Weather patterns

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Mark Byrne on April 30, 2009 at 9:20am

Many times when people write about how fish are affected by weather it is made too complex, also many anglers quit thinking like hunters! Writers talking about whitetail deer or elk have done a better job explaining the effects of weather on animal feeding or hunting, it is basically the same. Weather changes feeding needs of all animals (When we needed to hunt to survive, yes us too!) Read some works by hunting writers and insert the words Bass for the words Deer or Elk, you get the idea!

Permalink Reply by Eric DeLay on April 30, 2009 at 9:41am

Maybe you could save us some time and summarize it for us

Mark Byrne said:

Many times when people write about how fish are affected by weather it is made too complex, also many anglers quit thinking like hunters! Writers talking about whitetail deer or elk have done a better job explaining the effects of weather on animal feeding or hunting, it is basically the same. Weather changes feeding needs of all animals (When we needed to hunt to survive, yes us too!) Read some works by hunting writers and insert the words Bass for the words Deer or Elk, you get the idea!

Permalink Reply by Lloyd on April 30, 2009 at 9:56am

Deric,

What is your take on this?
Do you think the weather effects the angler more than the fish?

Lloyd
ps
did you make it down to the clinic last night to swing on wolskys sack?

Eric DeLay said:

Maybe you could save us some time and summarize it for us

Mark Byrne said:

Many times when people write about how fish are affected by weather it is made too complex, also many anglers quit thinking like hunters! Writers talking about whitetail deer or elk have done a better job explaining the effects of weather on animal feeding or hunting, it is basically the same. Weather changes feeding needs of all animals (When we needed to hunt to survive, yes us too!) Read some works by hunting writers and insert the words Bass for the words Deer or Elk, you get the idea!

Permalink Reply by Josh Potter on April 30, 2009 at 10:26am

Mark is right. Hunters do understand this concept better and it isn't nearly as complex as we make it. When deer sense a weather change that may force them to hunker down for a day or 2 they are going to eat what they can while they can not knowing when the next opportunity will arise. The thing I have always been curious about is deer have some biological issues that force them to eat every few hours regardless of weather. Just because you don't see them as much doesn't mean they are fasting. They simply don't travel as far to eat or as much. It has to do with there digestive system and the details are irrelevant here. This need to eat every few hours makes the location of where they hole up during bad weather very crucial. They have to be able to snack some without travelling far. I will hang stands in and around those locations and use them before and during a front but only then. There are years when my butt never touches the seat of that stand. My question is do bass share any of those same biological characteristics that force them to feed even a little during a front? Obviously, if that were the case then knowing the location of those hidey holes would be of use. The good news is a bass is alot easier to sneek up on than a whitetail. Then again we may really be outthinking ourselves here.

Permalink Reply by Joel Alinen on April 30, 2009 at 12:14pm

C-Ride,
I posted a similar question a while back but got no responses. I also have had my best days of largemouth fishing right as a big front in moving in. I guess I wanna know where the largemouth go after the front has passed, and I have no idea how changing weather conditions affect smallies...I would love to hear from Marc on this with his fisheries background.

Permalink Reply by Marc Marcantonio on April 30, 2009 at 4:36pm

I'm a little reluctant to answer this because I doubt that my answer will be much help to most.

I agree with Josh in comparing bass to deer when it comes to understanding when food will become scarce and therefore binging before weather makes food unavailable. Unfortunately to me the similarity ends there because bass are cold blooded, and are predators, whereas deer are warm-blooded and grazers, so their feeding needs and habits are very different season after season.

The problem with answering this question is that the answer changes depending on what the forage base is and the climatic conditions, and even whether we are talking northern strain largemouths, florida strain, spots, smallmouths, etc.

You read an article about this subject and it may make perfect sense for Florida bass fishing, and no sense at all in Washington! That is why some guys think writers are full of fish crap (of course some are). For instance, in the fall a cold snap in southern CA can initiate a shad kill, and the deep water bite will turn on because of the cold snap. In a lake without shad or another forage that is affected by the cold snap, the results are likely to be different. Florida strain bass are much more affected by cold snaps during any season than Northern strain bass.

