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How the weather affects your fishing

From frosts and full moons to biting easterlies and heavy rain, the weather has a huge impact on fish behaviour.

by Jonathan Longden |

Updated on6th October 2025 at 7.41am

We all know the feeling. You’ve been looking forward to your one day on the bank all week, only to be met with driving rain, a biting wind, or a sudden frost. Most of us shrug it off and get on with it, but if you can learn to read the forecast and adjust your approach, you’ll put far more fish in the net.

I’ll admit, I spend far too much time glued to the weather app on my phone, watching the air pressure creep up and down, second-guessing how a venue will react. But this data can really pay dividends when on the bank. Even the smallest changes can have a significant effect on a lake or river, and in autumn and winter especially, that can mean the difference between a wet or a dry net.

Of course, in the UK we’re not helped by the fact the weather can change in an instant. You can easily experience all four seasons in one day. One minute it’s mild and settled, the next a cold front blows in and kills the peg. Some days you just take the rough with the smooth. But getting the right read of the conditions, can often tilt the odds in your favour.

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Reading the forecast like a match angler

Weather dictates fish behaviour, and fish behaviour dictates tactics. The more you understand the link between the two, the better your results will be. Match anglers live and die by small adjustments – a finer hooklength, a change in depth, even a switch of hookbait choice. For the pleasure angler, adapting that mindset is the easiest way to turn a difficult day into a productive one.

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How rain affects water temperature

Rain isn’t always bad news, but in autumn and winter it often makes life harder. Cold rain will sink quickly and forms a dense layer of chilled water on the lakebed. That’s why bites can suddenly dry up when you’re fishing on the deck. A smarter play is to search the layers, fish deep shallow or switch to a popped-up bait on the feeder, will often pick fish off sitting above that cold layer.

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Which winds bring the best fishing?

There’s an old saying: ‘Wind from the west, fish bite best’. And more often than not this is true. Any southerly or westerly winds brings mild, warm air and the wind helps to oxygenate the water, and this can often encourage feeding. An easterly is far trickier. You’ll still catch, but you’ll often do better fishing in the calmer, more sheltered water on the back of the wind. The key is always to look for the spots where fish feel most comfortable, and that usually is the quietest, least disturbed areas when that easterly wind is biting.

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The moon and fish feeding patterns

It might sound far-fetched, but the moon really does play a part in how well we catch. There’s a definite correlation between the lunar cycle and fish behaviour. As a rule of thumb, full moons tend to signal tougher sport. Therefore, planning trips around the darker phases will usually bring better results. Plenty of websites or apps list moon phases, so it’s worth a quick check before you set off.

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Frosts and sudden temperature shifts

Frosty nights don’t always spell disaster. After a few consecutive frosts, fish settle down and feed predictably again. The real problem is when the temperature isn’t consistent. Three days of mild weather, followed by two sharp frosts and then another mild spell, leaves fish in limbo. This is when you need to fish for a few bites at a time and be open to changing tactics as the session unfolds.

STAY WARM ON THE BANK ON COLD DAYS WITH THIS BUYER'S GUIDE TO THERMALS.

Credit: Shutterstock ID 2090221078

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