Most people don’t like getting rained on. Therefore, it makes senses that many anglers wouldn’t enjoy fishing in rain either. However, fishing during or right after rain, especially heavy rain, can result in some of the best fishing an angler can experience. In this article, we discuss the top reasons that, when safe, you should get out and fish during and after a big rain.
Fishing Right Before a Storm Hits
First let’s talk about fishing just before a storm arrives. Fishing before a storm is oftentimes the best of the three options. A lot of times, the bite is the best before the sudden change in barometric pressure. It’s not a surprise to see fish in a feeding frenzy just before a storm comes through. Fish can sense that bad weather is coming and will feed up as much as possible beforehand. Sometimes the bite shuts down once the bad weather arrives. But other times, the fish just continue to feed.
Fishing in the Rain
Obviously, fishing during a storm may not be safe, especially if lightning and strong winds are present. However, if it’s not a bad thunderstorm, anglers should do their best to throw on their best rain jacket and rain pants and head out to the water.
Rainy conditions often bring out the aggression in a lot of fish. That’s why topwater baits are a top choice for angler fishing in the rain. More often than not, with rain comes overcast skies. Therefore, surface lures become a big factor. Fish become more aggressive and more willing to explode on a topwater lure in these conditions.
Try to fish windblow banks if possible because the wind will push the bait into a certain shoreline, making them easy for fish to pick off one by one.
Fishing After the Storm Blows Through
Directly following a heavy rain is when anglers should target moving water. Fish areas where excess water is running off into a larger body of water. For instance, spillways, drains, creek mouths and inlets will all have water flowing through them after a hard rain. This flow of water pushes bait around and often brings additional bait with it. Fish will be sitting just on the outside waiting to gorge themselves on the ample supply of food.
In addition, this overflow of water brings with it an increased amount of oxygen. Fish are always looking for the water with the highest amount of oxygen. Highly oxygenated water plus all the additional bait in the area creates the perfect scenario for there to be a ton of fish nearby.
Rainwater runoff often warms or cools the water its flowing into. During the hot months, the runoff will cool the water by a few degrees. And in the winter months, the rainwater will heat the water up two or three degrees. This small temperature change may not seem like much, however, even the smallest change can be what turns the fish on.
Obviously, it depends on the body of water, but bass, snook, and tarpon are all species that are often caught around these areas with high water flow. Each of these fish is very similar in the way they hunt and attack their prey and they all like flowing water.
Closing Thoughts
I hope these tips help encourage you to give fishing a try the next time a storm rolls through your area. Don’t let getting a little wet keep you from getting on the water and catching a few fish. Invest in some high-quality rain gear and go see what’s out there! You never know what you could be missing if you stay inside and watch it rain!