“Red sky at night, sailors’ delight, red sky in the morning, sailors take warning,” is a prophecy handed down since sails were the only way to power a ship. Prophecies are passed through generations, often changing the meaning slightly until some become myths or superstitions – folk lore if you will.
  There is much lore in the outdoor world, especially for anglers, some is myth, some is superstition and some are valid prophecies.
The Red Sky prophecy appears to have some basis although explanations vary. Large clouds moving from west to east usually mean a storm is coming and the way the sun strikes those clouds in the morning creates a red sky – hence, take warning.
Anglers are interested in the weather because of its effect on fish behavior. 
Other weather related folklore that may be valid includes birds fly higher in fair weather; the higher the clouds – the better the weather; sun or moon halos indicate a coming rain (or snow) and birds stop singing just before it begins to rain.
  Here are some examples of lore that are separated into myths, superstitions or prophecies.
“Throw back the first fish you catch then you’ll be lucky the whole day fishing”, or “If you count the number of fish you caught, you will catch no more that day”. These defy the logic of a person with ordinary intellect and are obvious superstitions.
  “A cloudy day is a good for fishing.” This has some merit, on cloudy days fish often move to shallow water, becoming more active in their search for food. Most anglers believe less sun penetration into the water lessens the stress on the fish’s eyes.
  “After you have put a worm on the hook, spit on it for good luck,” is an obvious piece of superstition. Luck can be a factor in fishing but it has nothing to do with spitting on the hook, bait or lure.
  “Chew anise and spit on your fishing hook for good luck.” Now this has merit. As a youngster, my family fished the Salt River and its oxbows in northeast Missouri for catfish. On the way to the river, we picked wild onions or anise, chewed them and spit on the worm to give it extra attraction.
  We believed in this advice so strongly that if we couldn’t find onions or anise, it dampened our enthusiasm. So, it would seem we were 60 years ahead of today’s lure manufacturers with adding taste or scent to lures.
  One of the first to add ‘flavor’ to soft plastics was Tom Mann with his Jelly Worms. Mann pioneered the technique of adding strawberry, cherry, watermelon, grape and other flavors to the plastic before molding the worms.
  Today, manufacturers of soft plastics like Bass Pro Shops, Chompers, Strike King and Zoom add salt and garlic to their lures before molding. Berkley adds proprietary flavors to their Power Bait and Gulp products. Other manufacturers offer products to spray on lures before using them.
  “Always fish against the wind for luck,” is actually good advice but it has nothing to do with luck. By pointing a bass boat into the wind, it’s much easier to control direction and speed with the trolling motor.
  “Catfish bite well when it thunders,” or “Fish become excited and bite well when it is raining,” and “Go fishing just after a hard rain,” are prophecies with merit. The low pressure created by a rain often triggers fish to feed and water running into a lake washes food along with it, creating a feeding response.
  “Wind is in the east – fish bite the least, wind is in the west – fish bite the best,” also has merit. An east wind usually follows a front bringing higher atmospheric pressure, a turnoff for most fish species. Wind from the west usually indicates a stable atmosphere that is more desirable to fish movement.
  “The person who swears while fishing will not catch a fish,” or “To change poles while fishing will bring you bad luck,” are obvious superstitions to a rationale angler.
  “Fish on the west side of the bank, if the wind is in the west,” isn’t just myth or superstition, it is bad advice. In reality, anglers should concentrate on the windblown shore because the waves stir up aquatic life causing fish to feed.
  Our ancestors passed lore on to us based on myths, superstitions and prophecies. Some related to actual fishing activities or method while others had to do with the weather. They devised weather predictions based on astronomy, the Old Farmers Almanac and their experience, then acted accordingly. Today, we rely on hi-tech methods of gathering weather forecasts.
  That said, maybe I could catch more fish by fishing a windblown bank on a cloudy day when it’s raining with the wind from the west while using soft plastic lures that are impregnated with salt, garlic, proprietary scents and spitting on them after chewing anise all the while keeping a pure mind and using only one pole.
Hey, why leave anything to chance?