Effects of bad weather on fishing?

[Crawlerman]

With three days of severe storms and possible flooding on many of the lakes and rivers in around the state; how is this going to effect the fishing? Generally if I remeber correctly, high water and the days after a big storm tend to make fishing pretty poor, right? Anyone have any suggestions for anyone trying to go out this weekend (as it's supposed to be decent) or are we better off sitting at home sorting tackle and re-spooling gear?

[Guest]

I suppose this depends on what you fish for. With Bass I have found that rising and sustained high water is good for business; "Go shallow young man." I think the thing is that water fluctuations will make fish move and those who don't adapt are out in the cold. It's not that they stop feeding especially hear in the North Country where the growth season is so short.

[Guest]

Anytime you can get out is a good time to go fishing in my book.. The weather is predicted to stabilize (starting tonight). By the weekend I think things will be back on track. Good luck!

You didn't mention what your fishing for?

[CrappieJohn]

Extremely heavy rains can shut down the fishing if the water comes up radically. Cold fronts can be real door slammers as well. But the thing that I find will affect the immediate fishing is thunder, not a distant clap or two, but if your area under boes some serious boomers, you maybe want to stay home an harass the wife....that way when things stabilize in a day or two she'll be happy to have you out of the house

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Sure life happens- why wait....The Crapster....good fishing guys!

[minneman]

I like using crawlers after a rain, allways wondered why fish go for worms when not present in the lake as normal forage, heck there all over the roads after a rain..?

[Aquaman01]

I was wondering the same thing when I drove over the Crow and saw it was up about a foot and looked like chocolate milk. So I had an "Hmmm...Maybe" that the inlet to a lake from a creek/river with fluctuating waters i.e: back and forth at an inlet, would get the fish actively moving around in and/or out of that lake. We set out for a 90 minute test. Late afternoon, periodic light rain, at an inlet with wind coming into it from the lake.

We were putting crawlers on the bottom at a sandy flat near rocks & rip-rap hoping for carp or suckers and got sucker, bullhead, channel cat (16") and a northern (14"). Other folks were catching small northerns hand over fist with yellow/green spinnerbaits.

I don't know if that proves my "Hmmm...Maybe" or not, but I'd say a variety of fish were feeding at that location under those conditions all over the column.

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Aquaman
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Peace and Fishes

[united jigsticker]

I think there's a few factors that will detirmine how badly a lake is affected by a heavy rainfall.

One is the water shed. What type of water shed the lake has, and how large it is will make a difference.

Also, consider the lake type. If you have a shallower lake with clear water, and the depth fluctuates a foot, that throws the characteristics of the lake off quite a bit, and more then likely changes the water transparancy as well.

On a deeper body of water, the fish will still be affected, probably to a lesser degree though, and more then likely will have a quicker "recovery" time too.

Boomer storms can turn the fish off for a couple days in some cases, while a mid-day thunder shower has been known to turn up a hot bite lasting for days.

Later in the year, like we are now, the fish will be less affected by a storm then they would be in May or June. This is because conditions have stayed stable for the most part in regards to water temperatures, etc. A big hail storm that rapidly chills the water could move fish quickly and send them into a totally different pattern though.

Also, different species will react to adverse weather differently as well. Not all fish are the same.

Each lake is just that, its own lake. They're all created different, and the fish respond different as well.

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Good fishing,
UJ
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by united jigsticker (edited 07-19-2003).]

[Chris Haley]

minneman

You answered your own question without even knowing. When it rains, the worms/crawlers come up to get away from the moisture in the soil (they breathe through their skin). While on the surface near lakes/rivers/streams, the rain washes them into the water along with the runoff. Now you have worms in the water!! Fish feed on them being the opportunists they are.

[Crawlerman]

I generally fish for mostly bass and panfish; but I was hoping to get on the St Croix this weekend; altough I'm not even going to think about it now. I was to a local pond yesterday and the water was as murky as the Mississippi due to the rains. I have no idea if larger lakes will be effected via water clarity all that much though. Will prally try tommorow; as it's windy and cold today and they say it's supposed to rain again on Sat. Ugh. So much for river fishing......

[Lunker]

Well, i know how the storms affected my fishing, they stopped it completetly. I live in Edina and got hit by a small tornado(micro-buster or something like that) and lost our two big trees, part of the fence out from an elm, part of the roof, and the truck we use to tow our boat took two elms, so our fishing has been non existent cleaning up the last three days, and this is my first post since tues since we just got power back! Well, better start looking for a new truck.

[Crawlerman]

Oof Lunker.... That REALLY sucks. Yeah it was nasty out there last week. Fortuneatly we did not get anything Tornadic here.. Hope things work out for you somehows...

[scalescratcher]

I fish Waconia regularly and have noticed that the last 2 years that fishing turned very slow just after rains like we had last week. Prior to the heavy rain the water was very clear. After the 2-3"+ we had, the water was very cloudy and murky. Although an algae bloom can create similar conditions it doesn't seem to happen so dramatically. Usually things pick up as the water begins to clear again. Heavy thunder also seems to knock em down.

[Blackstarluver]

I just read something that said when the water level rises, go shallow!
God lyk!
JC

[Guest]

I fish Minnetonka, which is a series of little lakes, and found that after the last storms each bay was completly different. Some had become muddier, some had become pea soup, others full of floating junk. I was changing baits and tactics constantly to put a fish in the boat. Changing the color of the lure seemed to work best. That prompted me to stop at the bait store for more lure making equipment. Now all I need is some surface to surface missiles for jetskis and torpedoes for cruisers.