Don’t think I’ve seen this covered before. What are your tactics for rainy days. We seem to be going through a wet spell in the midwest were it’s been raining several times a day for several days and the forcast looks toward at least five more days of the same.
I’m thinking big poppers and frogs. Any advice cause I’m going crazy sitting around the house.
Greg
In spite of what all the fishing writers tell us, I almost never do well in the rain. It doesn’t seem to matter what I try, that East wind (SE and S too) seems to put the fish down. I’m sure others will disagree. 8T
With the exception of gully washers rain doesn’t usually affect trout fishing. This warm water fishing is new to me.
Greg,
I’ve had very good luck during times when I was on the lake in my canoe and rain first began falling. The fishing action always picks up immediately, noticeably.
The only explanation I have for this is that fish hear raindrops striking the surface and commence searching for winged insects that have been knocked of the sky. Maybe aquatic nymph activity becomes energized during rain storms, too. I really don’t know, but something starts happening and the fish become active.
Whether their increased activity continues for the duration of the storm, I don’t know that, either. (If the rain is hard enough, usually after a while I leave just to avoid getting soaked. Or if I hear thunder anywhere, I’m gone.)
Anyway, my advice would be to try a wet fly or nymph pattern, both presented with as slow a retrieve as you can manage. The wet fly will mimic a flying insect that got knocked to the surface then drowned.
Joe
“Better small than not at all.”
Yeah, what Joe said. I seem to have more luck with bluegills and crappie in the rain than I do bass, although there are days… Depends a lot on the rain too. A gentle rain without a lot of wind and I think Joe’s right about bugs getting knocked out of the air and off branches and panfish keying on that. In these cases a small popper or a nymph fished just under the surface seems to work very well. I just had a day like that this week. When it’s raining harder and the wind is blowing, I think the same applies, but the extra commotion on the surface from waves and big splashy raindrops makes the fly harder for the fish to find. Then I’ll usually go to a bigger popper to make more noise and/or a weighted nymph to get below the disturbance. The fish are still out there, and often still feeding, it’s just harder to present the fly effectively.
I use flies with rubber legs on them, bright flies, or wet flies I have tied with dry fly hackle.
The first and last push more water, making more sound to help fish find them. The bright flies just show uip better.
If there is thunder around I am gone.
Rick
MY tactic is to use brghter flies that push more water and go slower but i am mostly a trout guy so the rain doesn’t seem to affect them
My theory is that if the water is clear, fish see better if it’s overcast versus a bright sun. Therefore they are more agressive. They can see your fly better, and are more confident of being able to see predators, so they come out to feed. But I’m not sure I adjust strategy much if it’s actually raining other than to work the fly a little harder.
I’ve had some great days in the rain (but mostly prior to my fly fishing days). But the best part is that other guys go home. 
Kinda off the subject, but. With all the rain we’ve been getting, how do you think this is affecting the water temps, and the spawns. Don’t get me wrong, as dry as it’s been the last few years, the rain is great. Our local lake is running over for the first time in seven years. Just wanting some feed back, as this is my first year to WW fly fish.
Carl
In addition to the questions posed I would also like to ask a few. Here in W/Central TX we have been having some serious thunderstorms and quite a bit of rainfall. Our creeks that are normally still are overflowing and running at full speed. How does the faster moving water and Im assuming increased overall turbidity affect the feeding patterns of warm species such as LMB, SMB and bluegill in small streams?
Thanks in advance,
Bruce
I don’t think it’s just WW species, but during high water, all fish will seek out the edges of high water streams. The current is slowest there, and it’s easier to find relief. In general, fish are not washed downstream, but are capable of surviving in the same general area no matter how high the water by moving to the edges and finding structure. There are exceptions, and I have seen beaten up trout in the lower reaches of eastern freestoners after hurricane level rain.
High water can make the headwaters of a small stream fish really well, and you might be surprised about what you can catch in what is normally very small water. Probably not 4 lb bass, but probably fish bigger than you expected to live there. Now, that the water’s high, they become catchable. Also, the headwaters will clear up first. In general, look to the headwaters during high water.
At some point, the water will just be too murky to effectively fly fish (in my opinion), so you’re better off doing something else.
Regarding spawns, high water during the spawn is not good. And you could lose most of a year class in a river or stream due to high water. Fortunately, not all fish in the same species spawn at the same time. Nature has a way of building in a safety net.
I was out Saturday here in Wichita carp fishing and got poured on three times. I understand your frustration. Having said that, the fish didn’t seem to mind what the weather was doing. I actually started catching a mixed bag of bass and bluegills in between showers. I was fishing leeches, slum-busters and a fly I call a Dazzlin Chic Bugger. It’s tied with small dazzle eyes, chickabou tail, super-bright olive dubbing for the body and a small natural grizzly hackle on a #8 Targus 812, the clouser hook. The BGs wouldn’t leave it alone! All in all I landed three carp in the 5 to 6 lb. range, 6 or 7 LMBs, and probably a dozen BGS. The best shower I’ve ever taken!!!
Greg, are you talking abut streams or impoundments?
Ed
Hi EdD
Ponds and small lakes
Greg
I can’t help you then. On the streams that I usually fish, a light rain is a very good thing. I look for feeders and fish the seam between water of different colors. Sometimes I have to use mini-jigs or heavily weighted flies to get near the bottom, which is where I seem to do the best. On pools I try all thru the water column to see where the fish are holding and feeding.
Ed