Ah, fishing in the rain. You may not like the rain, but the fish sure love it!

You may not believe it, but you may catch more fish while it is raining. There are a few good logical reasons for this.

First, when it rains, the worms come out… and naturally, many of those worms along with other bugs get washed into the water. The fish know this and react by feeding. The underwater world erupts into a feeding frenzy, especially if it hasn’t rained for a while.

Another reason is that oxygen levels rise from the rain hitting the water, which increases fish activity levels. There is so much oxygen in the water that it is easier for the fish to swim faster and longer without getting tired. When they see your nice tasty-looking lure, they’re much more likely to go after it.

If you’ve ever been up on a high mountain, you know how much faster you lose your breath and get tired… that’s because there’s less oxygen up at the higher altitudes… come back down to sea-level, and you have more energy and can breathe easier. When it rains, for the fish, it is like coming down to sea-level after living high in the mountains.

A third reason has to do with what the fish can see (or maybe I should say “what they can’t see”). Because of the clouds and all the ripples in the water, it is much more difficult for any fish to see you above the water. Believe it or not, under normal circumstances, fish can see you much better than you can ever see them. And when they do see you, more often than not, they’re going to be gone in a heartbeat.

No matter how crazy and stormy it is on top of the water, everything is just about as calm underneath the surface of the water as it is on a normal day. So even though they aren’t able to see out of the water as well, there is one thing that they can see just as well as any other time, and that’s your bait!

There are quite a few reason’s why fishing in the rain is probably better than fishing on a nice sunny day… and I am sure there are more reasons for this than what I have talked about. But the bottom line is that you’ll probably catch more fish when it’s raining… obviously, you might not catch as much, but experience has shown me that many times, fishing in the rain produces better results.

So, remember, next time you decide to go fishing and the weather reports call for rain, instead of canceling your trip, just smile, grab your rain gear, and get ready to have a great day of fishing… just remember, rain showers are fine, but don’t waste a second scampering off the lake if you see lightning or hear thunder… not only do you put your life in danger, but it will spook the fish enough that they won’t be feeding anymore anyways.

It may not be exactly fun fishing in the rain at first, but after you get used to it and start reeling in those fish, you’ll start liking it more and more.

Scott Pinkert runs a great Wisconsin fishing resource site called Go Wisconsin Fishing. The website is an excellent resource for everything you want or need to know about fishing in Wisconsin. You can check out the site by visiting http://www.go-wisconsin-fishing.com. For more articles like this, sign up for his monthly newsletter at http://www.go-wisconsin-fishing.com/newsletter.html

Tags: Fishing, Baits, Fishing Baits, Fishing Lures, Fishing trips

When fishing for bass in deep water try a spinnerbait that you have confidence in and have used to catch fish before. If the fish are inactive try a slow study retrieve. Spinnerbaits as you know, produce a vibration that attracts bass. Use a spinnerbait that has tandem blades and fish from shallow to deep. You can also use smaller blades that will allow the spinnerbait to run deeper. Try a 3/4 to 1 ounce spinnerbait.

Spinnerbaits can:

Draw bass from farther away than most lures.
Help find the fish faster.
Imitate more kinds of baitfish.

A nice rod for a spinnerbait is a 6 1/2- 7 foot medium/heavy rod. In clear, calm water try a dark color that will not blend in with the sky when a bass sees it from below. Fish can see it better.

Some good colors to try are:

Chartreuse,
White,
Chartreuse and White,
Firetiger and
Black.

While most people recommend a spinnerbait for shallow water fishing, once you use this techniques in deep water, it will surely become one of your favorite ways to catch that weary old bass.

Another way you can fish with the spinnerbait in deep water is to use it like a jig. Throw the lure out and then lift your rod 6-12 inches at a time and let it fall back down. I have had success with both of these techniques. As Mikey says “Try It You Might Like It”.

Charles has fished for bass for almost 50 years. He has fished from Florida to California and has caught more than 6,000 bass in his lifetime. His biggest bass is 12 pounds 14 ounces. Charles has helped many young people start their fishing career and has owned two fishing tackle stores in his lifetime. He now resides in Ohio. Charles is webmaster for: http://www.bassfishingweekly.com

Tags: Fishing, Baits, Fishing Baits, Fishing Lures, Fishing trips

Method 2

The second method that works really well for me is drift fishing. Lets start by explaining how drifting works. It’s really pretty simple: you cast out bait and drag it behind or from the side of your boat while the wind pushes you along.

