EAST=LESS/ WEST=BEST??? True or False...

[Tanker4lyfe]

well Ive heard the saying "Winds form the East fish bite the least, Winds from the West fish bite the best".

Whats your guys take on this?. Is there any truth to it?

[DINK WHISPERER]

Don't know about TX but here in FL it don't make a dam whether it blows east, west, North or not at all! LOL, i actually prefer no wind when i am flippin' mats. Seems like i catch more on calm days!

[aceman387]

i have been hearing this for the past two years because a fishing friend of mine an older guy always has some kind of rhyme or quote when ever we don't catch any fish ,personally  i think they are excuses and  the real reason we don't catch fish sometimes is because were still learning how to become good fisherman  that and the fact he never changes his lures hopefully some of the other better fisherman will pipe in here for you.

[kms399]

my grandpa swore by it. he wouldn't even go out with an east wind. I have less expectations with an east wind but i will still go. for the most part around here it has some truth.

[Bassaholic84]

I dont believe in it but i heard jimmy houston say it on the Scott Martin Challenge once.  There was also something to go with north and south but i cant remember what it was.  

[Tanker4lyfe]

I believe its "Winds from the north don't venture forth, winds from the south.....Well i cant remember the rest.

[Bassn Blvd]

It depends.  Here in S. Florida for saltwater on the Atlantic side it  goes like this "wind from the west, stay home and rest"  "wind from east, the fish will eat."

I don't think it matters for freshwater though. I found the worse to be in all situations when there is wind NO wind and blue bird skies.

[SCswitchback]

Wind from east, fish bite least.  Wind from west, fish bite best.  Wind from north, don't venture forth.  Wind from South, hook in mouth.

I don't catch as many in an east or north wind....it's that simple.

[roadwarrior]

My best day ever was with east winds and a rising barometer...

Go figure!

:

[Wayne P.]

There was a East wind today when I was fishing a lake. Caught 51 bass. The only difference I could tell was the bow in my line was in the opposite direction than it was Monday at the same lake when the wind was from the West. I caught more today than on Monday and a larger average size.

[shutupnfish]

Don't forget about "when the cow's are all laying down."   My old man swears by that and "east is least."  I never payed much attention to what the cows are doin' but I'm not much on fishing while the winds from the East.  

Steve

[snuffy33]

Is there any truth to it?

Nope. :

[Catt]

Nope  

[cart7t]

Winds from the east = Fish bite the least.

That's the only one of the 3, (the others, wind north=fish go forth, wind south=fish open their mouth) I've found to have a real bearing on my fishing over the years.  

I seriously doubt that the decreased fish activity has anything to do with the wind direction and more to do with the barometric pressure associated with whatever passing front or air pressure system was causing the easterly wind.  Most of the time,  Easterlies here in the midwest are caused by high pressure parked north of us or this area being on the far north end of a low pressure system passing to the south.  

[TommyBass]

Winds from the east = Fish bite the least.

That's the only one of the 3, (the others, wind north=fish go forth, wind south=fish open their mouth) I've found to have a real bearing on my fishing over the years.

I seriously doubt that the decreased fish activity has anything to do with the wind direction and more to do with the barometric pressure associated with whatever passing front or air pressure system was causing the easterly wind. Most of the time, Easterlies here in the midwest are caused by high pressure parked north of us or this area being on the far north end of a low pressure system passing to the south.

Exactly right.. the wind has absolutely nothing to do with it, other than it can make a different shore or area hotter.

The saying does work sometimes, however, because in most of the country storm / frontal systems move west to east. So a low pressure system leading up to a storm you predominantly have west or south winds fueling the storm and dropping pressure. Once the storm passes you usually will have cooler north or east winds filling in behind it,  but that all depends on your location to the counter clockwise spinning Low. Once the High starts moving in (clockwise rotation) your pressure will go up and your wind may change. This is when you'll see the bluebird clear skies comming in and sometimes cooler air. All that matters is the front effected the fish, not the wind. Once the weather is stable for a day or two the fish will start biting again, indifferent of the wind direction.

Another thing that associates commonly with wind are clouds.  Usually in advance of a large frontal system you can have clould build up (moisture).  So when its close to that sytems arrival (and obviously during) you may have a couldy day that associates with a west or south wind, which could also increase the fish activity.

Places like Florida where most storms are those stupid summer pop ups with no real system associated with it you are much more likely to see less influence or "signs" from the wind.

Keep it in the back of your mind as a guidance as to what the air masses around you are doing, but don't live by it.

[fishfordollars]

No, just an old tale that can cloud your mind and knock you off your game plan.

[ohioriverrat]

Where I'm from, the winds are from the west 99% of the time. Usually if they are out of the east, there is a serious barometric event happening! And most of that time, you ain't gonna want to be on  water anyway lest you can surf.  

However, the winds aloft can also easily be from the west, and the surface winds in the opposite direction. Different story then.  

See, there IS a benifit to being new at this- sayings don't mean squat!

