River levels

[M.K]

Hi all,

When is a river in best form regarding levels :confused: Is it fine to fish a river until the water floods the edge of the bak or should you stop fishing earlier :confused:

M K

[Danny H]

Popular thinking has it that the river is best when Finning down after a flood.

 

From my years of only lure fishing I would agree with this.

 

For bait fishing I have no idea.

 

All the best

 

Dan.

 

P.s I don't know how old you are, but I should state the obvious here.

 

A COLD FLOODED WINTER RIVER IS BL##DY DANGEROUS- BE CAREFUL- Espec' if it is over the banks

[peter mccue]

M.K.

 

As with most things the answer is unforunately not straightforward. I have found floodwater heavy in silt, to fish ok providing you can find a little spot out of the main current,& providing they have had a day or two to acclimatise.

 

In reasonably clear high water conditions, sport can be much better than when the river is at normal levels.

 

However, temps matter greatly, flooding caused by cold water - relative to normal river temps -especially in the colder months are going to reduce sport by a big chunk.

 

Just to confuse matters further, increases to the river temp - again relative - by warm floodwater can be just as bad!!

 

Really it all boils down to the fish getting acclimatised to any change in their environment. If you have high water levels for any length of time, get yourself out there & bag up.

 

One last thing, if the cause of your floodwater is snow-melt STOP IN BED ITS NOT WORTH GETTING UP.

[Leon Roskilly]

When the water is rushing through, fish are using a lot of energy to maintain station.

 

That energy has to be replaced by feeding

 

The fish will be sheltering, as best they can, out of the wildest current.

 

Look for slack water and eddies, especially where water backs up a culvert or stream. Even incoming streams that normally contain a trickle of water at usual times, can be full of fish, if the river has backed up the stream (no good if the stream is delivering a flood of water into the river).

 

Use smelly baits and moving baits (such as lob-worm) when the water is cloudy. It's amazing how good fish are at finding food in such conditions!

 

Tight Lines - leon

[M.K]

Thanx all