The best advice I can give is to learn about the feeding habits of the bass in the lake, and try to understand if the weather change has a positive on negative affect on feeding opportunity.

Bass as a predator will expend less energy to catch its prey than it gains from consuming it; or else it never becomes Mama Pesce. If a weather change makes hunting prey more difficult, it will shut down and wait for better conditions to conserve energy. For instance, after a front passes in the summer and you get bluebird skies, and no breeze, they often shut down. But as soon as the afternoon wind comes up, plankton gets concentrated by the wind which in turn concentrates baitfish, and the surface gets roughened which reduces ambient light, and bass go back on the hunt for easy prey. If the wind doesn't come up, they may wait for night and feed then.

Conversly sun may also improve a bite, by concentrating bass into shadows (docks, trees, cliffs, etc.) where it is easy to target them.

A warming trend my initiate crawfish activity, or an insect hatch, both of which will improve feeding opportunities for bass.

So focus on how the weather change affects prey, and adjust your bass fishing accordingly.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

ciao,
Marc

Permalink Reply by C-RIDE on April 30, 2009 at 9:12pm

Good stuff Marc! Thats the kind of stuff I was looking for. I was hoping to get an answer from someone who I know has put some thought into this difficult and complex issue like yourself. Thanks again!

Marc Marcantonio said:

I'm a little reluctant to answer this because I doubt that my answer will be much help to most.

I agree with Josh in comparing bass to deer when it comes to understanding when food will become scarce and therefore binging before weather makes food unavailable. Unfortunately to me the similarity ends there because bass are cold blooded, and are predators, whereas deer are warm-blooded and grazers, so their feeding needs and habits are very different season after season.

The problem with answering this question is that the answer changes depending on what the forage base is and the climatic conditions, and even whether we are talking northern strain largemouths, florida strain, spots, smallmouths, etc.

You read an article about this subject and it may make perfect sense for Florida bass fishing, and no sense at all in Washington! That is why some guys think writers are full of fish crap (of course some are). For instance, in the fall a cold snap in southern CA can initiate a shad kill, and the deep water bite will turn on because of the cold snap. In a lake without shad or another forage that is affected by the cold snap, the results are likely to be different. Florida strain bass are much more affected by cold snaps during any season than Northern strain bass.

The best advice I can give is to learn about the feeding habits of the bass in the lake, and try to understand if the weather change has a positive on negative affect on feeding opportunity.

Bass as a predator will expend less energy to catch its prey than it gains from consuming it; or else it never becomes Mama Pesce. If a weather change makes hunting prey more difficult, it will shut down and wait for better conditions to conserve energy. For instance, after a front passes in the summer and you get bluebird skies, and no breeze, they often shut down. But as soon as the afternoon wind comes up, plankton gets concentrated by the wind which in turn concentrates baitfish, and the surface gets roughened which reduces ambient light, and bass go back on the hunt for easy prey. If the wind doesn't come up, they may wait for night and feed then.

Conversly sun may also improve a bite, by concentrating bass into shadows (docks, trees, cliffs, etc.) where it is easy to target them.

A warming trend my initiate crawfish activity, or an insect hatch, both of which will improve feeding opportunities for bass.

So focus on how the weather change affects prey, and adjust your bass fishing accordingly.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

ciao,
Marc

Permalink Reply by Joel Alinen on May 5, 2009 at 8:02am

Right on thanks Marc!

Hey so do you think bass react different to fronts here in this state since we get fronts rolling in so often?

Permalink Reply by Eric DeLay on May 5, 2009 at 11:45am

Sometimes when I go fishing I catch fish and sometimes it is a bunch and sometimes it is a few and sometimes I don't catch any but usually I do catch at least a couple and I like early morning when it is warmer water and clear out and all day when it is warm water and cloudy and all day when it is cold water but not super windy but a little wind is OK and I like fast baits after May and before October but slow on the bottom the rest of the time and I hate cold windy after a bunch of warm calm especially for shallow fish and I don't mind a little snow in February or March but not with a lot of wind because I can't feel my bottom and I really like feeling bottoms in winter and all year really but when it is warmer I start on the top and only move to the bottom after I have thoroughly probed the top half but it is smart to do the top middle and bottom when you are in a really good area because you never know what is going to work best. Yep

Lloyd said:

Deric,

What is your take on this?
Do you think the weather effects the angler more than the fish?

