.
I think their Genetics tell them the falling Barometer means Bad hunting conditions coming up.
So they feed voraciously in prep for laying out during the storm.

I think it also means after a Storm they are still full, and probably a bit nervous about going out into that turmoil they just sat through.

I'd also bet they will stay away from Muddy water or fast moving water.

I have no idea how the Temperature of the water affects the Bass.
After a storm the water might be a bit cooler. However we might not notice the change, but to the Bass it might be a horrendous change.

I also think the Bait you throw is noticed immediately by all the Bass within eyesight and earshot.
Competition for something to eat is intense. But that Genetic 'filter' is the determining factor.
For instance, a minnow, moving, showing life and at the same time is staying in one place might be an enticing target to a younger Bass, but to an older Bass it wont pass his filter. "Sumtingwong" he says.

But that worm or lizard moving toward or near a nest is almost certainly going to get some attention.

Also, I think (this is getting to be a joke eh?) that certain times of the day, and of the year, the Bass just don't eat what aint normal in their world.

As you can tell, anytime I catch a Bass, its an accident!

So far my best efforts were throwing a plastic worm up on the bank and dragging it into the water slowly.
4+Lbs with that one.
My grand kids also caught Bass on those worms but they don't have as much patience and only got little ones.
I catch more Bass when I'm fly fishing for Crappie. But they are small.

 

[Captain Ahab]

Good stuff thudpucker - I agree, Bass do seem to feed better is teh pressure falls and less on bluebird high pressure days. I have witnessed a bass feeding "blitz" in the 30 minutes or so just before a storm moves in - we are not catching much and the sky gets dark, all of a sudden every cast is a fish and does not seem to matter what you are using. . . .

I have also heard explainations that involve the fish's swim bladder.

Of course, this is not always the case so I just fish no matter what!

 

[shamoo]

I think In-Fisherman is double talking, isnt it all connected? Barometric pressure falls, storms a coming= WEATHER, fish feed, pressure rises= blue bird SKY tuff day fishing.

I too was in a one of those Bass feeding frenzys, you could see the leading edge of the storm, temps started dropping and BAM, I forget how many consectutive casts I caught fish on but it was alot. It also took a day or two to get back to normal.

 

[wasilvers]

One thing I got from the Infisherman article is that 1/3 of the bass are shallow, 1/3 are deep structure and 1/3 are really in no man's land. I guess they are saying that the bass are really all over the place. I heard some pros say that you can always catch some bass shallow.
Today I put that to the test. Fished a shallow bay first with my 'normal' topwaters and worms. Had one small fish on a topwater (so small it could have been a bluegill. Moved out to some of the deepest breaks I know of on the lake - from 3 feet down to 20. Caught one bass there with one other bite. Moved to a middle area - 3 feet deep, drops gradually to 15 feet. Caught 7-8 bass in 8 FOW, didn't have to be near the drops or near weeds. After the bite slowed, I tried my other favorite holes without so much as a strike. Then I remembered what Infisherman said about fish observations, so I went shallow. Back to where I started the day, but now in 2 fow and throwing a lizard. Had 2 bites in 10 minutes and had to stop fishing because I was at the daily limit.

Guess you never know what the bass are going to do, just try to find the hungry ones I guess.

 

[Henry Hefner]

Looking at it scientifically, I can't understand how it works. It has to be something else besides pressure alone. Remember, we are talking about a difference in pressure that is very small. Fish experience this much change in pressure every time they swim up or down a matter of inches! If the pressure lowers, wouldn't they just feel that they were inches shallower? I believe that it must be something else that occurs at the same that we observe the pressure dropping, not the pressure itself that causes fish to bite.

 

[Zum]

What animals can sense is far beyond anything we can sense.
We try to analize things in our terms,they probably have senses we don't even know about.
Animals/insects try to get to safety before disasters,dogs can tell when people are going to have seizures before they happen,etc.,etc,the list long.

 

[dyeguy1212]

I think most people have witnessed a dramatic increase it bites right before a storm. And I've witnessed more than my fair share of slow days on blue bird days....

 

[fender66]

I've also noticed.....(but I will preclude this with a brief fishing history of myself)

Just bought my first "motor" boat late last December. Until then, I was a river rat in a canoe for many, many years. I've done many 3 day floats and during those floats we catch a lot of our own bait. (minnows are the important bait for this story)
Some days, we fill a minnow trap quickly and to the rim. Other days, we don't catch but a few. IF we are catching minnows.....we catch fish. If we don't catch minnows, we don't catch fish. I'm certain this has to do with the barometric pressure...but I don't know if it's high or low. Hmmmm???

Side note: I still say the BEST minnow traps are glass mason jars with the inverted cone in the lid. Too bad they've outlawed glass on the rivers....but I do understand why too.