Fishing in high water on the river: Finding fish, gear, tactics

Content

Why does fishing in high water require so much effort from the fisherman?
Where to look for fish in high water on rivers and ponds
What gear is best to use in muddy water?
Do you fish in high water or wait until summer?

There is a saying: “The fish looks for where it is deeper, and the fisherman looks for where the fish are.” So, when the water level rises in the spring and it becomes cloudy, the situation changes somewhat. The usual places where you could get a bite are “treacherously silent.” And this is not surprising, because the fish tries to find more comfortable conditions for itself during this period.

Features of fishing in spring during high water

As mentioned above, fishing in the spring during floods has a number of rather unpleasant features, the first of which is that the area and depth of any spring reservoir with the increase in the level of melted muddy water increases with the same filling of fish individuals.

As a result: the number of even not very convenient places for catching active fish in a lake, pond or oxbow lake during the spring flood period is significantly reduced. This is especially true for reservoirs with low banks, where even a slight rise in water level noticeably changes the coastal landscape.

Second feature. In the spring, when the water floods, fish have a lot of new food supplies, which also leads to a decrease in the concentration of feeding fish per unit area of the reservoir, which naturally leads to a deterioration or unpredictability of fish biting throughout the spring period.

Water level during spring fishing

The best conditions for catching fish during spring fishing occur during a period of short-term stabilization of water levels. Typically, a smaller influx of melt water is observed in early spring in the morning after the remaining snow and soil freeze at night.

But if the frost drags on and the water level of floods begins to drop noticeably, the fish, without hesitation, goes to the depths, apparently following natural instinct. In my opinion, fishing in the spring doesn’t get any worse if you get a cluster of fish from the shore in a deep place that is clear of muddy water.

You can list a lot of other features and reasons that do not at all contribute to the prospects of spring fishing, but the main ones are the melt flowing from the coastal banks, the muddy cold water of the floods constantly destabilizing the level, which is not at a temperature comfortable for the life of fish.

Tackle for fishing in the shallows of flood waters

In shallow areas of flood waters, shrubs and islands of last year's coastal hard grass are often found - the cause of snags on the hooks of fishing gear. Therefore, for fishing in the spring, long rods with shortened rigs are often used.

A factor that has a positive effect on the activation of biting during floods is the desire of fish to gain weight in the spring before the upcoming fast during the spawning period. Representatives of cold-blooded animals are more active off the coast on shallows warmed by the spring sun.

There, in the natural habitat, fish food, both animal and plant origin, develops faster. These shallow areas of rivers, lakes, ponds, and oxbow lakes near the coast become the most promising for spring fishing with casting gear.

As you can see, despite all the features listed above, we have two to three weeks to enjoy fishing in the spring in high water before the spawning period of fish begins.

Why does fishing in high water require so much effort from the fisherman?

As the water level rises, the fish bite worsens and there are good reasons for this: muddy water and a strong water flow. The fish's gills become clogged with dirt and it becomes harder for them to breathe. And due to the increased current, they have to spend more energy moving, which is also a negative factor. And, of course, poor visibility.

However, the fish is a smart creature, and during the flood period it looks for more comfortable zones for itself, with cleaner water and weaker currents. It is precisely such places that a fisherman should be interested in. If we are talking about rivers, then the fish goes to the upper reaches or retreats into the channels.

Spring fishing in high water

Fishing during the spring flood period can be divided into two stages. Early fishing in the spring begins with the intense melting of snow, which leads to a noticeable increase in muddy water and ice breaking away from the shores of closed reservoirs.

Late spring fishing during high water is characterized by such a feature as the absence of snow in open areas, although in the thickets of forests islands of unmelted snow can be found until the end of May.

In rivers the ice has long disappeared, but in stagnant bodies of water - lakes, ponds, oxbow lakes - the thick ice cover can last until the spring holidays in May. Fishing on a lake or oxbow of a river from ice cut off from the shore can bring a very good catch of fish.

A large flood of water, naturally, should somehow influence the behavior of the inhabitants of reservoirs and, as a consequence, the result of spring fishing. But an even greater influence is exerted by muddy water, which in a lake, oxbow lake or pond settles near the shore, and in the course of the river rushes along a flowing reservoir to the mouth.

Spring fishing in muddy flood waters

I think it is no secret to any of the fishermen that fishing in the muddy waters of the spring flood a priori cannot be crowned with success for at least two reasons.

The smallest particles of debris clog the channels in the fish's gills, which are responsible for the supply of oxygen, and it begins to suffocate. In the spring, fish in the muddy water of a flooded river no longer see the baits on the hooks of fishermen’s gear.

Therefore, schools of fish on rivers rest in areas with weak or no current, where less turbidity is concentrated in the water. Usually these are backwaters, bays, areas around a bend in the river or a cape, where the fisherman must decide on a fishing spot in the flood of a spring reservoir using the available gear.

The influence of water profit on the prospects of fishing

The prospects for fishing during spring floods are more than noticeably influenced by fluctuations in the water level in the reservoir, the profit of which largely depends on the warming of the air and the presence of rains, which literally wash away snow and ice.

