It has been raining a lot and it seems it is going to be raining most of next week. The long rain forecast calls for a very wet spring and maybe summer. It seems there is a "el nina" system off the coast of Peru. Which means that part of the ocean is unusally cool. When this happens it seems to bring a unusually wet rain pattern to the midwest. If you like to catfish this is good news. the rivers will be up and stay up for a good while. We are in store for a great season. I love fishing in the rain and have always done my best on rainey days. I fish for flat heads and they are a night fish except they do bite good in the day during low light conditions. The rest of the cats, blues, channels ect also like the rain. Bad weather for humans, clouds, rain ect is great for fishing. Also another BIG factor is the river levels. Theres a lot of rain up north and the snow is starting to melt up there. When the rivers go up the fish are on the move, especially in the spring. Happy fishing every one!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your Right on Pat,I'll be on Vacation next Week and You can bet that I'll be on the Missouri River up at My cabin by Blinco Iowa. J.D.
patrick...we have a great little creek that flows into the Missouri and fished the mouth of the creek several times during high water with little results. In high water what are you looking for with flatheads..would you fish up in this creek..at the edges, in the middle? there are not deep holes in it but it will run 6 to 10 feet when the water is up like this. I know some guys caught several in the 30's on limb lines over night but I was wanting to catch one of these brutes on pole.
They caught them on limb lines because the flatheads come close to shore to eat. Fish in close to the bank by a deep hole. They come out of their holes and go up and down the bank looking for food. I would try a line 15 ft out and another on about 25 are 30. Even on the mississippi I fish close to the bank. Fishing at the mouth is fine but try to fish in closer.
i think the best time to fish that creek is when you have had locally heavy rain and fish the mouth of that creek where it runs into the river. you want to fish it while it is rising (the creek) and there should be fish coming up in there to feed. have luck with that around here. the window is usually small but very productive.
Dave, this is a perfect time to catfish with the "dreaded" bobber, Nothing like hanging a big shad or gill under it a few feet and tossing it into one of the eddies that will form there somewhere. Have had great success doing this over the years, As Pat said they do and will run the edges on a feed and the use of a bobber works very well in that type of situation.
Dave I have had good luck fishing the main river eddy below the creek mouth. Flatheads seem to like that type of area. I will also fish close to the bank. I love it when it rains and the rivers starts to rise. I'm hoping for that type of day tomorrow. :big_smile:
the fish know that food is gonna be comin down outta the creek from the high waters. they are lazy like me.:wink:
Thanks much for all the advice..I fished the creek for some eaters..took 23 of my jugs..hit them with hot dogs, cut carp, cut shad, worms and livers. I caught 2 on jugs and 2 on pole..on the pole I could only get them to bite on livers..all young channels..was really surprised to see the biggest about 2 pounds was full of eggs! Water temp was only 49.5.. I thought this was really early for channels to have that many eggs in them. Water was deep in the creek with the river up and shad was no where to be found. When the river goes back down I will hit the eddie next to the creek..there is one on the upper side with a deep hole and the lower side is like a large mud flat with a few small logs sticking up. Thanks again for the information.
