Fishing and the weather

[smittyts]

Can anyone share with me the effect of barometric pressure and/or the lunar cycle on fishing? Is there one? How does it work?
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[DKStroutfitter]

Both BP and LC offer good excuses for my poor fishing days.
Now the problem with both is that they don't always work. Some days I can catch fish when these indicators show that I should have stayed home. Go figure! [crazy]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Welcome aboard. Not to make light of your question but there are likely to be a lot of different opinions, depending upon who you ask.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There is no denying that fish can tell the changes, and some species respond differently than others. Some anglers claim that fishing is better ahead of a front, with the barometer falling, and worse after a front. But that is mostly for bass and catfish. Trout and walleyes often bite better during foul weather for some reason.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As a personal matter, I generally like to time my trips after at least two to three days of stable weather. Seems to get the fish settled down and acting "normal", whatever that is for fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Same thing with lunar cycles. Don't know why but there are definitely times when the fish seem to shut down around the full moon. It can be just the opposite for bass and other species, especially around spawning time. Some of them spawn during the two or three days around the full moon and are more concentrated and more active.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have observed that in clear water, where the predators are "sight feeders", they tend to feed more aggressively at night when there is bright moonlight, and then to be inactive or neutral through daylight hours...fishing time. Not always.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No matter what your personal beliefs, there will be ten other fishermen with different beliefs and personal stories to back them up. That's because there are a lot more factors that influence fishing than pressure or lunar cycles. Finding the fish, using the right bait or lure and knowing how to fish are three that come to mind, Blaming a poor catch on the moon or the weather can be a copout for being a lousy fisherman. But, it has worked for me.[/#0000ff]
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[Ewetah]

The one thing that I firmly believe based on experience over the years is that the full moon will definelty have an effect on trout. I try to avoid going out around that moon phase if I am going to hunt trout. I have had many good days fishing for them when the BP is falling and a storm comes in.

Welcome to the board!
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[lavaman]

I could be wrong here, but I've always thought that fishing on a day after a full moon (or near full), was bad because fish are nocturnal more or less, and that would mean they feed more when we are asleep. With a full moon shining down on the water, the fish can see the insects on the surface and they tend to have full bellies the next day- thus the poor fishing.
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[FishingCoach]

I was a weatherman for 5 years and a fisherman my whole life. Generally speaking, when a cold front moves through (lower pressure and colder temps) the bite turns off for a day or two depending on how fast the front is moving. I'm not a fisheries biologist, so I don't know what makes them tight lipped with the passage of a cold front.

I've had great success night fishing during a full moon. How about anyone else.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Hey coach, there are a lot of wimps out there who are askeerd of the dark and won't try night fishing. Maybe they just can't get a kitchen pass.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Anyways, for some species on some waters you will always do better at night, even when it is not a full moon. The biggest fish of many species don't even get active until after dark. And I'm not just talkin' catfish or walleyes. Many of the biggest brown trout around the country are caught at night. Same thing with hawg largemouth. Stripers, white bass and wipers are are nocturnal feeders...as are crappies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]When I was living in Southern Arizona, I had a tradition of fishing one of my favorite lakes on "the full moon in June", not just because it was poetic but because it was a magic time of year between cool spring and hot summer. Virtually every species in the lake was up near the top on the full moon, and most of them were feeding. A top water or subsurface lure would catch largemouth, big crappies, big redear sunfish, channel cats and the occasional scary flathead cat. A couple of years I caught well over 100 fish on those nights and I was the only person on the lake. The moon was bright enough I did not need my headlamp to retie when I wanted to change lures.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Yeah...I'll fish the full moon...but at night, not during the daytime.[/#0000ff]
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[Kent]

I've done extremely well fishing with minnows overnight at Strawberry from my boat, with next to no moon or all the way to a full moon. Those fish might eat more with a full moon, but they eat plenty at night in total darkness.
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[Ewetah]

Watched Doug Stange Friday night on In Fisherman and he did an interesting segment on Muskie activity, lunar cycles and weather patterns. I do not recall every detail however, I do remember that he felt the weather trumps the lunar cycle. In other words even if you are timing the lunar cycle properly the weather can impact it adversly and vice versa. This show was on the water channel on Dish Network. I do not know for certain but maybe it will be repeated.
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