Hunting or fishing, camping or skiing, one factor consistently affects our experience and sometimes even our success afield: weather. Some folks go overboard here â blaming every tick of change in barometric pressure for their lack of success. And other folks too often forego quality time out-of-doors because the TV news “weather terrorists” (and their ultra-high-tech systems) convince the general public that stormy Armageddon is an imminent, ever-present threat.
Yeah, I think we take weather a little seriously in this country today, perhaps because we’re all a little more citified than Americans were just a few generations ago. On the flip side, much of what we read about important hunting and fishing tactics relies on a stable weather pattern. You know, consistent temperatures and relatively clear skies. Of course, much of the time the weather doesn’t play along with our best laid plans, and all fish and wildlife become less predictable around a change in weather. Let’s try to find a happy medium between using the marvelous technology we possess today (to keep us safe from legitimate life-threatening weather) without frightening us into avoiding the great outdoors altogether.
So what’s my weather-tracking system? Well, I start by looking up. I’ve experienced enough time outdoors that the sky itself provides some strong clues about how I should approach my hunting or fishing that day. I rarely rely on the television weatherperson because where I live in Brainerd, Minn., can be much different than what I hear from TV anchors in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. Sure, it provides a rough estimate and a heads-up if severe weather is looming, but it rarely drives my outdoors decision-making.
That said, I still check weather reports regularly, but mostly via the great information super highway: the Internet. There are a number of fine sites that provide forecasts and current weather (including wind speed and direction) up-to-the-minute online. Check out The Weather Channel’s website at www.weather.com, or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s website at www.weather.gov. With new-fangled browser-enabled cell phones on our hips these days, we can check these forecasts just about anytime, anyplace. Extended forecasts, however you obtain them, are especially important if you’re going to be traveling and want to bring the right clothing or gear.
Anytime we have changes in weather it spurs activity with terrestrial animals as well as fish. Goose hunting in western Minnesota in December 2008, for example, we hit a stellar day before a big blizzard blew in across the northern plains. Those geese were feeding heavily the day before a storm, but when it hit, they really hunkered down. Our second day of hunting was a bust since the geese weren’t feeding: They were waiting it out. Animals have a sixth sense that something is coming up, and cold-blooded or warm-blooded animals alike will seek out food before a storm hits. That’s why many anglers, for example (and it has been my experience) know that fish bite well before a front.
I read and hear a lot about pressure changes disproportionately affecting the mood or activity level of fish. The theory seems to be that pressure affects their swim bladders.
I’ve have mixed feelings on this point because it’s hard for me to believe a little change in mercury affects creatures underwater all that much. Wouldn’t it seem that air pressure changes would affect creatures that live in air more than something in the water? That said, it’s obvious that weather changes can affect the bite. It’s sort of like your great granddad pointing to his bum knee and saying, “Bad storm a-brewing! I can feel it in my knee!”
Whatever the reason, we need to consider a few rules when weather changes occur. Bottom line, understanding weather in the context of hunting and fishing is about understanding how certain creatures react to that weather.
Bright skies, for example, with clear sunlight will affect some species more. Nocturnal or crepuscular (creatures active at dawn or dusk) species will be less active. Walleyes, for example, will go deeper or perhaps there will be a better nighttime bite. Some species like largemouth bass don’t mind bright skies and clouds. In such circumstances, they might be tight to cover, or in deeper water where they can ambush predators, so they’ll hide in the shadows more. If it’s dark out, they’ll be more willing to cruise and get out of the cover. You can make a similar case for many other predator piscatorial species. Pike are hunters and ambush predators that likely will hold to the shadows in bright light. Crappies are like walleyes in that they’ll use dark water to their advantage, too. Sunfish have the name for a reason: They’re active during day eating invertebrates, which are feeding on phytoplankton – things that need light and energy, which works up the food chain.
What about ice fishing? Weather changes will affect the bite, but in my mind it’s even less of an issue than in the summer. The thick ice over the fish already has completely altered the underway world and mitigates the pressure change even more. Yes, there does seem to be a correlation between fish mood and behavior and fronts, but it’s not a primary consideration for me. It’s way down the list, below things like time of winter, oxygen levels, and forage base â all of which I consider way more important.
Windy conditions in my experience affect people and our ability, or willingness, to be effective out-of-doors. During the 2008 Minnesota deer season, a lot of guys bailed out of the woods early because they were tired of 10 or 12 hours of being blown back and forth in their treestands in 40-mph-plus winds. Plenty of guys killed deer in all that wind, but it probably wasn’t much fun. Certainly there are times in a boat when the accompanying rough water can become hazardous, and you need to monitor weather reports and use good old-fashioned common sense in such conditions.
On land, wind can swirl your scent and decrease your odds of seeing deer or other game. Animals like deer typically walk with the wind in their nose so they can detect any danger ahead of them. When the wind is gusty or swirling, all animals begin to feel less comfortable or safe, so they’re more likely to hunker down until the weather plays nicely. Of course, not all individual terrestrial animals will automatically behave that way, so if you’re willing to stick it out, the wind actually works to your advantage. The dumb ones walk into your bullet or arrow: Chalk up another one for evolution!
If you can handle tough winds in your boat, a wind-blown shoreline is a great place to target open water fish. Many outdoor writers have recounted such tales of high winds blowing food sources into shorelines where a hungry food chain unfolds. Casting crankbaits or other lures into these shorelines can produce absolutely phenomenal days!
Understand the species you’re chasing and consider if the weather might dictate a different tactics or a different pursuit altogether. But don’t let it stop you from going out-of-doors! It never stopped old great granddad, even with the trick knee!
Adam Johnson is an Aquatic Biologist.By: Adam Johnson
