Curious. what happens to bass fishing after a Hurricane?

[Darth-Baiter]

i assume the waterways are littered with debris.  are the fish lock-jawed?

 

just asking because i dont know, and i am curious.  the waterways have to be filled to the top i'm sure.  

[AlabamaSpothunter]

I'm envisioning a scene from Point Break the movie, but instead of surfing a once in a lifetime wave, a nutjob Florida man is fishing 48hrs prior to a Hurricane making land fall ?

 

 

[the reel ess]

After Hurricane Hugo in the 80's on Lake Wateree, the water level went 10' over the dam. You could sit and watch trees float down the lake. It took about a week for the level to drop to the point you could put a boat in, but there was still floating debris everywhere. But my dad did hook a bass off the bank that got hung under our dock, which was still underwater. I swam in and got the bass for him. 

 

I think it's like any storm front that is followed by high pressure and bluebird skies...not the best. But after several days the bass should be catchable in the new shallows. Whenever there is flooding, fishing can be good in the new habitat. Watch out for debris.

[river-rat]

 

 

A hurricane can cause extensive fish kills if it goes over shallow water areas because the wind and wave action will stir up the bottom and that can cause all the dissolved oxygen in the water to be depleted.

 

Hurricane Andrew went directly over the Atchafalaya Basin in 1992 and killed over 50 million fish of which it was estimated that 5 million were largemouths. Needless to say fishing was terrible for the next two years but by that third year bass catches of over 100 a day were common.

 

There have been other fish kills after hurricanes here in south Louisiana over the years also but nothing compared to what we experienced after Hurricane Andrew.

 

If there isn't a fish kill it usually takes a week or so for things to settle down and get back to normal after the water levels recede.

 

On the other hand, in my much younger (dare I say more stupid) days I have fished up until the last minute possible before a hurricane and had some huge catches. I wouldn't try that today - too old and my wife and kids would probably do more damage to me than the storm. 

 

 

 

[slonezp]

It blows....

[Catt]

Depends on the amount of tidal surge.

 

Hurricane Rita's tidal surge devastated one of our local marshes. My brother, nephew, & I visited it a couple months later & the was no life period.

 

Hurricane Laura put enough trees in a local river that all the sap from the trees turned the water black & caused a major fish kill.

[Sam]

Catt, after the storm passes you know we will have high, dirty water.

 

But, we also have high water along the banks of our favorite rivers, marshes, bayous, ponds, creeks, lakes, the Gulf and the fishing can be pretty good.

 

However, the best day I had fishing as a kid was at Audubon Park Lagoon in New Orleans when a hurrican was approaching. My two cousins and I caught so many bluegills, largemouth bass, Sac-a-Laits, perch, and catfish that we stopped counting.

 

Their mother, my aunt, finally came and found us and told us to go home as the wind was picking up and the hurricane was supposed to hit us in a bout an hour or two.

 

P.S.  After Katrina when the press wrote and told us that fishing in the Gulf and the marshes along the Louisiana coast was destroyed, my cousing (one of the above) caught so many largemouth bass, redfish, drum, sheepshead, and speckled trout fishing the Biloxi that he lost count! He told me he had a blast fishing and caught something on almost every cast.

[slonezp]

9 minutes ago, Sam said:

Catt, after the storm passes you know we will have high, dirty water.

 

But, we also have high water along the banks of our favorite rivers, marshes, bayous, ponds, creeks, lakes, the Gulf and the fishing can be pretty good.

 

However, the best day I had fishing as a kid was at Audubon Park Lagoon in New Orleans when a hurrican was approaching. My two cousins and I caught so many bluegills, largemouth bass, Sac-a-Laits, perch, and catfish that we stopped counting.

 

Their mother, my aunt, finally came and found us and told us to go home as the wind was picking up and the hurricane was supposed to hit us in a bout an hour or two.

 

P.S.  After Katrina when the press wrote and told us that fishing in the Gulf and the marshes along the Louisiana coast was destroyed, my cousing (one of the above) caught so many largemouth bass, redfish, drum, sheepshead, and speckled trout fishing the Biloxi that he lost count! He told me he had a blast fishing and caught something on almost every cast.

I am not a fish. Nor am I a marine biologist. I have to believe that fish sense the impending weather changes and put the feed bag on prior and post panic. Just as humans do. 

[Darth-Baiter]

thanks for the peek behind the curtain.  very interesting.

[crypt]

back in 2004 we had 3 back to back to back and the fishing was horrible for about a week.then all of a sudden it turned on like I've never seen. it all depends on how much water that fell, temperature,current flow etc.  fish live in the stuff so they react to whatever is there. we on the other hand wish the fish would bite all day everyday.......no matter what.

[mamdlwk]

I think it involves a yellow brick road and some guy behind a curtain. 

[TnRiver46]

I saw a bunch of dead fish washed up onto the beach in the gulf, that’s about my only experience. I bet there were just as many fish tagging along behind eating what died 

[uglyasheck]

I don't know about after cause I can't remember  but we fished during several  hurricanes 3 years ago and we killed them as long as the wind is not too bad. These were not 4 or 5 class canes just the smaller ones.

[bulldog1935]

Fishing can't get any better than a draining storm tide. 

 

 

[Catt]

We have to consider the storm.

 

Hurricane Harvey dumped 60.58 inches of  rain near Nederland, Texas. The flooding was a direct result of rainfall which is freshwater.

 

Hurricane Katrina had a tidal surge of 28', this flooding is saltwater & is completely devastating.

[WRB]

We are in the North Sea leaving Norway watching Hurricane Ian massive cat 4 hitting Florida, very strong and doing lots of damage. Hang in there Floridians.

Tom

[Mr. Aquarium]

Up here in Massachusetts during a winter hurricane, Nor’eastah Nemo. A pond located on the ocean got flooded with sea water. It killed all the bass. You used to be able to catch a 5lb bass and a 30 inch striper in very shallow water.  But now it’s all stripers. I ain’t complaining haha.