Unarguably, fishing is one of the most exciting activities that you can involve yourself in. For you to achieve success on the water, one of the many things you need is to pay attention to the weather forecast. Weather forecasting serves as a signal system for anglers.
Most people, instead of going to their respective places of work or school on early morning rainy days, often wish to return to bed. But, here’s a quick question, do fish also feel this way? Is it ideal for anglers to go fishing on a rainy day?
Rain is pretty much good for catching various species of fish. As we all know, the atmospheric condition often brings extra water – this has a great impact on the water’s surface, creating a current that can activate fish.
Fishing in the rain is no doubt a good choice for landing different fish species, including trout. However, for you to achieve the best results, you need to follow some rain fishing tips. In the rest of this post, we’ll share everything that you need to know about rain fishing, including how to get yourself prepared for it.
What Can You Fish On a Rainy Day?
As earlier mentioned, rain has a lot of effects on fish yield. The more it falls, the more nutrients, such as dissolved oxygen, are released into the water, making fish very active. Heavy downpour often carries various insects and worms from riverbanks to the water surface. They attract more fish species to the water, meaning it’ll be a good time for you to fish.
But here’s a burning question; what type of fish species can you land on rainy days?
To answer the question, we’ll say you can catch several different fish on rainy days, especially if you follow the right tips. Some of the many species you can land during this period include catfish, carp, trout, pike, and bass.
Trout fish are most active during the absence of sunlight. That’s why they are one of the most common species that you’ll find during rainy days. The fish, in darker conditions, usually lie on the wait for their prey – this is because they are pretty much less visible to them.
In case you don’t know, the best time to land trout fish is during the low light condition, which occurs early in the morning or evening. This is exactly what rain will also cause; changing the weather condition to low light.
Apart from trout, you can also land different bass species during rainy periods. However, for that to work, the rain needs to be heavy enough to carry various insects, worms, and baitfish to the water.
Unlike regular fishing, bass fishing on rainy days doesn’t require you to keep your distance from the target fish. The main reason why most anglers keep their distance is to avoid being spotted by fish.
However, in the case of rainy days, the possibility of you getting visible to bass fish is slim – this is why you can get closer to them and catch them. By getting closer to bass fish during rainy days, you’ll be able to cast accurately without having to make any big splash that can scare the fish away.
Is It Better to Fish Before or After Rain?
As we now know, fishing during rainy days is great for landing different fish species, including bass, carp, trout, and pike. But here’s a quick question, which is the better time to fish – before or after rain?
To answer this question, we’ll say it depends on a couple of factors, such as the behavior of fish and the weather before and after the rain.
Starting with the behavior of fish, you need to understand that these species behave differently before, during, and after rain. Most often than not, the barometric pressure tends to decrease when there’s an approaching rain.
If you don’t know, one of the advantages of fishing during weather conditions with low barometric pressure is that fish tend to be very active in these periods. Of course, what that means is that you’ll be able to land more species of fish when the aquatic creatures are very active.
Earlier, we said low barometric pressure has a significant impact on how active fish are. But here’s a quick question; why is that so? It’s pretty simple; as the air pressure drops, bubbles are discharged, resulting in the movement of tiny organisms (plankton and baitfish) and other nutrients to the water surface. When that happens, fish become active by following up the organisms up to the
surface to feed on them. That said, fishing before the rain, when there’s a relatively low barometric pressure, is better for landing several fish species.
Furthermore, fishing right after rainy days may be considered ideal if the barometric pressure remains low. However, that isn’t always achievable, as the barometric pressure, most times, tend to increase when a rainstorm passes.
There are cases where fishing after rain might be the best idea for you. First, fishing shortly after the rainstorm passes means that you’ll be presenting your lure when the water clarity is greatly reduced. What that means is that, during this period, fish always have a hard time differentiating between artificial baits and live baits.
Since that’s the case, finding the feeder creeks that are releasing new rainwater into the water and taking advantage of them is paramount. Only when you target the right fishing location will you be able to achieve the best result on water after a rainy day?
What Lures to Use When It’s Raining?
When it comes to fishing in the rain, one thing you need to keep in mind is that your success on the water depends on a few factors; one of them is the type of bait you’re using.
Topwater baits
One of the best lures that you can use to attract and catch your target fish is topwater baits. There are different types of topwater baits, but the buzz baits are one of the best you can use during rainy days.
If you don’t know, buzz baits are similar to spinnerbait in almost everything, except the shape. The topwater bait has a triangular-shaped delta blade that helps to lift and sputter on the water’s surface.
Buzz baits are effective for landing different fish species, especially bass. To use buzz bait during rainy days, all you need to do is cast it out and wind it back. However, while doing that, ensure that the bait is on the water’s surface.
Other topwater baits that you’ll find handy for fishing during rainy days include whopper, popper/chugger, and buzz toad.
Spinnerbait
Apart from topwater baits, spinnerbait is another type of lure that’s pretty much effective during rainy days. There are different types of spinnerbaits out there when it comes to a jig-like head and blade style.
The bait has a weighted head with a thin and long shape. The benefit of this feature is it allows it to move quickly. Furthermore, spinnerbait can have curvier and thicker shapes, which they find handy during covers.
Spinnerbait is ideal for luring and catching early-season bass to bite during rainy days.
Chatterbait
The Chatterbait is also as effective as spinnerbaits and topwater bait. The lure has vibrations and flashes that help to attract fish. It also has a constant movement attribute that allows fishers to cover water. Interestingly, chatter baits can also skip underneath the water.
What Weather Is Best For Fishing?
Fishing can be done in almost all weather conditions, including rainy days (heavy and light), sunny & calm days, heat waves, cloudy periods, strong wind, and winter.
Fishing during calm and sunny days is ideal for landing various fish species, such as deep bass, and walleyes. However, for you to achieve the best results fishing on sunny days, you need to look for venues with colored water. That’s so because the sun won’t be as bright under the water’s surface.
Like sunny days, cloudy days are generally also great for fishing. When the weather is cloudy, the environment becomes dark, making it pretty much difficult for fish to differentiate between live baits and lures.
According to research, some fish species are better than others when it comes to coping with heat waves. However, achieving success during a heatwave depends on how you approach it.
Rainy days are also a great idea for landing different fish species. You can either fish before, during, or after the rain. However, being successful fishing during the rain depends on how great you are at studying the weather and all.