Bassin' USA - Bass Fishing Forum Archives

Im wondering about the effects of humidity and presure effect basses daily movements and feeding habbits. any input weould be aprecated Thanks in advance.

Abner, I think that barometric pressure effects bass the most. High pressure systems usually send bass either deep of into heavy cover. High barometer reading usually occur after a cold front or during stable weather. When the barometer starts to drop is usually a good fishing day. The fish get more active and move shallower. Falling barometers often are a portent of an up-coming storm front which turns fish on.
As far as humidity, it affects us more than the fish, the fish live in 100% humidity. Sometimes high humidity levels also indicate approaaching stormy weather and again, the fish can become active. The chances of rain are much greater during high humidity ratings.
When you feel either or both of these weather phenominons is affecting fishing, simply seek out extra heavy cover, slow down and maybe even down-size slightly. Good luck, Johnnie

Good advice Johnnie,

A good rule to follow is as the barometer rises, the bass move deeper and their strike-zone decreases, as the barometer falls the bass move shallower and their strike-zone increases. This is a relative philosophy, so you must consider the depth ranges of each body of water you fish. In some cases, the fish might only change depth by a foot or so. In others, they may move as much as 30+ feet.

Here are a couple of examples which might help you:

Mid to deep range bass:

You have been fishing a small hump in 20 feet of water that tops out at 6 feet. You have been catching fish in 10-12 feet of water. The barometer has been stable (consistent) and suddenly a low pressure system moves in and the barometer is dropping. The fish at some point will move closer to the high spot of the hump. You may now find them in 6-8 feet of water. The low pressure system passes through and a high pressure system follows, these same bass will move back to the 10-12 foot range and as the barometer keeps rising may even drop off to the base of the hump in 20 feet of water. The more dramatic the barometric change, the greater depth change you can expect.

Shallow Bass:

Shallow bass who spend the most time in cover which is in less than 4’ of water may only reposition themselves within the cover they inhabit. As Johnnie said they may just get deeper into the cover or hold tighter to it. If you have a favorite lay-down (tree) that holds bass, and the barometric pressure has been stable or consistent, these fish will roam in and around the tree. They will be more inclined to search out prey. Following a cold front or system of low pressure and as the barometer rises, these bass will may move down to the base of the tree and hold very tight to the thickest branches available. Their strike-zone will decrease and you will need to make several presentations into the thickest part of the tree. Often during these periods, you will need to leave your lure in the same are for a while to trigger a strike. You may also have a lot of success by trying to generate a reaction strike by using very sharp, erratic motions while you are working your lure.

Deep Bass:

Deep water bass that spend most of their time in water 20+ feet may not relocate, however they will reposition themselves in the water column. Instead of being located near the bottom, they will suspend at various depths under adverse barometric conditions. These fish are easy to spot on a graph, but not always so easy to catch. In fact, many anglers feel that suspended fish are the hardest fish to catch. What makes suspending bass difficult to catch is not only must you be able to present you lure at the various depth levels which they are located, but also keep your lure in their strike-zone. These bass do not typically follow the rising/falling barometer methodology. In fact they will more often rise to suspend during post-frontal conditions.

Brendan

Thank you for the information extremely useful. This reservoir is relatively featureless ass far as the creek channel. The reservoir reaches a max depth of 65 feet in a few places near the dam. I would say the average depth is 35-20 feet. The majority of success that I have had on this lake has been in the 15 feet and up range during spring and early summer (basically spawn and post spawn). I’m wondering would it be safe to categorize this body of water to be shallow or mid range. My goal is being that I fish the crap out of this reservoir I’m having trouble locating and catching these fish around fronts, on pre spawn staging areas, fall, and especially winter. Right now I believe the lake to be in a oxygen depleted stage due to extremely stained water for the last month have not been able to locate any clear water (not normal for this time of year).

I've found that if you put a drop shot rig, slowly, in their face you can come up with some strikes.

Abner,

In the example you gave, yes, they would fall into the Mid-Deep range. In the absence of cover or structure, they might just suspend and that may be why you are having a hard time locating and catching them. Your electronics are your best friend and are far more valuable than any advice you might receive from other anglers.

Are you using electronics to locate the bass? If so, are you confident in your ability to interpret what is displayed on the screen?

Brendan