How the weather impacts on fishing

This article looks at the weather and how it impacts on the sport of fishing.

Overcast: Generally, the best sort of weather for fishing is overcast, warm and with a slight wind. The overcast sky will hide the angler, line and bait.

Light breeze: The slight wind will break the surface of the water reducing the fish's ability to see. It will also blow the bait on the surface of the water towards the fish. However if the current flows in one direction a strong wind blowing the other way could carry the bait against the flow and the fish would find this unnatural.

Warm Weather: High temperatures or sudden temperature variations can have a negative impact on fishing. In hot weather the fish are not as likely to take the bait so in this type of weather be prepared to fish early or late in the day. Therefore  fishing either in the morning before eight or after six in the afternoon gets better results.

Cold Weather: Very cold weather is not productive to successful fishing.  Coarse fish go deeper and become dormant in the winter because of the scarcity of food and to avoid heat loss. They often tend to seek out holes and depressions in lake floors. Although sometimes a winter warm spell or a fisherman breaking the ice on a pond will cause fish to come nearer to the surface in search of food.

Sea Anglers may find that fish are more active in the cold winter weather. The effects of the change in the weather over the seasons act slower on the sea, so the effects of winter cooling on the fish takes longer.

Snow: A snow storm can actually raise the temperature, so fish would be more inclined to move and chase the bait. But the bait must still be presented close to them."

Rain: Rain can mean different things in different areas. In Scottish rivers fed by flood waters or ‘spate’ fed, fishermen might find fishing is good at first, but gets worse as the strong flow pushes the bait higher in the water - above the fish.

Thunder and lightening: Thunder and lightning scares fish away and a carbon fibre fishing rod could act as a lightning conductor.

Stormy weather: Scottish sea trout will respond in wild rain and wind as long as it is westerly. Whilst rain means estuaries become flooded with fresh water so sea anglers find the salt water fish go further out to sea. 

Fog: is said to be good for fishing as the fish will come in closer.

 

back to articles home page