I went out Monday to try to catch some hybrids, but only ended up scratching my head. My fishfinder was showing fish out the wazoo, but for some reason we couldn't catch a single one. We tried trolling at all different depths with different types of lures and at different speeds..but ended up getting skunked in the end. We tried every spot on that crazy lake that produced fish in the past, but never saw a fish. The day before(Sunday) we got some rain, just like the previous 7 days, and it was forecast to rain more.

Tried finding info on the internet, but didn't find one that addressed my question.

Soooo, here is my question:
To what degree does the weather effect their feeding patterns and/or activity? Does either low or high pressure systems in the atmosphere cause them to go deep, or to other places that they they typically don't go this time of year? How should they be fished prior to, during, and after a weather system? Do they still feed under these conditions, or do they just "shut down"(for lack of a better term)?

When they won't hit on jigs/lures, use live bait.

Yesterday, I was on Lewisville catching hybrids on slabs, but they were all consistently undersized fish about 16"-17". I had to drop a live shad down to get a 23" hybrid.

Falling air pressure generally turns the bite on. One of the guys on here gave a really good scientific explanation as to why this happens, but I don't remember it.

Also warmer weather will tend to drive them down deeper, but they'll still come up into shallow water to feed, then run back down.

When the barometric pressure changes rapidly it effects the air bladder in the fish, giving them a sort of stomach ache. They say that this is why cows standing up and eating means the fish are feeding, because cows share the same trait. On the other hand if the cows are laying down, the fishing (or rather catching) is bad. Not sure if this is a scientific fact, but I have witnessed it first hand and it seems to be true

A lot of how and when the fish bite depends on other things, such as moon phase, water temps, time of year, water level, etc and becomes more of a science class than a day of fishing. There is a ton of time spent on the water that goes into figuring these things out and is the biggest reason guides charge what they charge. No one knows for sure what the fish are going to do, but you can make a pretty good guess if you pay attention to a few details.

If you want one good fishing trip - go on three fishing trips. One of them will bring together all the mysteries of the univesrse for you.

+1 NITRO

Ive been researching this for a few years now, and its just not an exact science. But over time...it gets easier and easier to recognize fair condition, and days better spent drinking beer at the house. Feeding cows are the very last thing I look for when I am headed for a favorite hole, but when they are laying around my entire plan changes. These times often produce, with little change in tackle. Between 29.4 and around 32, they will feed on hunger. Outside those numbers "Catching" is generally slower(reaction bites, instinct feeding). That being said, its the rate at which the pressure is rising/falling that seems to make things go one way or the other. Rising pressure is a great time to find loads of feeding fish, at almost any rate. Falling pressure is great at the begining of the decline, but feeding will steady drop off as it falls. I dont go home in these conditions, I change my presentation. There are endless amounts of reading material and articles on this subject, I still dig up old college studies and stuff that challenges modern knowledge. Then again I wont get on the water without eating a moon-pie first...no science behind that one, just superstition!

One thing that hasn't been mentioned is the fact that hybrids are alot like stripers in that they prefer cooler water temps that often is below the thermal refuge. Thats why you will see so many skinny stripers. They just don't do well if the oxygen level is low. A couple of years ago, there was a big die off on Lake Cumberland in Kentucky because of excess rain in the spring. The lake was lowered after flooding. The thermal refuge was drawn right out through the dam. The stripers and walleye sought out cooler water temps that had no oxygen resulting in suffocation.

If you fish live bait make sure your bait is above the fish if they are suspended and not on the bottom. Hybrids can be very particular where the bait is naturally occurring and their feeding zones. Most of the hybrids that I have caught I have gotten with bait suspended about halfway down.

Does mean I need to get a cow to figure out when to fish and when not to fish? Dam, and I thought tackle was getting expensive. Now I've got to get into feed as well. Well, there is a silver lining. I get to eat my barometer at the end of the season...

No need to keep livestock, there a gaggle of them on the way to almost every hole i frequent. Besides the cows dont indicate pressure, they are affected by the rate at which its changing. You would still not hurt to carry a barrometer, can help indicate impending rainfall during overcast conditions...

those are all great points made by everyone - great discussion guys thanks clete

+1

IMHO, it is the winter when the weather effects the bite more than the summer. Just stay at home in the winter after a front passes with it's high pressure.

It is possible that all of those fish you were marking on the graph were just bait fish. The hybrids will bite on LL when you see them on the screen. They are constantly on the move and you will be lucky to catch a few before they move on.

Something to keep in mind. What you are seeing on your fishfinder might not be hybrids or sandbass. It could be another species of fish or something else. I have a Lowrance LMS-522 and LCX-27. In the past I would see arcs that I think were fish and not catch a thing. After awhile I began to notice a difference in the color of the arcs when I would catch hybrids and sandbass. Being able to distingish the differences in the arcs can improves one chances in being able to catch fish.

Just some observations I have made fishing Lake Palestine for
20 years, your lake maybe different.

#1 Hybrids are darn hard to catch on a consistant basis
in the summertime. I don't think they feed as
much ( sept- hybrids look skinney compared to
Late oct hybrids)
#2 Hybrids react to low pressure fronts as do most fish,
but they will bounce back faster.
#3 there are days you can't buy a fish
#4 deep fish are harder to catch than shallow fish
#5 all those arches are not hybrids , Bluecat run in
loose schools also.
#6 always have a plan B when going hybrid fishing
#7 Hybrid fishing is a lot more fun in the spring and
fall

good luck
MO

This may help...Here is picture of active feeding school of Hybrids on Lewisville from Sunday morning. Boat is anchored on hump in 15 MPH wind so some distortion on arches. All fish caught in this school were 5-9 lbs

One thing I have noticed is they will circle through an area a few times before leaving. Often, I will catch a few, then wait a few mintues, catch a few, then wait a few more mintues, catch a few more, and then they are gone.

If the bite stops for just a few minutes, I like to wait it out a little while longer and make sure they are gone before leaving.