Ross’s Ramblings – Weather Or Not.
People often ask me, โDoes weather matter?โ Itโs a very loaded question. Part of me wants to get into a long and technical rant about the infinite number of variables the weather can throw at fish and fishers. The other half of me wants to say, โOf course, but thereโs so much going on with it that itโs not worth worrying over.โ I think in the past few years Iโve grown fond of my second answer. The weather is so big and so involved itโs too exhausting to think about. Talk about over-load.High pressure and low-pressure systems are the heart of weather disturbances and with each new pressure change comes a mix of wind-rain-overcast-sunny-
If you watch the radar, those swirly masses never sit still. The systems usually begin out over the Pacific ocean and rain and spit all the way to the southern Red River Valley and then end up here in the Fergus area. They almost never stop coming. It makes me dizzy to watch it. As an angler how am I supposed to keep up with all that change? There are volumes of fishing lore wrapped around cold fronts and barometer changes. Every time Iโm at the bait shop or landing someoneโs kicking rocks and complaining about the shifting barometer. It can be sunny outside and somebodyโs complaining about how the sun and nice weather is ruining the walleye fishing. And Iโve heard the same thing about nearly every other weather condition possible. When do the inhibiting effects of the weather ever stop? If you let the weather into your head itโll always bug you somehow. If the fish responded negatively every time something was going on theyโd all starve.
As it turns out, at least as far as Iโve discovered over the years, is that thereโs always hope. There are always fish that want to eat something โ always. Just because the fish under your boat or fish house arenโt happy about whatโs going on outside doesnโt mean the ones that are in shallower or deeper water arenโt. Many times Iโve discovered that while the fish in one lake are turned off by the weather, the fish on another lake down the road keep on eating. Do the weather conditions outside affect the fish? You bet. Does it matter? Nope, itโs just the way it is. Grab your sunscreen, tie your hat down so it doesnโt blow off, wear an insulated jacket because the north wind is cold, and pack the rain jacket and gloves because thereโs too much weather to worry over and youโre not going to get a bite sitting on the couchโweather or not, just go fishing.
Ross Hagemeister, Meister Guide Service. 218-495-3140.
