Fishing in the rain

[93DelSol]

Hey Guys, I noticed it is supposed to rain this Monday coming up, I have been checking the water office at different locations and learning to use that as a tool to fish with thanks to some of the members here. Very helpful I might add, so thanks for all your input. My question is, I know when it warms up and things melt and it rains that will help bring fresh runs of steel in, but how exactly do you time it? Do you want to go while it is actually raining, waiting until the rain is done but then the rivers are muddy? waiting a couple days after until the water clears up and levels go down a bit and the steel is already in the river and you go at that point? or will you miss it at that point in the tribs open sections this time of year? Im considering going monday, any opinions would be appreciated!

 

[emirribolov]

Hey Guys, I noticed it is supposed to rain this Monday coming up, I have been checking the water office at different locations and learning to use that as a tool to fish with thanks to some of the members here. Very helpful I might add, so thanks for all your input. My question is, I know when it warms up and things melt and it rains that will help bring fresh runs of steel in, but how exactly do you time it? Do you want to go while it is actually raining, waiting until the rain is done but then the rivers are muddy? waiting a couple days after until the water clears up and levels go down a bit and the steel is already in the river and you go at that point? or will you miss it at that point in the tribs open sections this time of year? Im considering going monday, any opinions would be appreciated!

I love fishing in the rain. Usually trout gets bit more aggressive when it worms up in winter time. As for timing it i can not tell you because i don,t time it, i get my ass out and check the water. I don't like fishing in muddy water. Best success i have in milky green water and that is around 5-7 days after heavy rain. That is my experience but there is definitely going to be different answers with different experiences. As for you going on monday it all depends with river you are going to fish on. Last time i went in conditions like that there was to much ice and slush mixed and extremely muddy.
Good luck.

 

[wlatyn]

Hey Guys, I noticed it is supposed to rain this Monday coming up, I have been checking the water office at different locations and learning to use that as a tool to fish with thanks to some of the members here. Very helpful I might add, so thanks for all your input. My question is, I know when it warms up and things melt and it rains that will help bring fresh runs of steel in, but how exactly do you time it? Do you want to go while it is actually raining, waiting until the rain is done but then the rivers are muddy? waiting a couple days after until the water clears up and levels go down a bit and the steel is already in the river and you go at that point? or will you miss it at that point in the tribs open sections this time of year? Im considering going monday, any opinions would be appreciated!

Many factors to consider... I
In the winter, I find conditions more difficult to predict because more factors come into play (eg. ice breaking up and floating downstream, wind in the lake etc.) Different tribs rise and drop at different rates. Overall, I find fishing on the drop to be the best, but the best conditions for the steelheader (relatively warm air temp., decent water clarity etc.) are not always the best for fish (sometimes high, fast-flowing, dirtyish water full of floating ice chunks fished in near-gale conditions produces fish).
The water office tables are a good starting point BUT...and I know you hear it over and over again - and it used to bug the hell out of me when people told me- the only way to really figure a trib out is to go and fish! Experience can be a brutal teacher, but it is effective!! Too many times I thought I had the "theoretical" prime conditions, only to have the river teach me another lesson in humility.

Bottom line...always better to be on a trib than working...or doing chores around the house...or going shopping...or...

 

[[email protected]]

whats that saying....a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work?

 

[joey dolby]

dont think things are going to open up by monday things still looked all locked up ....

 

[93DelSol]

Thanks for the feed back guys, I went on a little recon mission today to a trib I fished once last fall, defineately lots of open water today and nice levels.

 

[chris f]

looks good 93 delsol from the pic you posted

 

[Rain-Bow]

I don't know how fishable things are now, but I've got my eye on the hydrometric charts

 

[hightechdecks]

steelheading is tops