Weather facts and maybe some myths

[Panner]

Since there is a little down time due to the July ban, unless your have or can rent children, I'd like to get some input on weather facts for perching on the lake. The ones that I have heard are:

Wind: West winds lead to better fishing because they move dirt and warmer top water out from the shore and will bring the perch up to shallower water.

Rain: Fish will usually hit harder just before the rain comes rolling in, but will become sluggish afterwards.

Full moon: Don't know if this affects anything other than the amount of crazy people out.

Sunny/cloudy: Only affects what bait you'll use.

Feel free to chime in if there is something I got wrong, or am missing. I'm still new to learning all this, but I'd like to get as good as possible so I don't end up going out pointlessly for the rest of the year and next year as well.

[Yak Man]

Rain = low barometric pressure system.
Fish are very sensitive to barometric pressure. High pressure, blue bird, cold front days.... Think of the fish as having a headache. Low pressure, means fish activity is generally higher. Rain, usually accompanied by a storm front, means a cold front/high pressure system is usually on the way. Fish, and other animals can sense this, and usually put on the feed bag since their activity will decrease during in impending cold front. Same applies to hunting. Even deer movement and activity spikes just before a storm front.

West wind :
In addition to bringing cooler water close to the lakefront, west winds are also a stable wind, often bringing low pressure and warmer air (west , southwest...) so west winds or southwest winds are generally good for fishing everywhere. (because of the pressure system). North winds, or east winds normally bring high pressure, and cold fronts.

[big saw]

Wind...West and Southwest winds DO blow out warmer surface water causing a rolling temperature affect. Warmer out on top lets water column cool down in it's entirety. Also blows out silt and suspended garbage. Additionally ANY wind is generally good because it breaks up light penetration in the water.

Rain...Usually barometric pressure falls just before and during a rain. Fish are more active during those periods. After rain can go either way.

Full moon...Barometer, gravitational forces, etc etc. A million theories. All I know is the smallies like to spawn when there is a full moon.

Sun/cloud...I have ALWAYS done better on cloudy days that sunny. Lower light better fishing.

JMO good luck

[Yak Man]

Full moon :
Impacts all animals, and directly influences when fish spawn, deer go in to estrous, etc. There has been a ton of research done not only how the moon affects mating cycles, but even feeding patterns. Those "best fishing times" calendars are all based off of moon rise, and moon set times each day, as well as moon phase. There is a ton of info out there about it. Really neat stuff. Look it up!

Sun vs Clouds :
Again, is partially a pressure debate. Blue bird sky, often means high pressure, where overcast days mean low. And it depends on the body of water. Clarity, depth, structure, specie.... And a lot has to do with light. Fish have no eyelids. Clear water, bright sun, expect fish to be deep, or in some structure that provides protection. (weeds, docks, shade from trees...) now on an overcast day, you may be able to catch bass all day long on topwater, where you would otherwise be wasting your time on the same lake, outside of early and late, low light conditions. So in a sense, it does help dictate what presentation you use, because the fish follow different patterns in different weather.
As far as color choice, I personally base that more off of water clarity than weather. Clear water, it better look natural. Dirty or stained water, I like throwing some bright obnoxious looking colors, or something with more vibration to help fish locate it easier.

[HOEH]

full moon is what the craw fish mult by also if im not mistaken in turn makes the perch come in smelling the soft shells some times in all the wrong conditions, so what do we really know what all this means

[Panner]

This is a lot of great information everyone. Thanks for pitching in everyone.

Does a choppy lake have any affect on anything, or does it just make for a day when a bobber might get more action?

[FishArt]

This is a lot of great information everyone. Thanks for pitching in everyone.

Does a choppy lake have any affect on anything, or does it just make for a day when a bobber might get more action?

Wind and choppy water tend to diffuse the light on bright days. It can also disorient baitfish. I don't do a lot of bobber fishing anymore, but IMO most lakes you'll do better when there's a little to a lot of wind blowing (as long as you can still control the boat) vs. those dead calm days. The exception typically would be dawn and dusk when fishing is generally good regardless of conditions. Again, generally speaking...

[ja-knee-sea]

With barometric pressure, just remember righty-tighty, lefty-loosey...
High pressure(warm fronts) rotates clockwise(righty) and compresses the atmosphere... Compressing a gas causes it to heat up... Warm air holds more moisture before condensing(clouds and rain) which is why it is associated with mile high blue bird skies...
Low pressure(cold fronts) revolves counter-clockwise(lefty) and pulls the atmosphere upwards... De-pressurizing a gas makes it cool(think how a can of propane gets icy cold as you use it)... Cooler air holds less moisture before condensing(clouds and rain) which is why it is associated with overcast, storms and lower temps...