ASK THE EXPERTS
Dear Panel
Help! I'm totally lost when barometric pressure is mentioned. First of all, what is it, and how does it play a part in carp fishing? Any help would be great.
Cheers
Eddie Gilbert
Tooting
Dear Eddie
Barometric pressure indicates the changes in the atmosphere, and by monitoring these changes you can predict the weather with reasonable accuracy. At times, this pressure can rise or fall very quickly, which can be very good, or very bad, for we carp anglers. I must say, this is not an exact science, but as a rule of thumb a rise in barometric pressure means improving weather, clear skies, sunny conditions, and not much wind, whereas falling pressure means cloudy, overcast, and raining, with strong winds. (This is just a generalisation.)
My watch with barometer compass, thermometer, etc. keeps me in touch with the weather conditions.
You can check the weather conditions, including barometric pressure on your computer.
A stunning Frimley mirror caught in two feet of water. Never forget the shallows.
Now from a carping point of view, low pressure is what most anglers prefer. From my own experiences over the years, the fish definitely seem to be more catchable in these sort of conditions, and can go on the munch big-time. That said, I’ve also caught plenty of fish, good ones as well, in high pressure, so keep an open mind. I’ve even got a watch which has a barometric pressure graph on it, as well as a compass, thermometer, etc. This automatically takes pressure readings every two hours, which gives you a clear picture of what happens – but be warned, when I first got my watch I used to look at it all the time and if the pressure dropped like a stone I always wanted to be off fishing as quickly as possible!
Some lakes definitely seem to respond better than others to pressure changes, but as far as I’m concerned, and in my experience, angling pressure has more effect on carp behaviour and feeding patterns than anything else. I think the less angling pressure there is on a water, the more the fish respond.
Hope this helps.
All the best,
Steve
