After The Heavy Spring Rains

[Mobasser]

Most of us have probably heard this: "fish won't bite good after a heavy rain because so much food is washed into the water". For the most part, I never believed this, and it would be impossible to know how many food items are actually" washed"  into a lake.                                                        Now, I've realized this may be at least partly true. I fish an area that has two small lakes, separated by a road. A large, 18" culvert pipe runs under the road.                  After a heavy rain, the pipe gushes water from the larger lake, into the smaller one.              In the past, I usually passed this area by.  Last night,  I wasn't catching much, so I made a few cast in front of this culvert pipe, casting shallow and working deeper with each cast.                               I ended up catching three bass about 10 to 12 ft from the culvert pipe. There had to be some reason these fish were here. I can only assume that craws, minnows, or other food items were coming through the pipe, and the bass were hanging around for an easy meal.                             My lure was a t rigged Zoom finesse worm with a 1/8 oz weight. When I cast in front of the gushing culvert, the light rig washed down to the deeper water. I gave the worm rig one or two slow hops, when the fish hit.  Has anyone else had much luck fishing around culvert or drainage areas after a heavy rain?     

[Luke Barnes]

I caught my PB after a heavy rain with clouds still dark in the sky. Fished where the main drainage went into the pond. I was using a black and blue Z Craw and casting past the flowing water and dragging it through it when wham!!! 

[throttleplate]

5 hours ago, Mobasser said:

Most of us have probably heard this: "fish won't bite good after a heavy rain because so much food is washed into the water". For the most part, I never believed this, and it would be impossible to know how many food items are actually" washed"  into a lake.                                                        Now, I've realized this may be at least partly true. I fish an area that has two small lakes, separated by a road. A large, 18" culvert pipe runs under the road.                  After a heavy rain, the pipe gushes water from the larger lake, into the smaller one.              In the past, I usually passed this area by.  Last night,  I wasn't catching much, so I made a few cast in front of this culvert pipe, casting shallow and working deeper with each cast.                               I ended up catching three bass about 10 to 12 ft from the culvert pipe. There had to be some reason these fish were here. I can only assume that craws, minnows, or other food items were coming through the pipe, and the bass were hanging around for an easy meal.                             My lure was a t rigged Zoom finesse worm with a 1/8 oz weight. When I cast in front of the gushing culvert, the light rig washed down to the deeper water. I gave the worm rig one or two slow hops, when the fish hit.  Has anyone else had much luck fishing around culvert or drainage areas after a heavy rain?     

i have the same culvert situation but my culvert is big enough to swim through it. Depending on which way the wind blows the smaller panfish and occasionally a sightable bass are grouped up just outside the culvert facing into the wind blown water coming through.

This is also where we catch most of the crappie and many bass are caught on the crappie jigs so yeah they are lurking around for a smoregasboard.

[Biglittle8]

I fish one culvert that is around 3ft in diameter. The water running through after storms has worn a nice ditch into the bottom of the pond. I'll take a worm or jig and run through that ditch, it almost always produces fish. Especially, after a heavy rain.

[Catt]

Dude seriously! ?

 

Always target culverts rather there's current flow or not. Like @Biglittle8 mentioned there will be "washouts" on both sides.

[Spankey]

I’m not buying that. Maybe if the river is wrecked I’d stay off of it for safety for a bit but lake situation I’m not convinced. 
 

Last year after a big rain event with even the lake swollen my grandson and I had a day we both done real well just throwing at the bank figuring the fish pushed up real shallow. They did, we got lucky, probably is not a given with all big rains, will fish that way at next time lake presents itself that way. Generally those bushes would not be covered with water like that. 

[DitchPanda]

Absolutely! Moving water draws fish.

[BigAngus752]

I'm in with @Catt.  I never pass a culvert or even a natural wash/drain.  Doesn't matter if it's been raining or not.  I fished on Monday morning and saw a natural drain on the side of a small cove.  I threw a T-rig to the base of it and caught a bass.  That's the only place in that cove I found a bass and the soil in the drain was dry, we hadn't had rain for days.  

[Bankbeater]

Not just culverts. Any little inflow may hold bass looking for a meal.