Is itworth fishing after heavy rain?

[Big Rick]

4 hours ago, Gregorym38 said:

So weather like this… it will drop 10 degrees for 2 hours while having a small storm, then going right back up to 92. It is 50% humidity. There is a pipe that runs from another reservoir, and its easier to access the opposite side of this pipe. Should i get as close to it as possible, or it doesnt really matter? And on weather like today, is it worth fishing? My schedule is pretty open, and its not a matter of getting out to fish, its a matter of when. 
it might not make much of a difference today, but i went fishing yesterday and i didnt catch anything. Only thing i saw was a blue tailed catfish, which i think came in from the pipeline. It swam right by my feet

A couple of hours AIR temp drop has little to no affect on water temps. However, dramatic barometric changes can trigger a feeding response.

 

It sounds to me that your lack of success it more predicated on your locations rather than weather conditions.  

[Fishing_Rod]

I am in the camp of go fishing at every opportunity. The provisions are that it be safe.

Here in Arizona the weather is always a factor to consider. Fishing in the triple digit heat requires extra considerations. Now add our seasonal 'monsoon' weather and you are looking at the regional skies often to make sure you are able to reach safe harbor from the frequent thunderstorms. Rain is not too much of an issue by itself. The 70 MPH winds with the monsoon storms is another concern. Throw in the abundant lightning and you'll not be too motivated to be holding a fishing rod.

 

I enjoy fantastic fishing most of the time. I have enjoyed some fantastic catching right after some gentle rains. I'm guessing the showers knocked bugs onto the water and caused a top water party. I didn't have a top water type bait but I sure worked that crappie jig (curly tailed grub) like a modest speed swimbait and caught all sorts of sunfish and bass cruising the surface just after the summer showers.

 

Cheers!

[Gregorym38]

2 hours ago, Big Rick said:

A couple of hours AIR temp drop has little to no affect on water temps. However, dramatic barometric changes can trigger a feeding response.

 

It sounds to me that your lack of success it more predicated on your locations rather than weather conditions.  

Any lines are the area that i fished from, the arrows point to the pipe and the boat dock. There are only two docks on the whole lake, and the pipe line is running strong right now. Its pushing water in from the wanaque. I assumed that this fresh water would boost some life into the fish, and they would be near the dam since that is structure. Was not the case yesterday

[Big Rick]

19 minutes ago, Gregorym38 said:

Its pushing water in from the wanaque.

Do you know if this water coming in is better quality than the water it's pouring into?  I've seen water pumped in that was lower in oxygen and nutrients that actually repelled fish rather than draw them. Just because water is new to a lake doesn't mean it's an improvement. If you were talking about fresh rain water running in from a culvert or creek then you're on to something. Those conditions are ripe for drawing fish. 

 

I sure don't know your situation beyond your input here, so don't take my comments too seriously. I'm just speaking from past personal experiences. 

[Gregorym38]

1 hour ago, Big Rick said:

Do you know if this water coming in is better quality than the water it's pouring into?  I've seen water pumped in that was lower in oxygen and nutrients that actually repelled fish rather than draw them. Just because water is new to a lake doesn't mean it's an improvement. If you were talking about fresh rain water running in from a culvert or creek then you're on to something. Those conditions are ripe for drawing fish. 

 

I sure don't know your situation beyond your input here, so don't take my comments too seriously. I'm just speaking from past personal experiences. 

I understand, i am just putting out most info i have so that way maybe someone knows more and can help, even a little. I doubt that it is worse water, because both are intended for drinking water in its surrounding communities

Just now, Gregorym38 said:

I understand, i am just putting out most info i have so that way maybe someone knows more and can help, even a little. I doubt that it is worse water, because both are intended for drinking water in its surrounding communities

It is however bringing in fish, i think mainly catfish but probably other species as well. I have looked at fishbrain a little and noticed people caught northern pike, which must have come in through the pipe

[papajoe222]

You're dealing with a lot of variables (unstable weather, rising water, the fish's activity level,etc.) along with restrictions, shoreline access being the biggest.  

Knowing where the fish may be/finding the fish is your first step to success and it's going to take a lot of trial and failure to figure which of the spots you have access to will be productive. 

The best way is to cover one area with search style baits (cranks, spinnerbaits) dividing up the water column (top/middle/bottom). If you contact fish, stick to that depth and presentation. If you don't, repeat the process with slow presentations (Fluke, drop shot, shakey head) . You can all but eliminate an area with this process, or you can discover both a prefered depth and presentation. 

