What type of weather is the best when you are going out to fish? Do you know when fish will be most active? We interviewed our very own meteorologist Joe Slezak (who has been fishing his whole life) on our Weather Lounge Podcast "Think Like a Fish: The Best Fishing Weather Revealed". Joe started fishing as a child and learned a lot from his grandfather. Fast foward to today, Joe now lives along a river that runs through his backyard and tries to go fishing as often as he can.
To answer the question in the title, yes, weather does have an impact on fishing. There are many variables in weather that can dictate whether you will get a lot of bites on your line or not. One of the most significant variables that Joe noticed is a change in air pressure. Usually, when the pressure falls, this means a storm (or active weather) is coming. This can be something as little as a thunderstorm or as big as a hurricane. Joe has been fishing before, during, and after storms (we do not recommend fishing during storms as it can be dangerous) and he has noticed that fishing before is the best time. As the air pressure drops, the fish get a sense like "something is coming, we have to eat", so they get excited and try to eat before the storm arrives. As the storm begins, it can be a very good time to fish because the drops on the water can limit the fish's depth of view and drown out sound from the hook hitting the water. Both of these factors can make it easier to catch fish. However, once it rains enough to produce any runoff, this can wash food into the water that the fish can then eat. Also, more water means they have a larger space to swim and may not run into the fishing hook as easily compared to shallow water.
Now switching gears to oceans and bays, fishing during high and low tides can either help or hurt your chances of catching fish. The best time to cast a line is while the tide is moving. You never want to fish while the water is stagnant at it's highest or lowest stages. The reasoning is because fish are usually lethargic. They don't move around too much and usually try to wait until food gets to them. So, if the tide is moving, the fish move with the tide towards sources of food and you may have a greater chance for bites.
Just for fun, we asked Joe for a story, it could either be about the weirdest thing he's caught, or something interesting. This is certainly interesting as he was fishing in the Dry Tortugas (small islands about 50 miles from Key West, FL), then fell asleep with his lines in the water before waking up to a nurse shark on his hook. Another time he was fishing in south New Jersey and caught some sting rays !! Now those are some odd catches !!
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