And at the same time, the spring surplus of water creates new feeding pastures for fish with uneaten food along the banks of small rivers, oxbow lakes, lakes, and ponds, where you can find many places with melted, but not muddy water for promising spring fishing.

Safe fishing on the lake in spring

Starting from the second half of April, safe fishing is guaranteed only from the shore of a lake or an oxbow river, but during my foolish youth three times I had the opportunity to actively participate in spring ice fishing at the height of the flood, albeit with the safety net of a rubber boat.

All cases occurred during the spring May holidays. They came to fish in the vast expanses of a small river that overflowed during the spring flood, but due to the impossibility of catching fish there, they immediately moved to a fairly large inlet lake located nearby, where the fish that had come from the river at one time took root.

The result of the last such spring fishing: floundering in the ice slush, although relatively close to the shore of the lake, a copious libation on the occasion of salvation on the day of the national holiday and the early return of a wet hedgehog in the fog to his beloved family. And somehow managed not to lose his inflatable Swift.

Nowadays, that is, many years after the incident described above, during the spring flood period I usually take a short vacation at my own expense. And taking into account the May holidays, I have time to go fishing where I planned - on lakes, oxbow lakes and rivers.

In the spring I fish either from the shore with a pair of long rods, or from a small boat with side rods with different equipment, fishing with which during spring floods has its own specifics or features.

On the next page of the section I will describe in detail how I fish in spring fishing from the shore and boats inside and at the outlet of the oxbow of the small river.

Where to look for fish in high water on rivers and ponds

Fishing in spring during high water on rivers requires special attention to the choice of point. The most promising areas will be deep places with weak or no current. They are not difficult to find, just look at the shoreline. Protrusions, exits from the mouth of the channel and “returns”. There should be fish everywhere here, at least some left over for a temporary stop. You should also pay attention to the lulls after turns.

As for lakes and ponds, finding “quiet places” is easier. It’s not a fact, of course, that fish will be waiting for you there, but it’s still worth checking. Or go to more promising points: places with last year’s vegetation in shallow waters and exits from the mouths of channels.

What kind of fish is best to catch in spring during high water?

Behavior of fish in high water

During this period, the behavior of fish is determined by various factors. When the current increases, for example, the fish spends more energy simply trying to stay in place. Therefore, in order to restore the strength that she wasted during the flood, she must eat intensively. Quite muddy water allows the angler to get much closer to the prey, since the fish are much less afraid in such conditions. The fisherman can safely use coarser gear and not stand on ceremony when fishing.

It should be noted that in significant currents, as a rule, the fish tries to stay as close to the bottom as possible. Therefore, sometimes it is simply necessary to use heavy equipment, which, by the way, is easier to fish with. However, fish can be caught not only when the water is falling, but also when it is rising. At this time, you should look for it in sections of the river where the negative factors mentioned above have been leveled out.

Search for fish

Due to floods, the landscape of rivers changes greatly. This state of affairs can confuse an unprepared fisherman. But try to find promising places, and you absolutely will not regret it. Particular attention should be paid to searching for fish closer to the water, as various particles are deposited when the flow is slow. The longer the water remains in a calm state, the faster and more it warms up. And as a result, there should be fish in such places. Visibility in shallow water is much better, so the fisherman must behave calmly and try not to spook his possible catch. In such areas, fish mainly adhere to the boundaries of fast muddy currents, as well as clear and slow water. Such places are ideal for resting and feeding fish.

It will be better if the angler carefully approaches the casting site and hides behind trees, bushes or other possible natural shelters. It is best to fish at the aforementioned boundaries. Also quite promising places for fishing are the mouths of tributaries and streams. In such places there are many interesting places that require the angler to have a somewhat non-standard approach to the fishing process - depth changes, areas with slow currents, various pressures to the shore.

Fish are attracted not only by shade and the possibility of shelter, they also like to stand under steep banks. Under the bank cliffs there is generally a moderate current and depth difference, as well as various features of the bottom topography. An angler who correctly casts bait to such shelters can easily count on a good catch.

The fish can also stand where, in the opinion of the angler, it should not be - for example, in the middle of a fairly powerful stream. It can be attracted to such a place by the unevenness of the bottom. You should try all options.

Float tackle

During high water, you can fish by walking along the shore and fishing the most promising areas, as well as stationary, in which case the fisherman lures and holds the fish using bait in the required area.

Fishing from the shore during high water

The fishing method depends not only on the preferences of the fisherman himself, but also on the width of the reservoir, the number of promising places in the area, the amount of vegetation, access to the shore, and, of course, the weather. For running fishing, it is best to use a Bologna or lead rod, the length of which is 5-7 meters; the tester of such a rod should be low, for example, 3-12 g. It will be good if the rings are located on long legs.

It is best to take a spinning reel, small in size, so that the fishing line has a diameter of 0.14-0.18 mm. It is best that it be specifically designed for long casts, for example, for match fishing.

The preferred diameter of the leash is 0.10-0.12 mm, and the length is 25-30 cm. It is best to connect it to the main fishing line with a small swivel No. 22-24. The hooks should have a good sharpening, size No. 14-18, depending on the size and type of bait and the activity of the fish.

