Low Pressure v's Spring Tides

Thu Sep 20, 2012 9:45 am

So next weekend (29th and 30th) looks like we will have a low pressure sitting over or close to us but the full moon in Sunday night.
Just wanted to get peoples opinions on this and will the Spring tides bring fish on the feed despite the low pressure..? Which of the two has the most influence..?

Re: Low Pressure v's Spring Tides

Thu Sep 20, 2012 6:40 pm

Rockhunter might be the man to answer that question.

Re: Low Pressure v's Spring Tides

Thu Sep 20, 2012 6:45 pm

eoghan this is a very good topic and the reason it hasnt been posted is,that people arent to sure on this one,,,certainly with the tide situation it is good for fish but the low pressure that is giving N/E winds light in the day and to freshen up later on,which will prob happen after the tide has turned at the low mark it could have an effect on fishing,,howerver i have had good enough fishing on N/E winds before so aslong as its not all east it might not be too bad at all,,anyway im gonna try a few bass tomorrow night for a few hours towards high water no matter on the weather is like in a week or so

wouldnt mind barney wright of tsf magazine had a good topic up on the magazine about 3/4 editions back about the lows and highs of prressure in the weather and i was reading it on a train to dublin and trying to take it all in but unfortunately a blonde came on board and sat at the same table and that was that :mrgreen:

maybe ask someone on here if they have all the tsf mags editions as ask them for info,,i left mine on the train :mrgreen:

cheers
Last edited by saving private brian on Thu Sep 20, 2012 7:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Re: Low Pressure v's Spring Tides

Thu Sep 20, 2012 7:01 pm

9 days ahead is too far ahead to be certain that there will be low pressure. Afterall, most forecasting models can only give 36 hours forecast with any certainty. Having said that dropping pressure cam often be a trigger for fish to go on the feed.

Re: Low Pressure v's Spring Tides

Thu Sep 20, 2012 10:10 pm

Pat is right Eoghan its too far away -

One thing is for sure low pressure combined with Spring tides will produce either greater or lesser volumes of water (depending on wind strength, duration and direction)

http://www.probassfisher.com/2010/10/sequencing_27.html

changing pressure either uo or down is nearly always good

Bendy

Re: Low Pressure v's Spring Tides

Fri Sep 21, 2012 9:03 am

Very true gents, I should have said at this point in time, that based on current trends, Windguru, Magicseaweed and the gulf stream etc it is most likely that we will be fishing under a low pressure..!! :-) Northerly winds veering westerly.
But yeah, the best thing we can do is to wait for Tuesday/Wednesday to get a good idea.

We are going down on Thursday morning so not long to go.

But still great to get peoples views on the question.
Really wanted to know if a Spring tide will negate some of the effects that a low pressure brings with it.

Re: Low Pressure v's Spring Tides

Fri Sep 21, 2012 1:42 pm

HI Eoghan,

on a recent where are all the bass gone thread, someone pointed out that all the low pressure contributed to the poor catches, low and behold the next time we had high pressure all the bass were back and panic over, so with that in mind the Low pressure will certainly not help, there have been plenty big tides over the summer with low that didnt produce either.

All that said it may be the reverse! :D

But unlikely from recent trends!

Re: Low Pressure v's Spring Tides

Fri Sep 21, 2012 2:00 pm

Yeah, I know if it is a low I am going to fish deeper and slower retrievals which may help.
Still a week away. As the lads said ye really cant call it. The forecasts on each of the sites are changing every half day. Now it looks like it might just be a H pressure creeping in from the SW and settled weather after a bit of a blow on Tue/Wed. But sure who knows for sure til at least tuesday.

Re: Low Pressure v's Spring Tides

Fri Sep 21, 2012 2:24 pm

Anglers the world over have always struggled with that question. I have experienced times when lots of fish were visible, and they would not so much as nibble at even a properly presented live bait. What reason is there for a fish not to bite?

Perhaps the better question would be to ask what makes a fish bite rather than why they won’t bite. Fish are animals and just like all other animals they get hungry once in a while, some more than others :wink: . It is not just empty stomachs that will drive a fish to feed. Just watch your kids or people invited to a free buffet. :roll:
The savvy angler knows that there are other factors that will entice a fish to strike, even when they aren’t hungry.

All kinds of projects and studies have indicated that fish feed more and better in a moving water situation. Tidal water movement and current are major keys to the feeding effort.

You may have experienced this yourself. On an outgoing tide, the fish are biting and you are catching them at a regular rate. Then as if someone turned off a light switch, they stop. If you pay attention you probably see that the current stops with a change of tides.

Current - or rather lack of current will turn off a bite. Even offshore, where you may not realise it, currents will make all the difference. Slack tides with no current, while really good for getting a bait to the bottom with very little weight, usually means no fish :x
The fish finder marks fish all over the bottom, but with the exception of small bait robbers, you can’t even buy a bite!

Weather conditions most definitely affect the feeding habits of fish! As the barometric pressure drops, indicating a storm or low-pressure condition, fish will feed.
Storms and low-pressure areas (hurricanes are the ultimate low pressure) mean that the water will be stirred. Fish seem to realize that the dropping pressure, sensed by their lateral lines, means stirred water. They tend to feed ahead of the storm because they will not be able to feed as well in the murky water following the storm.

You can witness this for yourselves just shortly ahead of a major weather change. These are low-pressure cells in their own right, and as they approach, the fish will turn on and begin feeding.

After a cold front passes through, high pressure invades the area and the sea seems to be barren. That is probably because fish tend to feed heavily as the front and low-pressure center passes through. Now full, they tend to ignore baits presented to them.

In a shallow water setting, water clarity plays a huge part in getting a fish to bite. Long casts from a position well away from the fish are usually required to keep from spooking the fish. As a rule of thumb, if you can clearly see the fish, you will probably have a hard time getting them to bite. Remember, they can see you just as well if not even better :!:

So, if the tide stops running and the fish stop biting, take a break, eat some lunch, enjoy the scenery, maybe hatch a new plan, tie a few more rigs :P - and then get ready to move to a mark that will hold fish on the opposite tide. Learning to move and change with tide and weather conditions will help you catch more fish.

I always found a rapid drop from high to low really accounts for aggressive behaviour, and that's not only in fish :P :wink:

Re: Low Pressure v's Spring Tides

Mon Sep 24, 2012 11:11 am

All that worry for nothing. Looks like some settled weather for Thur with a high pressure just off the west coast. Might just be perfect if it holds after the last 2 weeks of low Pressure. Mon to Wed look crappy but this bit of high pressure couldnt have come at a batter time. Regardles we will be fishing round the clock.