[TriStateBassin106]

On 7/19/2022 at 9:52 PM, Gregorym38 said:

I live in nj, and we had very heavy rain on monday, i believe there was flooding in certain areas. Tomorrow is wednesday, do you think it is worth fishing after so much rain? 

I went to some of my ponds here in north jersey after the rain and the fishing totally sucked, it was nice to see the water raised a bit, your best bet with this heat wave is to fish during the later evening into night, I plan on doing that this weekend on my local lake. 

[Gregorym38]

13 minutes ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

I went to some of my ponds here in north jersey after the rain and the fishing totally sucked, it was nice to see the water raised a bit, your best bet with this heat wave is to fish during the later evening into night, I plan on doing that this weekend on my local lake. 

Ahhh thats not a bad idea. I have been fishing two hours before up until sun set, and i think the heat of the day is just making it too hard to catch fish. I dont know where you tried but im sure these principles stay relatively the same

Just now, Gregorym38 said:

Ahhh thats not a bad idea. I have been fishing two hours before up until sun set, and i think the heat of the day is just making it too hard to catch fish. I dont know where you tried but im sure these principles stay relatively the same

It also gets very buggy come sun set. 

[TriStateBassin106]

15 minutes ago, Gregorym38 said:

Ahhh thats not a bad idea. I have been fishing two hours before up until sun set, and i think the heat of the day is just making it too hard to catch fish. I dont know where you tried but im sure these principles stay relatively the same

It also gets very buggy come sun set. 

I fish a lot of lakes/rivers/ponds in the passiac/sussex area. Last couple boat outings I've been off the water by 9AM and if it's in the evening i'll do a 7 to 10PM outing, I try to cover up as much as possible to avoid the bugs. I already have enough mosquito bumps on my feet legs this year lol. 

[Gregorym38]

10 hours ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

I fish a lot of lakes/rivers/ponds in the passiac/sussex area. Last couple boat outings I've been off the water by 9AM and if it's in the evening i'll do a 7 to 10PM outing, I try to cover up as much as possible to avoid the bugs. I already have enough mosquito bumps on my feet legs this year lol. 

Honestly. I recently got a simms solarflex shirt which keeps my whole upper body covered, then i wear pants and boots no matter how hot it is 

[casts_by_fly]

17 hours ago, Gregorym38 said:

Any lines are the area that i fished from, the arrows point to the pipe and the boat dock. There are only two docks on the whole lake, and the pipe line is running strong right now. Its pushing water in from the wanaque. I assumed that this fresh water would boost some life into the fish, and they would be near the dam since that is structure. Was not the case yesterday

 

 

Are you sure that's the inflow water?  I would be very surprised if the inflow water was right next to the dam.  It's basically just going to push the new water right over the dam and into the river, while not improving the rest of the lake at all.  

 

Given where you're at, I'd seriously consider just fishing the river right below the dam.  Small topwaters and 3" twisters bounced along the bottom should catch bass there.  Bonus, you might end up with a schoolie striper, though that's a long way up.  If you can't get into that area, I'd suggest covering water in low light hours as suggested above.  small buzzbaits and ploppers would be my start.  Cast to any cover you find, blind cast down the shorelines, and keep moving.  If you're not set on fishing that lake, I'd consider a run 25 minutes northwest to pompton lake.  Based on reports it has bass and tournament results back that up.  I don't know shore access, so you'll have to explore, but a kayak would get you around it and there are a couple launch points.

 

The other thing to remember with that lake is that pretty much the entirety of the watershed that is draining into it is suburban and urban (I used to live next to the main stream flowing in where that stream is 5' across- it was bad even that high up).  The quality of water coming in isn't great to have a productive fishery.  So temper expectations a little.  

[Gregorym38]

17 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

 

Are you sure that's the inflow water?  I would be very surprised if the inflow water was right next to the dam.  It's basically just going to push the new water right over the dam and into the river, while not improving the rest of the lake at all.  

 

Given where you're at, I'd seriously consider just fishing the river right below the dam.  Small topwaters and 3" twisters bounced along the bottom should catch bass there.  Bonus, you might end up with a schoolie striper, though that's a long way up.  If you can't get into that area, I'd suggest covering water in low light hours as suggested above.  small buzzbaits and ploppers would be my start.  Cast to any cover you find, blind cast down the shorelines, and keep moving.  If you're not set on fishing that lake, I'd consider a run 25 minutes northwest to pompton lake.  Based on reports it has bass and tournament results back that up.  I don't know shore access, so you'll have to explore, but a kayak would get you around it and there are a couple launch points.

