In the past 2 weeks – since opening – we’ve seen temps as high as 30C and down to -1C overnight. We’ve seen snow flurries and days when you feel you are in the middle of a summer heatwave. The variance in the temps has a huge impact on fishing. When we have consistent high pressure for 3 consecutive days then fishing turns on. When there’s a drop in the barometric pressure then fishing turns off. Low pressure means slow fishing.

Just so our fishermen understand – a weekend of slow fishing does not mean there are no fish.

I read an article about the barometric pressure and the affect on fishing. The article stated that during a prolonged period of high pressure then fishing is good. Just prior to a cold front heading in there’s a low pressure front. The fish can sense that the barometer is about to drop. So, right before the high begins to dissipate and the barometer falls, the fish respond with a change in feeding patterns. They’ll often feed heavily right before the pressure drops. As it does, they become more uncomfortable and feed less aggressively.  A fish senses pressure changes through its air bladder – when the pressure drops fish feel less pressure on their bladder. When there’s less pressure squeezing their bladders, the bladders expand a bit. When their bladders expand, fish become uncomfortable. They relieve their discomfort by moving lower in the water column or by absorbing extra gas in their bladders. Due to these stresses they are not worried about eating – they try to find a depth where they can stabilize their bladder pressure to feel better. When the front passes and high pressure moves back in, the fish may not feed aggressively for at least 24 hours as they are still adjusting. If you have 3 consecutive days of high pressure then fishing turns on again and the cycle repeats.