[7mm-08]

I seriously doubt that the decreased fish activity has anything to do with the wind direction and more to do with the barometric pressure associated with whatever passing front or air pressure system was causing the easterly wind.

Yeah that is what I have come to believe also.  I grew up with my Grandpa saying East winds are bad and it has proved to be pretty darn accurate in my experience.  Not to say you can't catch fish with an east wind but bites are noticeably slower almost every time.  This is in Kentucky btw.

[WRB]

I believe this saying came from the great lakes area and is associated with storm fronts verse seasonal winds. Goes along with red sky at night sailors delight, red sky in the morning sailor take warning. Winds out of the west where I live are usually are light, where as easterly winds can be high winds, giving the old saying validity, as it's hard to fish in 50+ mph wind.

WRB

[Busy]

Winds from the east = Fish bite the least.

That's the only one of the 3, (the others, wind north=fish go forth, wind south=fish open their mouth) I've found to have a real bearing on my fishing over the years.

I seriously doubt that the decreased fish activity has anything to do with the wind direction and more to do with the barometric pressure associated with whatever passing front or air pressure system was causing the easterly wind. Most of the time, Easterlies here in the midwest are caused by high pressure parked north of us or this area being on the far north end of a low pressure system passing to the south.

Exactly right.. the wind has absolutely nothing to do with it, other than it can make a different shore or area hotter.

The saying does work sometimes, however, because in most of the country storm / frontal systems move west to east. So a low pressure system leading up to a storm you predominantly have west or south winds fueling the storm and dropping pressure. Once the storm passes you usually will have cooler north or east winds filling in behind it, but that all depends on your location to the counter clockwise spinning Low. Once the High starts moving in (clockwise rotation) your pressure will go up and your wind may change. This is when you'll see the bluebird clear skies comming in and sometimes cooler air. All that matters is the front effected the fish, not the wind. Once the weather is stable for a day or two the fish will start biting again, indifferent of the wind direction.

Another thing that associates commonly with wind are clouds. Usually in advance of a large frontal system you can have clould build up (moisture). So when its close to that sytems arrival (and obviously during) you may have a couldy day that associates with a west or south wind, which could also increase the fish activity.

Places like Florida where most storms are those stupid summer pop ups with no real system associated with it you are much more likely to see less influence or "signs" from the wind.

Keep it in the back of your mind as a guidance as to what the air masses around you are doing, but don't live by it.

This.  He nailed it.

The fronts are what is important to the bite.  Wind is just an indicator.

There are four sayings in this thread, one for every direction.  I suppose us Mid-Westerners muddled this one up over time.  We get a lot of occluded fronts which makes using wind to determine fronts passing pretty inaccurate.  The fronts in your area will generally come from the same direction time and time again.  That's how these sayings came about.

However, you can catch a fish on any day no matter what the 'conditions' spell out.  We still don't have the key to mother nature but the bass can't wait for us to find it before they eat

[Raul]

Is there any truth to it?

Uhhhh, nope.

[RoLo]

Short Answer> Wind direction has no universal effect on fishing conditions.

The key word though is universal, because wind direction does have an effect on angling,

but two adjacent micro-environments can be affected in opposite ways.

That is to say, wind direction is responsible for many conditions such as windward, leeward,

with the tide, against the tide, and so on. All that said, wind direction shares no common thread among all locations.

What "Wind Direction" Does Tells Us

Although wind direction has no universal affect on fishing conditions, it does provide us with an interesting news bite.

The current wind direction divulges the direction of the nearest High and Low cells with fair accuracy.

Errors will naturally be encountered if a front stalls (occluded front) or if it's squeezed to the north or south.

High cells and Low cells tend to alternate in occurrence, one behind the other.

In the northern zone of Prevailing Westerlies (30N to 60N), high cells rotate clockwise, low cells rotate counterclockwise,

and both Highs & Lows move west to east across the country. Due to the interaction of the earth's rotation (coriolis effect)

and surface friction, the wind direction at ground level is about 45 degrees left (CCW) of the wind direction aloft.

Based on all that's mentioned above, here's how you can determine the direction to the core

of the nearest High and Low cells.

Assume a stance that positions your back square to the wind direction, so the wind strikes your back perpendicularly.

Now rotate your stance 45 degrees clockwise, then lift both arms so they form one line with your shoulders.

Your right hand is now pointed toward the eye of the High, and your left hand is pointing toward the eye of the Low.

Roger

[George Welcome]

"(corolosis) "

Does you mean coriolis?

[Fishing Rhino]

Wind from the south blows food in the fish's mouth.

And that completes the four points of the compass.

But, suppose you're at the North Pole?  The wind can only blow from the south.  Vice versa at the south.

[George Welcome]

Wind from the south blows food in the fish's mouth.

And that completes the four points of the compass.

But, suppose you're at the North Pole? The wind can only blow from the south. Vice versa at the south.

That's why a square house at the north pole, with windows on all walls will never allow for one to see the sun rise or the sun set by looking out those windows.