Lloyd
ps
did you make it down to the clinic last night to swing on wolskys sack?

Eric DeLay said:

Maybe you could save us some time and summarize it for us

Mark Byrne said:

Many times when people write about how fish are affected by weather it is made too complex, also many anglers quit thinking like hunters! Writers talking about whitetail deer or elk have done a better job explaining the effects of weather on animal feeding or hunting, it is basically the same. Weather changes feeding needs of all animals (When we needed to hunt to survive, yes us too!) Read some works by hunting writers and insert the words Bass for the words Deer or Elk, you get the idea!

Permalink Reply by Mike Bess on May 5, 2009 at 11:51am

That was 1 sentence. Wow...

Eric DeLay said:

Sometimes when I go fishing I catch fish and sometimes it is a bunch and sometimes it is a few and sometimes I don't catch any but usually I do catch at least a couple and I like early morning when it is warmer water and clear out and all day when it is warm water and cloudy and all day when it is cold water but not super windy but a little wind is OK and I like fast baits after May and before October but slow on the bottom the rest of the time and I hate cold windy after a bunch of warm calm especially for shallow fish and I don't mind a little snow in February or March but not with a lot of wind because I can't feel my bottom and I really like feeling bottoms in winter and all year really but when it is warmer I start on the top and only move to the bottom after I have thoroughly probed the top half but it is smart to do the top middle and bottom when you are in a really good area because you never know what is going to work best. Yep

Lloyd said:

Deric,

What is your take on this?
Do you think the weather effects the angler more than the fish?

Lloyd
ps
did you make it down to the clinic last night to swing on wolskys sack?

Eric DeLay said:

Maybe you could save us some time and summarize it for us

Mark Byrne said:

Many times when people write about how fish are affected by weather it is made too complex, also many anglers quit thinking like hunters! Writers talking about whitetail deer or elk have done a better job explaining the effects of weather on animal feeding or hunting, it is basically the same. Weather changes feeding needs of all animals (When we needed to hunt to survive, yes us too!) Read some works by hunting writers and insert the words Bass for the words Deer or Elk, you get the idea!

Permalink Reply by Josh Potter on May 5, 2009 at 12:05pm

Wow Eric, I could actually picture you running out of breath.
Eric DeLay said:

Sometimes when I go fishing I catch fish and sometimes it is a bunch and sometimes it is a few and sometimes I don't catch any but usually I do catch at least a couple and I like early morning when it is warmer water and clear out and all day when it is warm water and cloudy and all day when it is cold water but not super windy but a little wind is OK and I like fast baits after May and before October but slow on the bottom the rest of the time and I hate cold windy after a bunch of warm calm especially for shallow fish and I don't mind a little snow in February or March but not with a lot of wind because I can't feel my bottom and I really like feeling bottoms in winter and all year really but when it is warmer I start on the top and only move to the bottom after I have thoroughly probed the top half but it is smart to do the top middle and bottom when you are in a really good area because you never know what is going to work best. Yep

Lloyd said:

Deric,

What is your take on this?
Do you think the weather effects the angler more than the fish?

Lloyd
ps
did you make it down to the clinic last night to swing on wolskys sack?

Eric DeLay said:

Maybe you could save us some time and summarize it for us

Mark Byrne said:

Many times when people write about how fish are affected by weather it is made too complex, also many anglers quit thinking like hunters! Writers talking about whitetail deer or elk have done a better job explaining the effects of weather on animal feeding or hunting, it is basically the same. Weather changes feeding needs of all animals (When we needed to hunt to survive, yes us too!) Read some works by hunting writers and insert the words Bass for the words Deer or Elk, you get the idea!

Permalink Reply by Joel Alinen on May 5, 2009 at 1:01pm

OUCH!

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