There are times when any fish can be caught well in the same body of water. It happens - only white or only predatory. And sometimes you sit or throw a spinning rod for half a day, but there’s no use. How and what is this connected with? Is it possible that all the fish in a pond suddenly conspire and begin to “go on strike”? It is clear that this is nonsense. But still, what determines such drastic changes in the behavior of fish?
Factors influencing biting
In fact, there are not very many of them. Basically, the effectiveness of fishing depends on:
- water temperature - if it is too low, the fish stands still so as not to lose the calories necessary to maintain body temperature; at high levels, it becomes “boiled”, barely mobile, and is forced to go to depths, where it does not always feel comfortable;
- solar activity, or the amount of cloudiness during daylight hours, since in shallow and relatively transparent reservoirs, instead of feeding, fish are forced to hide from the sun’s rays in snags and other shelters;
- the frequency of precipitation, on which the maintenance of normal water levels in the reservoir depends;
- atmospheric pressure (BP), fluctuations in which are the most common culprit for the lack of bite.
Optimal pressure for fishing
The best atmospheric pressure for fishing is the pressure that is most common in your area. There are no average indicators, since each region, settlement or body of water is located at a different altitude above sea level. The lower the reservoir is located, the greater the atmospheric pressure will be and vice versa. If we take, for example, the Moscow region, whose average altitude above sea level is 160 meters, the average blood pressure for it will be within 745 mm Hg. Art. At the same time, normal pressure for the Caucasus region (for example, the area of Pyatigorsk), located at an altitude of 500 meters above sea level, will be 720 mm Hg. Art. etc.
How to find out the optimal indicator for your region?
In our age of the Internet, finding out the optimal indicator for your zone is as easy as shelling pears. Just go to any weather website and calculate the average values. Those who are too lazy to bother with such calculations can find a site about their city on Wikipedia, where its location above sea level is indicated, and based on these data, track the average blood pressure using the following table.
How does (BP) change depending on altitude?
Any fisherman should have a barometer at home, which can be used to track all fluctuations in blood pressure .
Those who do not have such a “gadget” in their arsenal can track pressure using readings on weather websites, where pressure is also indicated. If within the next 2–3 days it does not deviate from the norm by more than 3–5 mm Hg. Art., conditions for fishing are quite favorable. Such minor deviations have almost no effect on the behavior of the fish.
How do pressure changes affect fish?
But the above does not mean at all that if the pressure is slightly lower or higher than normal, then future fishing is “covered with a copper basin.” Although fish are sensitive to pressure fluctuations, they quickly get used to it if it remains at these levels for a long time.
Barometer
For example, if normal atmospheric pressure for fishing (average blood pressure in the area) is 740 mm Hg. Art., then due to a long cyclone it can drop to, say, 730. Minor fluctuations, which can occur even during the day, are experienced relatively easily by the fish. But from a decrease of 10 points, the fish begin to, as they say, “go crazy.” The atmosphere puts less pressure on the water, causing its density to change. All the location settings that the fish had before are lost in water with changed density, which is why the fish is in such prostration that it has no time to feed. It automatically goes deeper into those layers where the pressure is still at an acceptable level.
The same thing happens with the arrival of an anticyclone. Due to excess pressure, the entire fish floats to the surface until its body fully adapts to the new conditions.
It usually takes the fish 2 to 3 days to completely adapt to new conditions, after which everything returns to normal. But, nevertheless, uncharacteristic, different from the average, atmospheric pressure for fishing has a detrimental effect on the quality of the bite. It is the anticyclone that is especially dangerous . High pressure is usually accompanied by clear skies and no precipitation. If it lasts for a very long time, the level of the reservoir begins to fall, the water warms up too much and becomes poor in oxygen, which is why in many reservoirs, especially shallow and poor in vegetation (that have recently been cleared of algae), some specimens of white fish (crucian carp, carp) may simply start to get sick and die. There, the fish simply have nowhere to hide from the scorching heat and lack of oxygen.
White fish tolerate low pressure more easily, but bite less readily. She waits for stabilization sadly, clumsily and without appetite. For predators, gloomy weather is an excellent time for hunting.
Normal atmospheric pressure
Atmospheric pressure is usually measured in the following quantities:
- mmHg;
- inches of mercury;
- pascals.
On the territory of the Russian Federation, atmospheric pressure is usually measured in mm of mercury; in other countries, higher number systems may be used.
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Accepted average value of normal atmospheric pressure
760 mmHg 29-30 inHg 101.3 kPa
At this pressure, the weather is always good with little or no wind, the sun may be shining, the sky may be clear.
Pressure below 760 mmHg is considered low pressure and is an indicator of bad weather and a harbinger of storms and rain.
If the pressure exceeds 760 mmHg, this means that the pressure is high. And this will lead to the appearance of anticyclones and climate change in the near future.
Fishing at high pressure
So, we have long-term high blood pressure.
Three days have already passed, the sun is hot outside, we can go. The fish have adapted to high pressure, but you won't catch many of them in the sun. The bite is best in the morning (especially near the shore on a float), so by 4 am we should already be there. It is white fish that manage to raise the most on such days. Predators do not like high pressure, since all prey on warm days becomes more mobile and “hangs out” mainly in the upper waters, into which pike and other toothy guys rarely try to climb, and if they do, it’s more by inertia, in the heat of the chase. At high rates, predators are sluggish and sullen.
