Singing in the Rain

Tips for Fishing in High Water

article by Dan Chason

The old saying “April showers bring May flowers” may be true. But lately in Northeast Louisiana, we got a jump start on rain as our annual precipitation levels are quite alarming. Rivers are high and with high water there are challenges not only for residents, but anglers must adjust strategy to counteract nature’s bounty of water we have received. I have had good fortune in the past when fishing in high water as I have tried to keep a simple analogy. High water to me is like eating beef tips with rice and gravy. If you overload on gravy, the meat is still there. You just have to work a little harder to find it.

The first consideration when fishing high water is to examine where you are fishing and how you need to adjust. In a river system, high water creates current which is a good thing. The angler only needs to find the preferred depth which usually means back water. Shallow sloughs are now full but can be an exact duplication of the main river at pool, only hidden in the backwater. The same patterns work, if the preferred depth is located.

The second consideration is the food source. In April, the preferred food is bluegill and crawfish. Remember to watch the moon phase as the preferred presentation is a crawfish color after a full moon. The reason is there is a crawfish hatch on a full moon and game fish such as bass and crappie are eating crawfish by the scores. One trick I like to use, especially if on a strange body of water, is to find a ditch adjoining the lake and actually scoop crawfish from it. I lay them on the deck of my boat, pull out my jig box and match the hatch. Crawfish colors vary from lake to lake, even in the same region. If you match the color, you are halfway home.

Probably the most significant and overlooked feature of fishing anytime, especially in high water, is the barometric pressure. The unwritten rule is: High skies (rising barometer) fish slow and tight to cover. If the barometer is falling (cloudy/windy) speed up and fish faster moving presentations. This is when you can really rip some lips in current with a crank bait, spinner bait or jerk bait. Watch the barometer as conditions can change during the day. If you are not getting bit, change the angle of presentation. The biggest mistake anglers make is to hit a target from one direction (such as a pier/boat dock) and move on. Hit the target from multiple angles. Game fish are predators. A predator likes to hide and ambush their food. If you present it at the wrong angle or depth you won’t have as much success. This goes for grass beds, stumps, trees and even cuts or ditches. One way to tell if you are a little off in presentation is where any fish is hooked upon landing. If the fish is hooked on the outside of the mouth, that is an indicator of a reaction strike. Color, depth, speed, line size, reel ratio and rod all play a part in getting your lure where it needs to be. Subtle changes as simple as going from a 15 lb.to 10 lb. test line can make a world of difference.

The most important feature in fishing high water is to find the baitfish. We all know that bream, chinquapin and other perch bed shallow. My all time most favorite presentation in the month of April is a gold, black-backed Long Bomber A. This lure perfectly mimics a perch in distress. Throw it on edges of cover where you suspect bedding bream and let it sit. The bass are there feeding on bream. Downward twitches with the intent to never move the lure more than an inch is the objective. I have probably caught more big bass on this lure than any in my arsenal. I always keep a watermelon/red Senko tied on ,as well as any missed strikes can be followed up with the Senko. This subtle presentation will catch most misses and on some days will be my go-to lure even if they will hit at the Long A. If I am getting blow-ups and no hook- ups, I will go with the Senko.

Crappie are winding up their spawn in April and the trick here is to remember that some will stay on the bed late, as will buck bass defending fry. However, April is the time I love to start hitting brush tops strategically placed off of bank lines and in the guts of flats that drain into the main creek. In high water, there is not a better place to be for crappie than grass flats with variating depths. This is where I place willow tops and hit these religiously in April. The trick is to remember to match the hatch. Crappie are hungry with the primary food now being grass shrimp and crawfish. I keep to that color range and size and will almost always lay down plastics and go strictly with hair jigs. Lighter jigs are the key as heavier ones tend to hang up easier. The crappie are not as aggressive so a slower presentation will aid in filling up your live well.

But April is the time when I really start looking hard for a very overlooked prey: catfish. Catfish start spawning in May and this is the time I dearly love to find the early spawners. The easiest way to find catfish is to find carp. That’s right, carp. Catfish prey on carp eggs when they spawn. If you get up in shallow water and see carp, you are in the honey hole. I use very light line with an ultralight rig. It is a very simple set up: Weighed cork, heavy bream hook and night crawlers for bait. You have never had so much fun with these fish on an ultralight.

Just remember that high water can be an asset if you are willing to work at it. Good luck and good fishing.