**** Info via Environment Canada
Fishing and weather myths
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water and reel in that “big catch,” you suddenly realized that you completely forgot to check the latest weather conditions…
Many anglers believe that atmospheric pressure can be a good indicator as to whether the fish will bite. But does the barometric pressure really have an impact on your daily catch?
The theory:
Sudden weather changes produce shifts in barometric pressure. Just as the atmosphere pushes down on the Earth’s surface, it does the same to water bodies, which in turn, adds pressure on the fish in the water. Some believe that a fish’s “swim bladder,” an organ that fills with air to help the fish maintain a certain buoyancy, inflates more than usual when the pressure drops, making them float toward the surface.
When a storm approaches, pressure starts dropping and continues to drop until the storm has passed. Some anglers believe that fish can sense the approaching drop in pressure, and start to feed heavily. This is a good time to catch them!
What we know:
While many anglers believe barometric pressure influences fish feeding behaviours, there is no clear scientific evidence that this is indeed the case. From a meteorological perspective, barometric pressure changes coincide with many other variables such as cloud cover, precipitations, temperature changes, and even insect activity, all of which have effects on fish feeding patterns. All this explains the lack of consensus within the fishing community itself on this theory.
Our conclusion?
While we couldn’t find clear scientific evidence that falling barometric pressure directly affects feeding behaviours in fish, we can definitely say that changing barometric pressure is a very accurate indicator in predicting weather changes and high, stable pressure (indicating a period of calm weather) is generally associated with the best outdoor experience for fishing!
For those of you planning to wet your line over the long weekend, don’t forget that on our app, the change in pressure is indicated by a small arrow next to the number shown on the “Pressure” line of the current conditions on the NOW tab.
Wishing you a “reely” good long weekend
