When I was a kid, my grandfather always told me to fish in the rain. That's when they would really bite.We'd sit through drenching downpours no matter whether it was in a boat fishing for smallmouth, a creek fishing for trout or a bog filled with 6-inch bullhead. If the rain was really bad, we might put arm and head holes in a garbage bag and wear it. But we'd keep fishing.
I still believe in fishing in the rain, although these days I'm usually better prepared with breathable raingear. However, I now think the period right AFTER it rains is often the most productive.
That was the case this week when I was fishing a nearby river. Brown trout were hitting all morning on woolly buggers, but when it clouded up, the action picked up. During a rainstorm, I kept fishing and caught a few nice ones.
But for about a half hour after the rain, a hatch of drakes came off like gangbusters. I switched to a drake nymph and got into the brownies on that. Even though the hatch was heavy, I only saw a couple fish rise. But they were taking the emergers, particularly with the Leisenring Lift technique.
If there's a lot of lightning close by, I usually take shelter when fishing during a rainstorm, no matter how great the fishing is. Otherwise, I still believe in my grandfather's advice.
