Bad Weather

[Quest]

What are the effects of rain/bad weather when fishing?

As winter has kicked in I have been doing a lot of pike fishing and Chub Fishing. But when it has rain hard the fishing has become very poor. Is this normal? as I was once told that when it rains the fish bite more. Is the true?

 

Please help!!!!!!!!!!

[RobStubbs]

In winter I find poor weather can be detrimental (especially on rivers). It does vary with waters but again I've noticed that when waters colour up from rain it can make things worse (especially for pike). For carp fishing I prefer the wetter (milder) weather but it doesn't appear to have improved the fishing over the last few days - at least not where I was fishing.

 

Rob.

[Dunk Fairley]

Aaaah, the weather.

 

Well, in Kent at the moment, we're getting a lot of it.

 

It's an old wives tale that fish bite better in the rain, sadly. But don't worry, rain doesn't neccesarliy stop them biting either.

 

In the summer, a splash of rain can oxygenate the water nicely, and bring on the fish. In winter, you don't get that effect, but what it CAN do, is colour the water slightly. This seems to make the fish move around a bit when they feed, so they hopefully find your baits.

 

On rivers, after it's rained, watch for the river to start to go clear again (it can take a day or two). This is called fining down. It's probably the best time to fish a river. The fish are still in the river when it's grubby though, so just look around a bit.

 

The only weather I don't seem to catch in though, is hailstorms. I think it gives the fish a headache!

[cookus]

yo dunk

 

i fished the medway at yalding last friday and it was high then

 

didnt catch anything didnt even have a bite, i noticed no other anglers were there.

 

isnt fishing any good when the rivers in flood?

[Leon Roskilly]

cookus:

i fished the medway at yalding last friday and it was high then

Try the cut at Yalding, the fish stack up in there when the river is running high.

 

Tight Lines - leon

[Cranfield]

This might take more than "a day or two" to clear.

 

River Medway, Teston Car Park.

 

Teston.

 

Riverside Restaurant, Wateringbury.

[Leon Roskilly]

Cranfield:

This might take more than "a day or two" to clear.

I went for a drive downstream today, toward Lower Halstow, looking for likely mullet marks (I didn't find any).

 

But I did find several new rivers and lakes

 

Tight Lines - leon

 

ps There's an advance weather warning for more severe rain tomorrow.

 

pps The EA site, listing current flood-warnings is down today, just an apology message (for the site being down, not for the floods!!!)

 

http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subje...ning/?version=1

 

[ 01. January 2003, 08:26 PM: Message edited by: Leon Roskilly ]

[Dunk Fairley]

I think it's a bit dodgy at the moment cookus!

[wunnus]

I have noticed that the rain can have an effect on the fish activity.

 

When it first rains there do seem to be more bites and then as the rain continues these bites tail off.

 

Maybe the situation goes something like this...

When it rains the temperature of the water will be altered.

If the rain is warmer then the lake will warm up. on a river there is a delayed effect until the run off makes it into the stream. if the rain is colder then the temp' will fall.

 

When it rains it will knock dust, plant material, small animal life off the trees into the water.

 

When it first rains the fish can be excited under trees etc for the free feed. Surface feeders certainly get more active and explore more.

As the rain continues it usually drops the temp in the top layer and the fish sink or cease activity.