Does barometric pressure affect fishing?
Here's my comment on
http://www.bigbluegill.comA lot more people will see it here, so I thought I'd throw it out there for general discussion.
I've got nothin' to back this up....
But it won't stop me from commenting anyway.
I think that barometric pressure is signficant primarily in it's relationship to other weather events that are occurring simultaneously. i.e. cold front or warm front comes through with change in pressure also means other changes.
I think that the following factors that I can be more certain of their effect on fishing.
1. Light levels. Sudden increases and decreases in light, in the way of cloud cover have a significant effect on fish patterns and feeding. So many fish rely on sight advantages over prey, that a sudden change in light often triggers feeding activity, just like dawn and dusk.
2. UV. Ultraviolet rays have a clear identifiable effect on fish location in the water column. Weather patterns that create change in barometric pressure also effect UV. Low atmospheric humidity after the passage of a cold front means LOTS of UV penetration, and the associated changes in fish location due to UV sensitivity. Some fish simply won't stay shallow if there is lots of UV penetration.
3. Wind. Once again, wind changes can be tied directly to passage of a weather front. Wind affects like levels significantly, and it also lifts nutrients and small organisms, both plant and animal off the bottom, which triggers the sequence of events often referred to as the food chan.
I think all of these factors are so intertwined that it would be futile to try to say something as simple as "The barometric pressure changed, so my fishing success changed". Possibly too many things changing right along with it to ever be able to make the direct correlation.
