Adapting to the weather
Weather conditions are the only factor we cannot control. However, it is possible to select a number of water bodies that can be adapted to the situation. A reliable weather forecast is usually given 3 to 5 days in advance, rarely more, although we can know the trend within 7 to 10 days.
Several factors are important: outside temperature, wind and cloud cover. Falling temperatures the week before the opening will cause fish to move to deeper areas. Wind amplifies this phenomenon unless the temperatures are mild, which will then put the fish in activity on the most exposed banks.
Finally, an important cloud cover will be very beneficial for pikes and pike-perches which will start hunting during a longer period. If the water temperature is very low, a sunny lake, at the stroke of noon, will be preferable for fish activity.
The characteristics of the water body
We could see that air and water temperatures were a very important factor. They are more important depending on the layout of our water. A very shallow lake with large flats and few pools will be very hard to fish if the temperatures are very low since the fish will not be able to get out of the cold and therefore will be very inactive.
Obviously, the opposite is true in deep water where whites and jacks can congregate. If the weather is warm and sunny, then a shallow water area is the best choice, especially when the sun is at its peak and warms the shallow areas. This is where the fish will gather to hunt, taking advantage of the warmer water which will accelerate their metabolism.
The impact of fishing pressure
It is not uncommon for an opening weekend and the week following it to have more anglers than a full month in the rest of the year. The number of people present is often influenced by the average size and/or quantity of fish in the water. However, the opening weekend rarely offers very big fish and even less great fishing on the most famous lakes.
Rather, prefer "forgotten" bodies of water, where fishermen do not imagine they can beat their record of a species of carnivorous fish. The most famous and fishy lakes are more interesting to fish from mid-May until the end of June, when the fishing pressure has drastically decreased and the fish are getting active with the rise of temperatures and the spawning of white fish.
