By Wendy Biles
Why is it that whenever Florida anglers hear about an impending major storm such as a hurricane, we forget about prepping our homes and start planning our fishing trips?! Well, I can tell you it’s all about the BP! …Barometric Pressure! When the BP starts to drop, water and air temperatures decrease as well as the amount of UV light in the water. This gives fish an advantage over their prey and triggers them to hunt. Also, when the water is churning during a storm, the oxygen levels change and that can help energize the fish to hunt for food.
Rising water can also be a good time to fish, but not when they are at flood stage. The good bite comes when the rain is about to start and lasts until about 24 to 36 hours after the storm passes as certain lakes and rivers continue to take runoff. Receding lakes are generally not the greatest time to catch fish consistently because the fish instinctively spend more time trying to find safety in deeper water than they do trying to eat.
I did some saltwater fishing right before Hurricane Milton and I caught more redfish in one trip than I ever have before! It was a fun day with overcast skies, cooler temps and frisky fish! Even the bites were more aggressive than usual.
After my family finished cleaning the yard debris from our home and helping our neighbors with their storm damage, I was already focused on the post hurricane bite! This time I decided to try a couple of lakes for bass. None of the fish were in their typical spots holding close to banks or grass lines in shallow water. They had gone to deeper water offshore and if you could find the right vegetation, the big ones were biting! Needless to say, fishing has been great the last week or so, but as my next tournament is approaching, I can already anticipate it going right back to the typical, Florida “grind” to catch quality fish!