But crucian carp, carp, bream, white bream, grass carp, chub and other “herbivores” from their company bite excellently. At least at first. It is better to fish at pressure 3–7 days after it is established. Prolonged high pressure has a detrimental effect on the bite, but not because of the pressure itself, because of the scorching heat that it brings with it and, as a consequence, because of the lack of oxygen, which is a consequence of rising water temperatures.
During periods of prolonged high atmospheric pressure, bottom gear is best suited for fishing. At depth, far from the shore, there are still plenty of moving specimens. The same is advised for those who want to catch bigger fish. These will have to be caught on a feeder. It can be effective even at lunchtime.
Fishing at low and high pressure
Among all weather conditions, it is atm. pressure has the greatest influence on the favorable or negative outcome of fishing. Moreover, pike, perch, catfish, carp and roach react completely differently to lower and higher barometer values.
According to the observations of fishermen, when the pressure drops, predatory fish begin to hunt more actively and it does not matter whether there is wind or not, sunny or cloudy weather, regardless of the time of day and phase of the moon.
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Especially if it has dropped, after the weather had been stable with high atmospheric pressure for several days, the predators begin to really eat.
There is a hypothesis that they are trying to get enough before the weather changes, fearing that it will become much more difficult to do so later.
Atmospheric pressure drops with the arrival of a cyclone and rises with an anticyclone. Predatory fish begin to bite poorly several hours before the arrival of the anticyclone.
At high pressure, the predatory fish becomes passive, but during this period the whitefish willingly bites. Without fear of predators, the white fish begins to look for food. White fish activity is observed from the moment the barometer needle begins to creep up and continues throughout the entire stabilization time.
Since with the arrival of the anticyclone, windy and clear days are established, therefore, it is in such weather that it is better to catch white fish. During this period, whitefish bite throughout the daylight hours.
Consequently, it bites best when there are no sharp jumps that cause equally sudden changes in the weather. Remember, if the weather does not change for 3 days, favorable conditions for fishing are created. It is believed that if the temperature and pressure of the atmosphere do not change for 7 days, the fish bite will be ideal.
Optimal atmospheric pressure for fishing
To say what is the best pressure for fishing, you must first decide what you are going to fish. If the goal is to catch a predatory fish, then you need to wait until the barometer starts to fall. See the table for the best values (indicated in mm of mercury, abbreviated as Hg).
The chances of returning with a rich catch are much higher. If you want to catch whitefish, you will have to wait for the arrival of the anticyclone, and with it, sunny days. It is at this time that she takes the bait more actively.
Inside each fish you can find an air bubble, inside of which there is oxygen, nitrogen and some carbon dioxide. The bubble is provided by a mixture of gases as a result of the work of a small gland called the red body. But since there is little blood in the fish, the process of gas entering the bladder is not very active.
Fishing at low pressure
If you are wondering which pressure is better for fishing - high or low, the answer will definitely be high. But only if you are going to hunt white fish. If you are following predators, it is better to fish at pressure below normal. At such a time, the entire white fish brethren are sluggish and clumsy - just a paradise for pikes, perches and other predatory underwater “beasts”. Well, when paired with small fish, predators also take lures very well, and their pickiness for some special varieties drops significantly.
The nuances of blood pressure changes
It should be taken into account that, even if the optimal atmospheric pressure for fishing, averaged for the area, has been established outside, there is no need to rush. After the blood pressure has been kept at unusually low or high positions for some time, the fish must adapt to it.
But the worst fishing happens when the pressure fluctuates constantly and significantly. For example, today it can rise by 10 points, the sunny weather will last for a couple of days, and the day after tomorrow clouds will appear overnight and it will drizzle for a couple of days. Then again it will be partly cloudy or sunny, then cloudy again. At such moments the fish is in complete prostration. She does not have time to adapt to one conditions before they are replaced by others, and absolutely opposite ones. It is clear that at such a time, regardless of the sun on the street or the rain, she has no time for appetite.
So, despite the fact that the best atmospheric pressure for fishing is the average for the area, you can fish even at a stable low or high level. The best pressure is one that stays at the same level for several days and does not fluctuate twice a day. It is at this pressure that the fish are most active and inclined to take the bait.
How to determine fish feeding time
Fish are most active during periods of changes in atmospheric pressure. They often feed before climatic conditions worsen, that is, at those moments when the pressure from the zone of normal and high values begins to go to the zone of low values, since the fish need to go to depths; they urgently need reserves to wait out this period.
The time of pressure change is usually the best time for fishing, no matter in which direction.
Fishing under high pressure
When pressure drops from a zone of high or normal pressure to a low zone, active baits work well, this applies to both spinning and float fishing. At this time, the fish feed quite actively and greedily, and like to chase bait.
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At the moment of transition from a zone of low to a zone of high pressure, a period of sluggish feeding and, accordingly, biting usually begins. During this period, the fish undergoes a short period of adaptation; on average, it takes from 12 to 24 hours.
If normal and high blood pressure lasts for several days, the bite is usually not bad and quite predictable. But there are various nuances, and it depends on how long the normal pressure remains. Try to fish not only in shallow water, but also at depth, the fish can be there, very often it can be on the border between depth and shallow water.
If normal and high pressure lasts for a sufficiently long period, then most likely the fish will be quite slow, well-fed and not very active, use calmer baits and sensitive gear.
Fishing at low pressure
At low pressure, fish are almost always at depth. The worse the weather, the deeper the fish. During these periods, they either do not eat anything and stand still, or feed very sluggishly.
Fishing success during such periods is almost minimal, but nevertheless possible, you need to look for depths, holes and use slow baits with very sensitive gear.
