Atmospheric Pressure

Hi all,

I don't carp fish that often, as I enjoy fishing for all sorts of species including carp.

However, my catch rates however when carping isn't prolific to put it politely. However, I have doing my homework (or trying to) and noticed that articles, blogs and videos have all touched on air pressure, and how that affects feeding times. However, I'm still not sure air pressures constitutes 'high', 'normal' or 'low' air pressures. E.g. the air pressure for my area on the BBC weather say its 1028mb, and I haven't the foggiest what this means in terms of whether it is high low or standard air pressure.

I understand there is far far more as to air pressure as to why my carp catching rates aren't brilliant, such as fish location, tactics, feeding, baits and the list goes on forever. Just would like a bit of help on this one small factor.

Luke

I always associated stable air pressure with good fishing, and falling pressure with very good fishing, however I have been proved wrong by the fish many times over the years and have, on occasions, caught well on what is considered a 'waste of time' time to fish. I take more notice to my gut feeling and time that I have available

Also hydrostatic pressure is much more intense than air pressure due to water being considerably denser than air. So, if a fish changes its depth even a couple of feet up or down it will go through more of a pressure change in seconds than any of us will ever experience on dry land. How could the barometric pressure above the surface affect a fish that goes through equal to a surface pressure change if they move only a few inches up, or down in the water............

High air pressures usually mean clearer sky's which in turn usually mean colder temperatures at night; and during the winter months it can also mean freezing winds during the day with the added wind chill.

There's often an exception to this rule and I can remember the odd night on the river catching Barbel when I could fish in a T-shirt on a warm balmy night counting shooting stars in the clear sky above.

Low pressure usually means a lot more cloud cover which acts like a blanket and prevents the warmer moist air from dispersing into the atmosphere.

I was taught (in my days as a RN meteorologist back in the late 70's) that the suns rays only turn to heat after they have bounced off a surface so in general the heat doesn't come directly from the sun but from reflective surfaces on the earth (including your face LOL) although some of it can also be from suspended moisture droplets in the air.

Although fish must be able to feel changes in the air and water pressures I think that it is the associated changes in temperature that have most effect on the fish and their feeding habits.

I find that when the air pressure has remained stable for a few days or is steadily falling my catches are usually good and when the air pressure starts to rise it usually means that my catches start to fall.

It will be interesting to hear of others take on this subject.

Keith

Im with both Keith and Jerry on this. I think air pressure is less important than what the prevalent weather conditions are likely to be and most of all whether things are settled or on the change. Low pressure is generally associated with milder and more overcast conditions and those are often the conditions that produce the best fishing of all...in theory anyway.

I don't pay much attention to pressure other than during the winter when I don't want the bright sun and frosty nights normally associated wih high pressure . I've certainly paid a lot more attention to this since my zander obsession when I don't bother going when the pressure is very high as that means colder temps,colour dropping out of the water and normally very finicky fish. Give me a good low with mild temps and some wind and I'm off zandering like a shot.

The pressure dictates the weather and the weather dictates the fishing is how I see it though as Jezza says the fish don't always agree. I've been out many times in what ought to have been perfect conditions and done no good at all....as have we all I suspect. One thing I am convinced of is that the fish seem to sense a change is afoot and start switching off...I'm sure that's what was going on at Bury Hill this week and the fish always seem to be 24/48 hours in advance of the change. That's maybe where air pressure might have an effect ?

Stable air pressure low or high good..
Rising air pressure can be hit and miss..
Low or falling air pressure time for a sickie.:wh

But, if you don't go fishing you won't catch. To many other factors to influence catch results..

Chris..

Agree with the answers above. Low pressure means SW warmer winds.
High pressure often is accompanied by East winds.

There is value in the old saying..
When the winds in the East the fish bite least
When the winds in the west the fish bite best.