 

The other thing to remember with that lake is that pretty much the entirety of the watershed that is draining into it is suburban and urban (I used to live next to the main stream flowing in where that stream is 5' across- it was bad even that high up).  The quality of water coming in isn't great to have a productive fishery.  So temper expectations a little.  

Ok, i wasnt sure how the wanaque res is but i just assumed it be be as food or better. And the lake has been so low for the past month or so that the dam isnt even flowing. Its just acting as a wall. The river right by the lake has carp, I dont know about anything else but its worth a shot. Shoreline access is tough, but i might launch a kayak. I guess that inflow of water is more so acting as a deterrent, if what you are saying is true about the water quality. I will definitely have to try pompton lake

[TriStateBassin106]

1 hour ago, Gregorym38 said:

Ok, i wasnt sure how the wanaque res is but i just assumed it be be as food or better. And the lake has been so low for the past month or so that the dam isnt even flowing. Its just acting as a wall. The river right by the lake has carp, I dont know about anything else but its worth a shot. Shoreline access is tough, but i might launch a kayak. I guess that inflow of water is more so acting as a deterrent, if what you are saying is true about the water quality. I will definitely have to try pompton lake

I've been doing really well at spruce run reservoir and merril creek, if you're in the ringwood/west milford area there's monksville reservoir, green turtle pond and the southern end of Greenwood lake you can fish. I recently took my boat out to the new Jersey side 3 weeks ago and had a blast. But I made sure I got off the water before the boat traffic increased. 

[Gregorym38]

6 minutes ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

I've been doing really well at spruce run reservoir and merril creek, if you're in the ringwood/west milford area there's monksville reservoir, green turtle pond and the southern end of Greenwood lake you can fish. I recently took my boat out to the new Jersey side 3 weeks ago and had a blast. But I made sure I got off the water before the boat traffic increased. 

How have you done at the monskville reservoir? Spruce run and merril creek are about 1.5 hours from me, but maybe i will try it. Do they getthat busy?? 

2 minutes ago, Gregorym38 said:

How have you done at the monskville reservoir? Spruce run and merril creek are about 1.5 hours from me, but maybe i will try it. Do they getthat busy?? 

Any spots with good shore access?

[casts_by_fly]

2 hours ago, Gregorym38 said:

Ok, i wasnt sure how the wanaque res is but i just assumed it be be as food or better. And the lake has been so low for the past month or so that the dam isnt even flowing. Its just acting as a wall. The river right by the lake has carp, I dont know about anything else but its worth a shot. Shoreline access is tough, but i might launch a kayak. I guess that inflow of water is more so acting as a deterrent, if what you are saying is true about the water quality. I will definitely have to try pompton lake

 

Wanaque reservoir is a good source of water.  All of the surrounding area is state forest and remote.  Monksville empties into Wanaque.  I have no questions about that water quality.  What I meant was the water feeding into Oradell in the first place (Pascack brook and the other feeders).  They flow from Spring Valley/Nanuet area and down through north jersey suburbs.

 

If you can launch your kayak into the lake you'll be in a lot better shape.  That's true for basically everywhere in north Jersey as shorelines will limit what you can fish/see/do.

 

37 minutes ago, Gregorym38 said:

How have you done at the monskville reservoir? Spruce run and merril creek are about 1.5 hours from me, but maybe i will try it. Do they getthat busy?? 

Any spots with good shore access?

 

Merrill gets quite busy, both fishermen and other paddlers.  Its electric only which helps, but it has a varied fishery (largemouth and small mouth both, salmon and trout, panfish) and its a beautiful place to be.  So it pulls people.  Spruce is also popular but week days are fine.  Both have tons of cover and structure to fish and good populations of fish.  Spruce is down about 5' from normal pool so shoreline cover is getting sparse.  Last I was there 10 days ago the grass was largely dying or dead.  The fish didn't go anywhere though so its still well worth fishing.

 

Monday we caught a few fish at Monksville- not a skunk but not a banner day.  Its a tough lake so be prepared for that.  

[TriStateBassin106]

7 hours ago, Gregorym38 said:

How have you done at the monskville reservoir? Spruce run and merril creek are about 1.5 hours from me, but maybe i will try it. Do they getthat busy?? 

Any spots with good shore access?

Oooooh okay you're in south/central jersey, yeah I've only fished monskville and the other reservoir from my boat, it can be hit or miss but I've done well there, big fish too. I have a lot more luck at spruce run and merril creek, in terms of bank access It's all woods for the most part but maybe if there's some openings along the bank, two weeks ago there was a father and son fishing the boat launch at monskville and they caught 2 walleye and a big Largemouth. 

