![]() If you've ever jumped into deep water and felt your ears pop, you can appreciate what predators deal with on a daily basis. So it has to adjust on the fly or quickly return to deep water. Options range from sophisticated, permanent-mount barometers selling for $100 or more to inexpensive yet accurate handhelds like the Trac Fishing Barometer, available from Cabela's for just $16.99.įor example, a bass suspended 10 feet deep won't be neutrally buoyant if it swims up to eyeball a frog at the surface - it will float. Pressure Gauge: Barometric pressure readings are available online from the National Weather Service and other outlets, but there's something satisfying about gauging the pressure yourself. It makes sense because they're designed to handle far greater depth-related pressure variations - which they routinely encounter when moving up and down the water column pursuing prey. In fact, many game fish respond to pressure upticks and downturns by strapping on the feedbag. It doesn't take long for bigger fish such as crappies, bass, or northern pike to join the fray and feast on the schools of hungry minnows. But these tiny creatures can be caught off guard by quick changes in barometric pressure, pushing them out of their comfort zones and sparking a feeding spree among baitfish ranging from fatheads to shiners. Most can regulate their buoyancy via built-in mechanisms, like dainty little air bladders or by retaining air. Zooplankton and phytoplankton are on the building block end of the food web. But the effects of a pressure drop don't end there. Such uprisings can slightly cloud the water, reducing visibility. For example, even a slight drop in pressure can cause tiny particles of sediment and other material to float up off the bottom or rise higher in the water column than normal - especially if there's increased current to help carry them. Such rises and falls are compounded because objects weigh less underwater, which makes them more prone to ups and downs. Changes in pressure act like minor changes in gravity, upsetting this delicate balancing act on a regular basis. One of the main reasons is that everything in the water sinks, suspends, or floats to the top. and 4 p.m.Įven slight changes in barometric pressure can cause big variations in fish behavior. There are also less-pronounced, twice-daily fluctuations due to heating from the sun, which peak around 10 a.m. Of course, like us, fish are built to handle this pressure or they'd collapse like the Minnesota Vikings in the playoffs.Īlong with altitude, high- and low-pressure weather systems also affect the barometer. And if you multiply all of those little inch-by-inch squares on the surface of your favorite fishing hole, you can begin to appreciate the pressure fish are under. ![]() We don't feel it because we're used to the pressure, but air pressure still affects food chains above and beneath the waves. If you're higher than sea level, say on a fishing trip to Denver, Colorado, then you'd only shoulder about 85 percent of the burden. Lest you think such a load is light as a feather, consider that a square-inch column of air rising from sea level to the top of our atmosphere weighs about 14.7 pounds. In a nutshell, barometric pressure - also called atmospheric or air pressure - is the weight of the air pressing down upon everything on the planet, including fish and anglers. ![]() ![]() But few truly understand how this critical piece of the fish-behavior puzzle can help them catch more fish. Most anglers have heard the term a million times on the evening weather report and even listened as other anglers blamed or credited air pressure for affecting their success. Factors such as fishing pressure, recreational boat traffic, and changes in water conditions can all affect the behavior and location of forage fish and larger predators.īy far, one of the least understood factors that influence fish and fishing is barometric pressure. Truth be told, plenty of things can cause a sweet bite to turn sour, or, on the flip side, trigger a feeding frenzy of epic proportions. If you've ever caught fish like a grandmaster one day and bombed the next - despite fishing the same area with the same presentation - you've probably scratched your head and wondered where the bad luck came from. ![]()
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