Analyzing Weather

[BassAkwards]

I am fishing in a tournament in a couple weeks and would like some help in analyzing the weather. Couple of questions...

How far in advance, for a tournament, should one take into consideration the weather?

What are weather patterns that are favorable/unfavorable?

How can the barometer rising or falling give me clues to fishing?

How quickly does the water temp. rise or fall, and how can I use this information?

What type of fronts are most/least favorable for fishing and when are the best times to fish these fronts? pre-mid-post?

What role does wind direction and strength have?

Basically, I know weather plays an important role and I want to have knowledge and information from peoples' experiences. Any help would be great.

Thanks all.

[ocf1]

I wrote this a while back....

Weather and Bass

I remember a few years back, my grandfather said, “What are you waiting for? It’s just raining.” I replied “No way, the fish won’t bite in the rain and anyways it’s raining cats and dogs.” This goes to show that some people don’t know enough about fish and their patterns during certain weather conditions and then don’t want to go out fishing because of their uncertainty during some weather conditions and who wants to go out and not catch a fish. Hopefully this article will clear up some of your questions about fishing in different weather conditions

We’ll start off by talking about cold fronts, which in my opinion is pretty hard to understand at first but once you get it you can become an excellent fisherman. First off all you need to know that a bass’s main instinct in the summer is to eat. When a cold front is about to come in, fish go on a feeding frenzy and gorge themselves on food. This is a great time to catch fish and it is also fun because you can speed up your retrieve and power fish. For this situation I would use a baitcasting casting combo with either a x-rap or any other slashbait or I would use a swim bait such as a storm wild eye.

When the cold front has moved in bass stick close to cover (rocks, weed beds, or logs). Bass tend to go out a little bit deeper (8-25 feet). Also, the fish are more cautious when eating. My choice for a presentation would be a spinning reel and I would either with a buoyant plastic or I would use a lure you can slowly drag across the bottom.

Once the cold front has passed the fish return to their normal feeding habits. If you keep this in mind while you are fishing you will have a better chance when fishing during cold fronts.

Many people wonder where the bass are when it’s cloudy or when it’s sunny outside. Let me start with saying their will always be some bass in deeper water and some bass in shallow water but one of them can be more productive than the other one. In my opinion when it’s sunny the schools move out to deeper water but you still get the occasional pig cruising the shallows. When it’s cloudy the schools move back to the shallows but normally I head out to deeper water to get better quality bass. The ways to catch these fish are endless, use the technique that would work that you are most comfortable with.

I think wind is where most anglers make mistakes. They either go to calmer water or go to the shore where the wind is blowing towards. These locations can be okay if they hold baitfish. The main thing in windy conditions is to locate the baitfish. I can think of an example: at the 2006 Blue Grass Brawl it was windy outside. The top three finishers were fishing open water targeting baitfish. Winner Morizo Shimizu said the key to his victory was locating the baitfish. For presentation I would definitely dropshot in deeper water and in shallower water I would use a slowly retrieved plastic such as a sluggo.

Many anglers overlook barometric pressure, but it can be a very important figure in catching fish. First you should know an average barometric reading-29. Below the fishing will be pretty easy because the fish will eat freely, but if the reading is higher than normal the fish will be tougher to catch. When this happens you need to drop something in their face and let it stay there. To do this I would use a slip bobber with a weight 7-8 inches up and then put on a floating or buoyant plastic on. Keeping an eye on barometric pressure can make a day on the lake a lot more productive.

I hope this article helped clear up some questions you might have had about weather and bass. You will have to keep an eye on these things as there can be 3 or more in action at a time and choose your presentation wisely. Keeping these things in mind has made me a better angler and it can make you one to. Remember to be safe on the water and respect the fish.

I am going to write a finnesse fishing one soon!

[Daze Off]

Wow! That's some question! I'm no expert but I will give you my experience and understanding and I will be curious to see how it compares to others.

Lots of what you ask is relative. For example, how far in advance of a tournament/trip should the weather be considered. The answer depends, in part, on what the weather patterns are - long stable periods with no change in sight vs. highly volatile pattern or weak fronts vs a very strong front. In general I watch trends for a week or so and pay close attention for 2-3 days before an event.

My favorite days are cloudy/overcast with some wind (low pressure)and my least favorite are dead calm and bluebird skies (high pressure). If I am correct, high pressure generally follows the passage of a front so using the above, it is generally better to fish pre-frontal conditions than post-frontal conditions. Lower or falling pressure tends toward more active fish.

The only fronts that concern me are cold fronts and the time they impact the fish will depend upon the strength of the front or the number of fronts which pass in succession. The stronger the front, the longer it will impact the bite.

I generally like some wind because it reduces visibility and stirs up things underwater. I will generally fish areas where wind is coming in on the bank/structure or even along it sometimes. Or, I may look for someplace where the wind has actually created some current. I'll generally hold this pattern until the wind is strong enough to make good presentation of the bait impossible. The only other thing I can say about the wind is the old saying, "wind from the east, fish bite the least" but I have no real idea why that seems to be accurate.

There a lots of factors besides weather that impact water temp - depth, type of body of water, and even water clarity. Weather is definately a factor too but because of all the variables it is difficult to generalize.

There are also seasonal variables to consider. Cold fronts don't have the same impact at all times of the year for one and another issue is the thermocline in the lake - when will it turn over, etc.

That's what I tend to go by anyway. Hope others chime in too.

Good luck with your event!

Daze Off

[ocf1]

Very Nice Daze Off!