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Walleyes
and Weather
By
Ted Takasaki and Scott Richardson
Pro angler Ted Takasaki holds
up a monster walleye taken during an approaching storm. In
this article, meteorologist and avid angler Todd Heitkamp
helps us all understand the impact weather– especially
barometric pressure– has on fishing.
An easy-to-understand story
about barometric pressure and its impact on your fishing
Todd Heitkamp still
remembers the day his professor first explained the basics of
barometric pressure in a Weather 101 class at the University
of Wisconsin in Madison.
Barometric pressure is just
the weight of the air, the prof said. It constantly pushes
down on everything, like a big hand. It presses down on you,
the earth and the surface of the water. He went on to say that
stormy weather results from low pressure, when the ‘hand of
the atmosphere’ pushes down with less strength. On the
opposite end of the spectrum, clear blue skies come from high
pressure, or a heavy hand, the teacher said.
Heitkamp instantly recognized
how that analogy could help fishermen understand how fish
behave. Most people use a barometer simply to help them guess
as to whether they should take an umbrella with them. But,
barometric pressure readings can also predict whether fish are
likely to be biting, or if they will soon be biting– or,
perhaps, if it’s best to stay home.
Time on the water has
confirmed the professor was speaking the truth, according to
Heitkamp, who’s been a meteorologist for the National Weather
Service for the past 20 years. He also owns Dakota Angler bait
& tackle store in Sioux Falls, SD.
“Weather is the most
important influence on fishing,” says Heitkamp. “In the tackle
industry, I see all the latest gadgets and tackle. But what
people haven’t come up with is how to control the weather. If
the weather doesn’t cooperate, there’s nothing you can do.”
In simple terms, here’s how
Heitkamp sees it:
* Barometric pressure– the
weight of the air– decreases as a storm approaches. It’s
called low pressure. To understand how it works, imagine the
palm of that giant hand the professor talked about easing up
as it presses on the water’s surface. Its touch is lighter.
The water isn’t as compressed as it was, and fish can move
more easily through it. The mood of many fish often changes to
what we might call a more ‘active’ mood. They move around more
freely and feed.
A storm also brings clouds
and wave-creating wind, reducing sunlight penetration. Active
fish can move to shallower water. In the case of walleyes,
they often rise in the water column. The sonar screen shows
them moving up off the bottom. Or, they just move shallower on
shoreline-connected and midlake structures.
Heitkamp believes that the
absolute best fishing periods often occur when barometric
pressure reaches its lowest point, just before the front
arrives.
“The old saying, that fish
bite best right before the storm,” he says, “is true.”
So, Heitkamp says, the best
time to head to the lake is when the forecast calls for storms
moving into the area.
The picture changes when the
storm is over. Barometric pressure starts to rise again. The
giant hand presses down harder, and the water becomes more
compact. High pressure also brings clear, bluebird skies, and
light penetration is often intense for the next several days.
Fish feel the increased pressure and become less active. They
move tight to cover or deeper, where the sun isn’t so bright.
Their mood is lethargic.
“With underwater cameras, you
can watch fish come up to a bait and not bite it,” observes
Heitkamp. “People don’t understand that, but when air pressure
is high, fish become less aggressive. They just come up and
look. They may eventually take it, but you have to work a
little harder.”
The effect of the pressure
change is most pronounced on the first day after the storm
passes.
Heitkamp said time of year
must also be considered. The impact of a change in barometric
pressure is more severe in winter. For one reason, the swing
between high and low pressure is more drastic during the cold
months. For another, the same high pressure is affecting less
water volume when part of it is locked up as ice.
Heitkamp thinks fish like
northern pike may be the least susceptible to changes in
barometric pressure; they seem to be aggressive no matter
what. But, the perch family, including walleye, may be the
most impacted by the changes, followed by crappies and
bluegills. Heitkamp doesn’t target muskies often, but anyone
who does will tell you the best time to be on the water is
when black clouds appear on the horizon.
A barometer isn’t needed to
know what’s happening with air pressure. Read the wind
instead.
“Anyone can play amateur
weather forecaster,” says Heitkamp. “Before the (storm) front,
wind is out of the south. When it switches to west-northwest,
pressure begins to rise.”
The old saying, “Wind from
the east, fish bite the least,” has a basis in fact, he added.
“Wind comes from the east the
longer high pressure is in place,” he says. “By then, high
pressure has taken a real toll on the fish.”
Test the professor. Make your
own fishing predictions for a year by looking up the
barometric pressure on weather websites. Then, keep a log and
see how often you’re right.
Heitkamp is a busy guy, like
all of us. He must go fishing when he can, whether he thinks
the weather will cooperate or not. Even when conditions are
less than ideal, the barometer can help put more fish in the
boat if you’re willing to analyze the effect air pressure is
having at that moment, he said.
“When you get out on a body
of water, people do what they normally have done,” theorizes
Heitkamp. “We fish in a comfort zone. What they haven’t done
is check the weather. If you don’t understand what the weather
is doing, you’re already behind the eight ball on learning
what the fish are going to want that day.”
Storm coming? Then low
pressure is on its way, and faster, aggressive tactics may be
best. For walleyes, trolling or casting crankbaits at shallow
structures may be the keys. Look for schools cruising up off
the bottom. Note the changes in depth as time passes. Keep the
Beckman handy.
“When fish are aggressive,”
he says, “you can drop anything down there.”
Heitkamp likes to use live
bait anytime, so he tends to be a little more conservative
even when the barometer points to the aggressive end of the
scale. When the barometer is moving downward, he uses
bottom-bouncers and Red Devil spinners. If he must slow down,
he uses Lindy rigs.
He’ll slow down even more as
the grip of high pressure takes hold. Jigs are one tool of
choice. He’ll jig live bait on one rod to attract walleyes and
use a dead-stick to get the bites. The approach works either
in open water or through the ice. Because walleyes and other
fish hold tight to cover, slip bobbers are another Heitkamp
favorite.
The lesson? You can’t do
anything about the weather. But, you can watch the barometer
and predict where fish will be, how they’ll behave and what
tactics to use.
Weather, if you understand
it, can help you choose where and how to fish.
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