High Pressure System

[pulplip fiction]

Say for instance the fish are not biting right now due to a high pressure system - as someone told me yesterday. What exactly does that mean - and what would it take for that not to be the problem? No dissertations please - just plain and simple. As you can tell by the question I'm not real bright. Thanks.

[Rat]

A high pressure system refers to a weather event. Here is the definition.

As to fish biting or not during one, I don't know.

HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM
An area of relative pressure maximum that has diverging winds and a rotation opposite to the earth's rotation. This is clockwise the in Northern Hemisphere and counterclockwise in the Southern Hemisphere. It is the opposite of an area of low pressure or a cyclone.

From http://www.weather.com/glossary/h.html

Generally, a high means good weather and a low means bad.

[ceb]

Like Rat said, high pressure usually indicates a bluebird sky with plenty of sunshine. This can sometimes push fish deeper where they hold tighter to cover. They may not be as willing to bite, but will you may get some reaction strikes. You may want to do some flat linin' or draggin some crankbaits on these days.

Low pressure usually indicates a cloudy, possibly overcast day. Most believe that these days are no good. However, if there is an approaching front, they usually turn on for a few hours before the front comes. They may be suspended, but will definitely be more scattered. They may sit on "top" of brushpiles. During the spawn, I'd beat the banks on those overcast, drizzly days. JMHO

[Allen42]

I myself have LOTS and LOTS more trouble with LOW PRESSURE /fronts than anythings else & like has been said SOMETIMES right BEfORE even Min before it passes they are feeding like crazy & biting most anything & then when the WIND picks up & the Front Starts to pass through you might as well go home UNLESS your into begging Crappies to bite & I also Beleive that the Shallower the fish are The MORE they are affected by these Fronts

JUst a rednecks 2 cents

allen

[driller]

Lets put this one to rest for all time. Fish have a "swim bladder" that is super sensitive to changes in pressure. It takes a while for them to adapt to a change and a rapid rise in pressure causes a fish to become disoriented and lethargic. A quick decrease in pressure will cause fish to come nearer the surface,where they are easier to catch, to equalize the pressure in the "swim bladder".

It is best to wait a couple of days after a high pressure front has moved through before heading out for the lake. Or, be able to almost hit the fish on the nose with your bait.

Believe me not?----ask a fisheries biologist.

[DENNIS BOWERS]

Lets put this one to rest for all time. Fish have a "swim bladder" that is super sensitive to changes in pressure. It takes a while for them to adapt to a change and a rapid rise in pressure causes a fish to become disoriented and lethargic. A quick decrease in pressure will cause fish to come nearer the surface,where they are easier to catch, to equalize the pressure in the "swim bladder".

It is best to wait a couple of days after a high pressure front has moved through before heading out for the lake. Or, be able to almost hit the fish on the nose with your bait.

Believe me not?----ask a fisheries biologist.

Driller-Good Answer!!

[CrappiePappy]

http://www.basspro.com/servlet/catal...ID=&subcatID=0

........... cp

[grizmck]

These posts are most informative and appreciated. I have kept a mental log for many years and found that low pressures generally give the little buggars lock jaw and a moving barometer, towards upside, will usually give better results. The current challenge is that the new electronic model barometers have settings in millibars that are transcribed into inHg with the settings button. I have not been able to find a local website (Oklahoma) that gives the measurements in millibars to facilitate an accurate reading on these units. I know my altitude but have not been able to find the initial input settings locally. Do you have any suggestions as to where to go to find these measurements? Thanks, Jim

[Crappie Wisdom]

I seem to do better right before a low pressure hits the area. So the pressure would be in the 30,s but dropping. Bite seems slower when its high or going up fish tend to go deeper. Harder to catch. At least on my home waters this might not be true on other lakes.

[Moose1am]

How does a thunderstorm effect the fish. If you were a fish swimming in the water (water conducts electricity easily) and lightning was striking the lake what would you do? How would a bolt of lighting effect your eating habits?


What happens when a front comes though? You get increased winds and therefore waves. Clouds normally move into the arear. It rains and you get lighting striking the earth. The air temps drop at times and the surface waters cool off.

Increased light and dropping air temps will send the fish out of the shallow water and deeper. Lighting striking the water's surface would scare the crap out of the fish and make them head for shelter of any kind. Deep structure or under a heavy log might be a good place to hide.

Most fishermen scurry off the lake when it storms so how would anyone know what the fishing is like during a thunderstorm? Not many people will stay on the lake when there is lighting around.

I'll bet that a fish can sense a bolt of lighting striking the water.

Most animals including man can tell when it's going to rain.

I wonder how a storm front effects the animals that fish feed on.

My experiences have been this. I catch a lot more fish when it's cloudy and before the front comes though than after the front passes. Especially if it's a cold front. Now a warm front is different.

Fish have no eyelids. They don't even have pupils to regulate the amount of sunlight entering the eye. So the only way they can protect their eyes from too much sunlight is to hide under a log in the shade or go deeper in the water column.

One a warm cloudy day the fish are free to roam all over and go into the shallows. One a bright sunny day they may be more inclined to stay under a shady dock or down deep in the creek channel. Or on the shady side of a ledge or drop off. Maybe they use the shade to hide from their prey so that they can ambush them easier.

One thing I know and believe. The total weather picture does effect the fishing. I just look at the weather report to know if it's a good day to go fishing. Air pressure readings are just a part of the total picture. You need to take into consideration all the factors.