You don’t catch anything when the wind blows from the east! When it rains the fish bite! There is a lot of fishing wisdom about the weather. Bernd Brink describes how much truth there is behind it. Our author believes that in many cases it depends on the right approach, because doing the same thing in every weather condition is not guaranteed to bring lasting success.
1 | When it rains the fish bite!
Countless times I have heard this. Especially from non-fishermen. I do not know how this folk wisdom came about. Rain can encourage fish to feed. After a hot spell, it brings oxygen into the water. Hanging trees above water, rain flushes insects into the waters. The fish know that. The same goes for enemas. But the
Fish are usually caught after the rain. During the precipitation I rarely got a bite. Fish don’t seem to like rain. This is especially true for long-lasting, steady rain, the so-called "land rain". In some cases it was so clear that the bites only occurred during short breaks in the rain.
I have two guesses why rain has a negative effect. First, the noise. Fish can hear well, noise is simply unpleasant to them. My second guess has to do with the sideline organ. With this remote sense of touch, fish can register pressure waves, z. B. when another fish swims by. You can use it to orient yourself and see an obstacle in the distance. When a lot of raindrops hit the water, there are countless pressure waves that disturb the sideline organ. The orientation is limited and above all an approaching enemy can be recognized more badly. I am convinced that this is why the fish stay in their safe shelter instead of going in search of food. When it rains
I therefore fish deeper, here I still get occasional bites. In very shallow waters the bite indicators are usually silent.
2 | With east wind you catch nothing!
I have caught some excellent fish in easterly winds. I think the misconception comes from two reasons.
First, western winds are predominant in Europe. The windward shore is often the best fishing spot. Many anglers don’t realize that the west wind is responsible for this and fish the spot even in the east wind. But now the fish are somewhere else.
The second reason: easterly winds are often accompanied by an area of high pressure. In clear high pressure weather fish stand flatter. If the baits are in the usual "success depths", you fish past the fish.
In spite of all wisdom: The author is happy about this beautiful east wind carp.
3 | Wind is always good!
I always have a good feeling when there are some waves on the water. The wind bank is my first port of call. Only if the air is much colder than the water, the downwind side can be better.
The wind makes it easier for us to find the fish. By bringing in oxygen, the wind can also directly make the fish eat better.
But it can also be too much of a good thing. A storm that causes big waves on a shallow body of water will also cause turbulence underwater. I fish deeper then. But if there are no deep zones, the bite indicators are silent. Obviously, the fish lose their appetite if they are permanently rocked back and forth.
Wind is always good!
4 | In calm conditions the bite indicators are silent!
Lack of wind makes it harder to find the fish. But if the bait is in the right place, I have already experienced great moments in the doldrums. Especially on large bodies of water that are almost always kept moving by waves, fish take advantage of the calm water and feed in very shallow zones that they otherwise avoid. In a calm night I have no problem to put my bait in less than 50 cm water depth. And there not only small specimens eat.
When the water is calm the bite indicators are silent!
5 | You don’t catch fish in frost!
That you can’t catch fish in cold weather is clearly disproved. It is only more difficult. Because at low temperatures fish eat less. But cold water is not always worse than warm water. Fish like constant temperatures. In November and early December the water temperature often settles at 7 to 8 degrees and drops only slowly. Now you can catch much better than in the weeks before, when the first frost nights drop the water temperature quickly by several degrees.
In frost you do not catch fish!
6 | In hail and snow the fish say nope!
No matter if hail is hitting the water or snowflakes are dipping gently into the lake, both are frozen water. This causes a rapid drop in temperature. As already mentioned with the fog, it is poison for the catches. The best chances for a cold catch are again those who fish deep. On such days it is best to go to a deep quarry pond and leave the shallow club pond to the left.
In hail and snow the fish say no!
7 | Fog is a bad time to catch!
A light ground fog has no influence. «Real", dense fog, where you can’t see 100 meters, is almost a guarantee for a tailor’s number. Fog is formed when humidity (water vapor) condenses on the finest particles in the air. For a dense fog to occur, there must be a lot of water vapor in the air. The warmer it is, the more moisture the air can hold. For much of it to condense, it must become much colder. So fog is always the result of a drop in temperature. And fish do not like that at all. So it is not the fog, but the cold that makes the bite indicator silent. As with almost all negative weather phenomena, it helps to lower the lures. But a "fog fish will always remain a rare catch.
In fog you catch badly!
8 | You catch badly in clear sunshine!
If the sun shines from the sky, the chances of success are rarely good. The fish then stay in the light-flooded upper water layers. They are seldom in a feeding mood now, unless there are many water insects in the open water. Then the bait should also be offered in open water, z. B. Using a cig rig or peg mount to coax a fish to land after all. A deep lying bait, which still brought bites at night, now lies too deep. I lay my lures much shallower during the day when the weather is clear.
When the sun is clear you catch badly!
9 | It’s hard to catch fish when it’s hot!
Peaceful fish like it warm. But this is only true as long as the oxygen content is right. The warmer the water, the less oxygen it can hold. Especially in shallow, standing water, the value drops dramatically during a hot spell. Fish then avoid any exertion, this includes digestion. If at all, you can still get bites in the cool morning hours in shallow waters. Deep dredge lakes and running waters now offer higher oxygen levels and better fishing opportunities.
When it’s hot it’s hard to catch!
10 | Low pressure areas are good, high pressure is bad!
Air pressure plays a major role in determining our weather. Air pressure changes bring weather changes. This is where many of the previous myths come together. I have caught well in low pressure areas as well as in high pressure areas.
Low pressure can create conditions for very good catches. For example, if after a period of heat (almost always a high) an approaching low with strong winds and rain showers ensures a high oxygen input. The previously sluggish fish then not infrequently get into a feeding frenzy.
Or when in spring the wind of a low presses the warm surface water into a bay and practically the entire stock gathers there. Logically then the catch prospects are good.
The wrong conclusion: it must be the low pressure. I say: No, it’s because of the oxygen resp. to the temperature stratification influenced by the wind.
A rising high does not have these positive effects. The wind usually decreases. Lack of wind can make the fish spread out more in the water, and it makes finding them more difficult (see 3). High pressure usually gives us clear weather, which lowers the catch prospects during the day (see 8).
The most applicable weather rule is: There is no such thing as bad weather, it just has to be three days old! If a weather situation is stable, the catch prospects are good. No matter if high or low pressure. When changing the odds are better from high to low. But not always, because a low can bring cold rain (see 1). And a cold spell is never good (see 6).