Does high water=good fishing?

[Alaskacat]

I can only get to Stockton Lake or the Southern end of Truman in the little bites of time I have to fish. Is all this rain gonna help the fishing any? I've heard somewhere that it might. What do y'all think? :confused:

[Kutter]

Thinking, hmmm, not my strong suit. I would have to agree that rising water usually turns the bite on. Reasoning is fairly simple. Rising water means water is now over what was dry land. That means exposed worms and other natural food are plentiful. Catfish tend to eat in frenzies so when the food is abundant, they hog out on everything they can find. By the time the water starts receding, they are full and the bite drops to almost nothing. This is not just for catfish, most fish react this way.

[Alaskacat]

Thanks Kutter,
That's kinda what I thought.
Jim

[ASASIN]

We have had excellent luck in rising waters on creeks or where the creeks flow in to the lakes using cut shad/shad guts. God bless.

[McFlat]

25 years of catfishing all I ever heard or experienced was that the bite was best on the rise, still good while high, and tapered off during the fall to almost nothing for awhile afterwards. But then I saw GaryF was catching some nice fish on the drop. I think that has to do with 40 pound blues can't find enough worms and bugs to fill them up.

[Alaskacat]

This is very good news. Thanks again, fellas. What would be the best bait to offer 'em?

Jim