What To Do When It Rains?

[socrates]

Hey there, just wanted to ask the resident pro's:

 

We have had a pretty dry summer; and my usual creek that normally is about 12 inches deep and clear just trippled in size and got really muddy.

 

What you guys fish with when the rivers get high and the rivers get really muddy? And are the same holes where the fish are? Or do they seek other shelter? Or should I just sit at home and wait for another couple of days until the river gets clear again?

 

 

Thanks

[Harps]

I think the fish take a bit of time to adapt to the changed condtions, but they still have to eat.

 

Try a dark nymph (the outline is easier to see), bigger can work too.

Fish the edges where the water is slower (up on where the bank normally is) or the shallows because fish won't worry so much about lack of cover (can't see them anyways).

Also a streamer that pushes water will get the fishes attention.

 

Of course there are much better dirty water anglers on the site that will have good advise, hopefully Toolman or Dave steps up to the plate here (the rivers down south are always clean and clear compared to the Bow )

 

 

Always fish when you have a chance...

[toolman]

Harps has got it right. I would add that you usually need to get your nymphs/streamers right on the bottom of the stream by using a sink tip or lots of weight on the flys. The trout will sometimes stick their snouts right up against the rocks if there is a lot of soil in the drift and will have a small sight window in these conditions.

We had low visibility conditions on the Bow yesterday, but the trout were actively feeding on nymphs/larva and pupa and moving around searching for food. Others fisherman used hoppers on the surface yesterday, in the pouring rain and did well along the shallow/slow bank water. Trout have incredible vision, even in high water conditions. Last night I was slammin' em in the dirty water (12" of vis.), in the dark at 11:00pm, on size #16 flys.

[SilverDoctor]

Black or dark colors are the key, upsize you flies a couple of sizes and fish closer to the bank.

[ladystrange]

i've had sucess with brown chenielle worm patterns and weighted tippet or sink tip, close to shore and downstream from either a washed out bank or culvert

[lonefisher]

yeah i take about 3 to 5 1.5-2 inch strips of brown or red worm chenille and attach to a hook usually a size2 or 4 swj hook basically in a clump singe the ends to give em that tapered wormy look boom boom worm cluster...... worked pretty well this spring........

[socrates]

Thanks for the tips I can't wait to give them a try.

 

Do you guys find that the usual holes aslo disappear during this time as they can pretty much swim anywhere undetected?

[birchy]

I looked at the title "What to do when it rains?" and my immediate thought was "GO FISHIN!"

[SilverDoctor]

Thanks for the tips I can't wait to give them a try.

 

Do you guys find that the usual holes aslo disappear during this time as they can pretty much swim anywhere undetected?

 

I find that they like to get out of the heavy flow and in tighter to shore or back eddies.