Where to Fish

The majority of Cat-men that I know all use the same rig, although their tackle will differ from one guy to the next. Whatever tackle they use, they are all dragging some kind of bait on the bottom. The big difference between most drifters and myself, however, is that I usually do not drift in water any shallower than 30 feet deep while most others like to fish much shallower, such as 10-20 feet deep.

The shallow waters of most lakes contain a few big fish and lots of little ones resulting in lots of action, but not too many that will test your string. I have said before that Blue Cats can and will live and feed in deep water. My best day of drifting, as far as numbers of fish weighing between 3-20 lbs. goes, occurred last December. In one drift I caught and released 47 Blue Cats. These fish all came off of a huge flat that runs parallel to the main river channel with an average depth of 45 ft. Its surface has a few small humps and a couple of old ditches running across it. People drive by me and look in disbelief when they see me drifting in 30 to 50 ft of water, but when that fish locator shows big fish marks on the bottom at those kind of depths I have a pretty good idea of what’s down there.

Not all lakes are as easy to drift: some have gobs of timber and some have tons of rock on the bottom. The best lakes I have found have had some silting or massive mud flats that were old fields at one time. Simple structures like old ditches that carve across mud flats give Blue Cats a place to ambush their prey and might give them a little relief in the water column when the water is at its coldest or warmest. Look at these flats from different angles and ask yourself, “How does the bank look?” Could the surface under the water look similar to the structures above the water? Chances are that it will be pretty close.

These ideas are not really new. Bass and Walleye fishermen all over the U.S. use land structures to locate their fish and when it comes to locating these structures, fish locators are very valuable tools. My opinion is that you get what you pay for with electronics, but if you can find shad or baitfish with your locator as well as see the big fish marks, that’s all you need.

Catchin’ the Big Cats

The speed of your drift makes a huge difference. A good rule to follow is ‘the colder the water, the slower you should go.’ A big Blue Cat will not want to chase bait that’s traveling fast in cold water, so when you are dragging bait on the bottom you should use some kind of drift sock or sea anchor. You might have to experiment with different sizes until you figure out what size slows your boat down. Manufacturers of drift socks will usually give you an estimate of the size of sock compared to the size of the boat you are using.

Furthermore, just because you are a Cat-fisherman, it doesn’t mean you can’t use the tools other fishermen use. Experiment with different hooks, weights, line, rods and reels, but my advice would be to eventually work your way into having an exactly matched set of at least 4 rods and reels. When you learn what works for you, you will be much happier with a matching set of gear. Having your gear match might not sound like much, but when you start catching Blue Cats over 20 lbs you’ll know the limitations of your tackle. Furthermore, you wont have to worry every time you set a hook about which rod the fish hit because they will all perform the same.

Closing

Get some good gear capable of handling big fish. Get your tools so you can go out and learn your lake. Spend time learning your water before you start to fish. If you can’t or don’t want to spend the amount of money necessary to purchase all the equipment and cover all the various expenses, don’t be afraid to take guided trips. You’ll have good company from someone who knows the lake well and can teach you a great deal, plus it takes A LOT of guided trips to add up to the cost of equipping yourself.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with new tactics after you start fishing. Always remember: Blue Cats are Blue Cats, they don’t know what lake they’re in or where they live. They will behave the same where I fish or where you fish. If you’d like, I can actually travel to your lake to prove it, as well as show you what a professional guide would do on your lake or river. Always keep your eyes on your fish finder, and get out there and try some non-typical Catfishing!

If you missed either of the first 2 parts of this article, head to this URL for the complete article: http://www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com/nontypical-catfishing.htm

Copyright © 2002-2005 Jeff Williams

You have permission to publish this article free of charge as long as you are not selling it and that you include the author bylines immediately visible with the article and, if published in an electronic medium such as on a web site, you provide a link back to www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com in the author bylines, both where the web address is listed as well as well as with the text “Lake of the Ozarks Catfish Fishing Guide Service”…

Jeff Williams runs a Truman Lake Hybrid Bass and Lake of the Ozarks Catfish Fishing Guide Service offering lodging and guided trips in Missouri. To book a trip, learn more tips, or find out how Capt. Jeff would fish your own local waters, call 1-866-HOOKSET or visit http://www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com today!

Tags: Fishing, Baits, Fishing Baits, Fishing Lures, Fishing trips