Keys to High Water Fishing

Keys to High Water Fishing

As is always the case in the spring here in North Alabama we get tons of rain causing the rivers to rise, creating lots of muddy water, unprecedented current and forcing you to adjust your fishing style as the bass move in these conditions. This can be intimidating if you don’t know what to do to change your fishing style, putting you in a disadvantage position especially while fishing a tournament.

Let me first say, high water brings floating debris and that can be dangerous running the river so keep your eyes open and so you don’t hit floating objects. It’s also true that bass are located near thick structure in high water conditions, so floating objects that may be stuck up against the edge of an island or in shallow water will hold fish and you should always investigate. Fish these objects pitch in and around them making sure that you have tested every angle the fish could hide in! Next high water creates mud lines and bass do not see well in muddy water so look for mud lines and fish the edges as the transition areas always hold bass. Not only do the bass hold near mud lines but the bait moves to the clearer water and will bring the bass with them.

Lastly high water always pushes the bass up into the shallows for many reasons, there are always mud lines near the shallow water, the bait moves shallow, they can escape the heavy current, and the structure is always near the banks where they can locate in and around the heavy structure. Structure can be things like grass clumps, or fallen trees, or floating debris that has caught near the edges or the islands, even boat docks become structure that the bass will migrate too. It’s also important to look for natural keys like gulls diving as they will locate the bait and feed on them, giving you a big advantage in finding fish. There are many natural keys to choose from or to look for so don’t be myopic, look for anything that can give you a key as to where the bass might have been located. Fish hard and steady and you will overcome the high-water concerns.