[TriStateBassin106]

8 hours ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

Wanaque reservoir is a good source of water.  All of the surrounding area is state forest and remote.  Monksville empties into Wanaque.  I have no questions about that water quality.  What I meant was the water feeding into Oradell in the first place (Pascack brook and the other feeders).  They flow from Spring Valley/Nanuet area and down through north jersey suburbs.

 

If you can launch your kayak into the lake you'll be in a lot better shape.  That's true for basically everywhere in north Jersey as shorelines will limit what you can fish/see/do.

 

 

Merrill gets quite busy, both fishermen and other paddlers.  Its electric only which helps, but it has a varied fishery (largemouth and small mouth both, salmon and trout, panfish) and its a beautiful place to be.  So it pulls people.  Spruce is also popular but week days are fine.  Both have tons of cover and structure to fish and good populations of fish.  Spruce is down about 5' from normal pool so shoreline cover is getting sparse.  Last I was there 10 days ago the grass was largely dying or dead.  The fish didn't go anywhere though so its still well worth fishing.

 

Monday we caught a few fish at Monksville- not a skunk but not a banner day.  Its a tough lake so be prepared for that.  

My thoughts exactly lol, I've noticed the water level has been lowered this year at spruce. 

[geo g]

Here in Florida if we stopped fishing after rains we would never fish in the summer.  Light rain helps the situation, heavy rain often shuts them down.  Heavy rain can mess up the PH of the water, and bring up poor O2 water from the depths on the canals.  Find areas with current after heavy rain.

 

Any day on the water is still better than sitting at home.

[VolFan]

Heavy rain sparks one of my favorite big fish patterns- rats in current. Let the rain do it’s thing and then as soon as you can after, fish the heavy inflow streams with rats or big (BIG) shallow cranks. The more noise the better. Squeaky joint? The greatest. You want to imitate rats/mice/voles/woodchucks/calves/kittens etc that are washed in by the rapid rise in water. Urban area? Be still my beating heart. Is it just after dark or just before daylight? I’m going to need a moment….
Cast up into the current and work it aggressively back to you, even swimming it on/near/just under the surface. This is not a time for subtlety- it is a time to put the power in power fishing. I will warn you, especially on the the Potomac around DC - this is a mixed-bag, big (BIG) fish technique that will ruin you when it’s good. 
 

Shameless plug - I like Baby Possums for this, with the joint just tuned off so that it squeaks like a baby squirrel that my lab caught

[casts_by_fly]

13 hours ago, TriStateBassin106 said:

My thoughts exactly lol, I've noticed the water level has been lowered this year at spruce. 

im not sure if it’s intentionally lowered or just that we haven’t had any rain. The two main creeks feeding it are practically dry. I only started fishing it this year so don’t have a frame of reference other than gauge data and it looks like it’s hit it’s three year low already. The steepness of the curve though says it could keep going especially with the lack of rain and high temps in the next 10 days. 

[Bird]

6 hours ago, VolFan said:

Heavy rain sparks one of my favorite big fish patterns- rats in current. Let the rain do it’s thing and then as soon as you can after, fish the heavy inflow streams with rats or big (BIG) shallow cranks. The more noise the better. Squeaky joint? The greatest. You want to imitate rats/mice/voles/woodchucks/calves/kittens etc that are washed in by the rapid rise in water. Urban area? Be still my beating heart. Is it just after dark or just before daylight? I’m going to need a moment….
Cast up into the current and work it aggressively back to you, even swimming it on/near/just under the surface. This is not a time for subtlety- it is a time to put the power in power fishing. I will warn you, especially on the the Potomac around DC - this is a mixed-bag, big (BIG) fish technique that will ruin you when it’s good. 
 

Shameless plug - I like Baby Possums for this, with the joint just tuned off so that it squeaks like a baby squirrel that my lab caught

Imitate Calves ???

These are some serious fish you're pursuing ?

[VolFan]

29 minutes ago, Bird said:

Imitate Calves ???

These are some serious fish you're pursuing ?

I was going to put ‘small children’ but thought that’d be too dark… Takeaway is big fish feed big on small mammals that get washed in through erosion, stupidity, or storm drains. And it…is…AWESOME 

[Gregorym38]

47 minutes ago, VolFan said:

I was going to put ‘small children’ but thought that’d be too dark… Takeaway is big fish feed big on small mammals that get washed in through erosion, stupidity, or storm drains. And it…is…AWESOME 

I went to a stream connected to the lake and did pretty well. I didnt catch any lmb bigger than my finger, but i did catch my first smb. I suppose i shouldve used a floating mouse lure ?