Weather Whys; Fishing and Weather

This is weather-wise. Fishing is a sport that seems intrinsically linked with nature. Sometimes the fish bite, and sometimes they don't, and no one can really explain why. But as long as fishermen have been baiting their hooks and casting their lines, they've been trying to use weather and other natural phenomena to time their endeavors in hopes of improving their chances of bringing home a prize catch. And it seems as though there are almost as many theories connected to fishing as there are fishermen. For instance, an old rhyme maintains that southwind and sky bright give the fishermen much delight. But many experienced fishermen claim fish are actually scared off by bright sunshine. After all, their natural environment down there in the water's depths is quite murky and dark. Anglers, however, say choppy waters defuse bright light, and so the fish aren't as reluctant to come close to the surface. So maybe the southwind in the rhyme causes some choppiness and compensates for the fish's photophobia.

Other theories suggest a connection between the activity level of fish and the barometric pressure. Studies have shown that fishermen do come back with a better catch on days when the barometric pressure is moderate to high and rising. That may be because of the very structure of a fish. They have pockets of air in their bodies that help them attain a neutral buoyancy with the water. In other words, they don't tend to sink or rise. But as a result of the atmospheric pressure begins to fall, the fish would tend to rise a bit in the water. So to compensate, the fish might try to swim deeper. And deeper fish mean emptier skillets at dinner. We'd like to know what you think of Weatherwise. Please write us at Weatherwise, K-G-O-U radio. The University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, 73019-025-0. For Weatherwise, I'm Drew Barlow.