Rainy day fishing

[wayneb]

Hi All;

I'm attending the VA Fly Fishing Festival ( http://www.vaflyfishingfestival.org/ ) this Saturday in Waynesboro Va. The show is right on the banks of the South river and heavily stocked prior to the show.

I'd like to christen my new bamboo rod that day but, the weather report is not that great, rain, in the 60's with a chance of thunderstorms.

Any suggestions on how to fish under these conditions?

Thanks in advance;

Wayneb

[William Anderson]

Wayne, that trip sounds like fun, wish I could be there for that. I've never fished the Smith, but it's on my list. I fished similar conditions, not heavy rain and thunderstorms, but drizzle this weekend in PA and the water was up higher than usual. I like to fish in those conditions. i have fished heavy rain in larger water and found the only way to hook up is to stay low (beads or wires or split shot) and do a combination of swinging flies to targets or nymphing in a kind of high sticking method. Maybe even the Czech style nymphing. You can get much closer in those conditions and you're not going to see anything hanging in the upper columns of water. Sucks that you dont have any better weather and hatches to play with. Have a great time with your new rod though. It should be a great trip.

would you please send back a report from the Smith? I would like to head down that way at some point. Maybe for smallies when it warms up.

w

[Roadkill]

I wouldn't ignore top water in the rain especially with pellet heads recently stocked. I have also had native trout feeding heavily on emergers that were battered on the surface by rain so observe what is happening on the water before you decide how to fish. Nothing on top go deeper but cloud cover can also make fish more willing to feed nearer the surface than they would on a sunny day.

In case of any sign of thunder don't stand in the water waving a lightning rod.

[William Anderson]

RK, that is an interesting point. I wouldn't have thought to be looking for anything on top in a downpour. Overcast and drizzle sure, but trying to follow an emerger imitation would seem tough up top. You're right about the emergence. That makes sense, which is why softhackles make great patterns to imitate cripples, emergers and active nymphs. I will definitely keep that in mind the next time i'm soaking wet and trying to find the feeding zone. I fish when I can, not when it's best, so I often find myself in cold or rainy water. I guess following an emerger or softy up high dead drift in the pouring rain can't be any harder than the zen technique of knowing where your softhackle fly is and knowing when to strike down lower.

Pellet heads is a good name for em.

w

[Soft-hackle]

Wayne,
I do not know exactly what you will run into, however, some of the very best fishing I've had have been on days that brought occasional thunderstorms. of course during the storm, one must retire and take the rod down, or at least get it down low so as not to attract lightening. Also, one should get out of the water, however, if fronts are moving through and give you breaks between occasional storms, or rainy periods, the fishing can be quite good, especially, if the breaks between storms are sunny, or partly sunny. The last time I fished in conditions like this, I took so many trout I lost count.

You are going to have to be the judge of the conditions you will have. The kind of day where it is gray, overcast, with a steady rain have never been good for me, but the kind I've described above, have been memorable.

Good luck, and hope you enjoy yourself.

Mark

[willowhead]

Nice thread.....hope you had a great days fishin' Wayne.