Rain and the Effects It Has On Bass

[BassFishingMachine]

Ok, just wanted to get a understanding of how bass react after rain. Any articles would be appreciated along with comments etc. We've recently been getting alot of rain around here in NJ, so once this all clears up I want to know what to expect from the fish and where they'll most likely be holding and how they'll be acting, now I know what your going to say "you have to fish and the fish will tell you", yes this is absolutely true, but there are common facts known for different weather patterns that are tend to be correct alot of the times. So what do you use after the rain, and where do the bass relate to after rain? Does the time of the year effect this? If so lets assume the time of the year is early spring.

[Fishin Phil]

Fish the water conditions. The rain will probably effect deep reservoirs differently than rivers so just fish the temp and clarity like normal. On average i would guess that rain would cool it down and muddy it up so do what you gotta do. As far as weather goes, do the same. Fish the sunlight and air pressure accordingly and you should be good.

[gatrboy53]

rain in general may have some short term effects but unless it has muddied the water or appreciably risen the water the fish wont do anything unusual.if anything it will bring them closer to the bank.in most situations it should be a good thing.it injects oxygen,aereates the water,dispels carbon dioxide,stirs the waters alittle.

[Big-O]

rain in general may have some short term effects but unless it has muddied the water or appreciably risen the water the fish wont do anything unusual.if anything it will bring them closer to the bank.in most situations it should be a good thing.it injects oxygen,aereates the water,dispels carbon dioxide,stirs the waters alittle.

X2 on this. I've kicked 'em pretty hard before, during and immediately after rain. But if it muddy's up real bad you have to change your tactics accordingly.

Big O

[daviscw]

Not trying to hijack this thread buuut... What about storms? We just recently had a few tornadoes roll through here...

[Wayne P.]

I'll add an additional benefit to gatrboy53's remark: it washes food into the water like insects, worms, etc.

As far as temp change, it depends on the difference in the rain temp. and the water temp. Early in the year, it may warm the water and in the summer it may cool the water-both are beneficial.

Two results make the catching difficult after a rain: if the rain drops the water temps especially if the water gets muddy, it has a negative affect. The other is if there is a water level rise, the falling water level after the rise has a negative affect.

[Joel W]

After the front moves through, we usually get blue bird skies coupled with some sustaining windy conditions.  LM's generally will move deeper off the shore to the inside weed lines or even into the weeds, or a creek drop off.  They tend not to want to chase which means that drop shotting, Shaky head, wt'd plastics, etc would be your best bet. Once the weather conditions have stabilized for a few days, the Bass will return to their normal seasonal patterns.

The bottom line is that it's tougher fishing, but once you find 'em, you can

catch 'em.

[OBX-BASS]

i agree with Wayne P.....the rain will wash alot of food into the water for the fish so they should feed pretty good during and right after rain...i always have luck fishing in the rain...if its not too heavy to where it runs me back on home...but fishing before, during, and after rain are some of the best times i have ever fished...hope this helps...good luck!

[Catt]

Go to Bassmaster.com and read every Elite tournament this year since the Classic; they have all had frontal conditions including high winds, rain, lake level changes all with little or no effect for seasoned anglers.

[bassmedic46]

Usually do well in the rain or after. They seem to go closer to shore.

[bigbill]

I've noticed that with heavy rain the bass can shut down tighter than a frogs butt. Using my old Combo C Lector checking the waters PH during this I found out thats the cause of it. The heavy rain can stirr things up and shut down the fishing. Now each place can be different too.

I'm still trying to figure out what causes the feeding frenzy just before and during the light rain sometimes. The bass fishing is just unbelieveable at this time catching fish after fish. I know its the pressure thats doing it but how can i nail it down to when its happening so i can fish it more often.  Sometimes it can happen hours before the front hits.(rain)

Example;

Fishing from shore I caught 19 bass in one spot no matter were i casted i caught bass.

Another time i caught 40 to 50lbs of bass back to back non stop action.

The action is better than watching the pro's on TV.