Particularly here in windy Lincolnshire. I am out tomorrow AND THE WIND IS GOING TO COME FROM THE EASTmg:

I've done a bit of work on this. Low pressures are anything below 1000 really. The lowest I have recorded is 972 and the highest 1040. They can go higher or lower than this but, its rare. I believe some of the very bad storms we have had the pressures have dropped to 800m -900m or so. Normally in the main they range 1000 - 1030. Anything over 1020 is quite high and anything below 1000 is low in my opinion.
Low pressures are supposed to denote rain/clouds/storms and high pressures- bright sunny weather. But its not an exact science and there are days where there are exceptions to the rule. However, on balance a rising barometer will indicate good weather on the way and a falling one- rain and clouds coming. Certainly lows of below 1000 will usually cause wet or stormy like weather and highs of over 1030m should be bright and sunny. However there's a lot of days where its between these (1001-1029m)and its harder to be sure of the weather indications. One surprising conundrum-- I noticed more high pressures in the winter months than the summer months which I expected to be the other way round. I asked the meteorological office about this and they said it was usual, something to do with cold air making highs hang around for longer, sometimes weeks.
Certainly percentage wise, my better fishing has come in the lowest range 0-999m. Not all species seem to be affected by it so much, it varies but, carp and chub are two that come to mind. Carp especially, the bulk of my catches have come below 1000 but, I am not a prolific carp angler and my catches have been sporadic however, it does seem on paper at least that carp are very much more active in low pressures, the lower the better.
Whether fish sense the pressures or it is more a case of the weather associated with the differing pressures (high pressure-bright sunny and low pressure-overcast and wet) I do not know, however, I suspect it might be. Yet I believe it is recorded that sea trout will shoal up ready to travel upstream at the first sign of low pressures on the way.
I also believe it would be wrong to fish by one factor alone. Although any one factor like air pressure might not favor any given species at any time, other factors might be very much in favor and override the given unfavorable one factor.
However for carp and if its over 1030m or maybe even 1020m; I personally wouldn't bother, its likely to be a bright sunny day and to add to the woes; if its been high for a while, there's likely to have been little rain and the water will be clear as well (another factor with long high pressure spells that might have something to do with it); its not that you will not catch them, its just its probably on balance better to fish for roach maybe if you just want some fish, that's just me, I hate a blank day. Life's to short to encourage them and it always gets shorter, not the the other way round.

Seriously, I wouldn't worry about pressure too much, the majority of times its mid range 1000-1020 or 1025 and probably will not have a great bearing on fishing. Its just worth noting a good low spell as this might mean good fishing if its wet and cloudy with some good water color as well. or noting if its very high which might mean bright sun and clear water. Consider where and what you might fish for in these conditions for a pleasure angler, other than this I wouldn't worry about it most of the time.

People go too much on temps, weather, moon state, pressure, wind etc etc.

If everyone just fished when they wanted, instead of at the correct state of the moon for example, equal amounts of fish would come out all the time.

Until zig fishing came popular, everyone said that the summer was the worst season to fish for carp, so the banks were nice and quiet and very few fish came out in the summer

Agree with all the comments about pressure and tempreature and so on.

One thing that I am increasingly beginning to think plays a much bigger part than we may imagine is light. I guess we all know how the chances of a bite can increase with the onset of dusk or reduce as dawn turns to full day. Sometimes the effect can be very predictable such as knowing a bite is due when the sun reaches a certain point in the sky or disappears behind some trees. As the light leaves the water so fish start to come out from the liars to feed

Allot of the things that have been mentioned such as pressure, temperature, wind and so on can also have a bearing on light levels. Low pressure with its often associated milder temperatures and cloud cover also means light levels are lower. Wind causing a good chop on the water will also impact the amount of light getting through. Even at night light can play a part…I know allot has been written about the full moon and its impact on fishing and how a full moon means the sky is clear so that would mean lower temperatures and so worse fishing. While this may well be true I wonder if the light levels being higher during a full moon also put the fish on edge?

So light I think does play an important role and sometimes looking for places were light levels remain low such as undercuts, overhangs, canopies of trees and so on can mean you can continue to get bites even on the brightest days from all sorts of species. The contrast can be true as well…I have witnessed Carp after a chilly night moving literally with the shadow line at dawn onto the shallows to warm up. And witness how on hot days all sorts of species rise in the water to sunbath.

Rod Hutchinson I think it was wrote in the past how he felt light levels were the most important aspect of all in location and feeding habits. I guess we will never know for sure, which is probably good as if it became too predictable we would give up fishing.