What triggers fish to suddenly go on the feed?

[fishinwrench]

I was out chasing whites yesterday evening, catching a few here and there but it was kinda slow.  Sat down, cracked open a cold one and was just going to float around out there and take a break for awhile, and I hear a mild blow up behind me.  Within 10 seconds of that first little blitz the water in a 50-70 yard circle started boiling violently and it was fish-on every cast for a solid hour and a half.  

I've seen that happen 1000 times but I am still clueless about what the trigger is.   What are the possibilities that can cause fish, that are not even close to each other, to switch from a blah mood....to suddenly begin eating everything that moves, all at the same exact time?  The shad were there the whole time so it wasn't like they just suddenly moved into the area and became available, or suddenly moved near the surface.  The whole reason I started fishing there in the first place was because the shad had been there for hours.  

I'm becoming convinced that fish communicate somehow.  Telepathically maybe?  That's the only theory I have that adds up/makes any sense. 

Seriously, what do you think?

 

Oh and here's a bonafide mutt😊

 

[laker67]

Yesterday it was probably the pressure fall from the hurricane. Dropping pressure may bring them to the surface. 

[snagged in outlet 3]

Biologists probably know😁

[MOPanfisher]

Mob mentality in the fish.  One attacks a helpless little bait fish and the rest jump in too.

[FishnDave]

I've fished at ponds where the water will be fairly calm....and then bass blow up on baitfish at various locations around the pond all within 10 seconds of each other, then nothing again for awhile.  And then those synchronized blow-ups around the pond again.  Happens quite a bit.  Sometimes it seems gar will surface for air like that too.

[fishinwrench]

1 minute ago, MOPanfisher said:

Mob mentality in the fish.  One attacks a helpless little bait fish, A FOOTBALL FIELD AWAY, and the rest jump in too.

FTFY 

The way it happens just defys that theory.

[fishinwrench]

2 minutes ago, FishnDave said:

I've fished at ponds where the water will be fairly calm....and then bass blow up on baitfish at various locations around the pond all within 10 seconds of each other, then nothing again for awhile.  And then those synchronized blow-ups around the pond again.  Happens quite a bit.  Sometimes it seems gar will surface for air like that too.

Exactly. 

And back when I was messing around with carp on the fly.....Spook one and it would spook others a 1/4 mile away.

[fishinwrench]

The whole "fishing pressure" thing never made since to me, because let's face it.....people aren't fishing EVERYWHERE. But when alot of guys are fishing SOMEWHERE it does seem to shut the fish down EVERYWHERE on the lake.  

I'm telling ya.....fish communicate, or get signals, somehow.   

[ness]

It's the same phenomenon that caused humans to hoard TP a few months back.  

[patfish]

Aliens