When fishing on the go, you can use a variety of equipment rigs. When fishing in mid-water, when the hook with bait does not sink to the bottom, it is best to use floats that have an oblong shape with a medium-length metal keel and two attachment points. Installation of a simple type of load - one “pellet” every 15 cm.

Installation of weights for running fishing

When the hook with bait touches the bottom, it is best to use sliding floats, and if the depth of the reservoir allows, floats that have two attachment points, and which are more stable and much more sensitive when fishing in the current. The load is quite simple - a sub-sink, 30 cm higher along the line - an intermediate sinker, and after 50 cm - the main sinker.

The choice of float capacity should be determined not only by the test of the rod and the strength of the current, but also by the planned activity of the fish. The principle is quite simple: the lighter, the better.

When stationary fishing, you can also use a wire (Bolognese) rod, but it is best to fish with a fly rod, the length of which is 5-8 meters, the action should be medium-fast, which, if necessary, would allow the use of thin equipment.

Feeder

In strong winds, you can use a feeder. First you need to determine how suitable your bottom gear is for the pond. This is a pretty important point! A variety of tackle may be needed, ranging from a light picker to a heavy feeder. The length should be chosen based on the fishing distance, the chosen location and other factors.

Fishing on a feeder

A few words about the installation of equipment. A simple way, but not the best, is an asymmetrical loop.

Installation of equipment with an asymmetric hinge

During currents, it is best to use mounting equipment with a plastic anti-twist. The main line can be monofilament, feeder or match, close in color, for picker and light feeder with a diameter of 0.14-0.16 mm, and for heavier gear 0.18-0.25 mm.

Installation of equipment with a plastic anti-twist

The thickness of the leashes is in the range of 0.10-0.18 mm, and the length should be selected based on experience. The more active the fish is, the shorter the leash should be used, and vice versa. It is not advisable to skimp on leashes: a good fishing line is a significant bid for a good catch.

Nozzle and bait

The water flow, which is filled with various particles, presses the fish to the bottom, which means that the bait must be fed there. The bait must not be allowed to disintegrate in the upper layers of the water. It is best to sculpt dense balls so that they can reach the bottom. When fishing in a strong current, you should not be afraid to overfeed a promising place. In order to attract schools of fish, at the beginning of fishing it will not be enough to throw just a few fairly large balls. The flood current can wash them away quite quickly. Regular supplementary feeding in the fishing area is necessary to retain fish. The fish should be fed throughout the entire fishing period. Sometimes the sound of balls of bait falling into the water can attract and interest fish.

The color of the bait is also important. For example, when fishing in dark water, a good effect will be from using light-colored bait, and when fishing in cloudy but light water, it will be better to use dark-colored bait.

The worm should be isolated from the bait. In the spring, a finely chopped worm can be an excellent addition to any bait, as it has an attractive and strong aroma that is liked by almost all types of fish. Excellent catch baits include various slugs, insects, their larvae, etc. It is also good to fish with traditional baits - bloodworms and maggots.

You should not be afraid of large baits: several worms, a bunch of 3-4 maggots or 4-5 bloodworms. During this period, it is much more profitable for fish to swallow a large source of food, while expending a minimum of energy.

You can also use various vegetable attachments - bread crumb, a couple of grains of steamed wheat, grains of steamed pearl barley, a piece of pasta. But you should not overuse flavorings; a sharp and strong smell can scare away fish rather than attract it.

What gear is best to use in muddy water?

In high water, the most effective fishing will be with a donka or a feeder. This is a great time to try your luck and search for “peaceful” trophies. For bait, you should try worms, bloodworms and maggots. If you decide to catch a predator, then live bait will be very useful.

You can also safely try a float and a side nod, as they will be ideal for fishing promising places near the shore.

When fishing with a spinning rod, you also need to navigate the terrain. If you manage to find a place where there is a weak current and the water is relatively clean, you can try wobblers, acid-colored rubber, spinners and spinners. The main thing is that the bait is noticed by the predator. Smell, vibrations and sound play an important role.

Fishing on spills

Photo: Anatoly Mailkov.
Our concern for the fate of underwater inhabitants during the period of violent spring water is probably in vain.

Both the fish population of many reservoirs and all small food animals survive this seasonal event every year and quite safely.

It even turns out that the fish are moving more actively around the water area than during the period when the first ice water arrived, and now it clearly does not miss the opportunity to feed itself and replenish wasted strength.

It is clear that all spring events take place on the eve of spawning, so different fish must inevitably move to certain areas of the upcoming spawn, where, already at the time of muddy water, its increased concentration occurs, which allows us to hope for successful fishing in such places.

You just need to learn to calculate the concentration zones of a particular fish, choose the right tackle, technique and fishing distance, and also quickly determine the most effective bait or attachment.

Each of these moments of the upcoming fishing is largely connected with the object of fishing, and with the type of reservoir, and with the nature of the current weather, as well as with the strength and phase of the flood, with its early or late onset.

The most difficult thing seems to be fishing in very high and extremely muddy water on large rivers that overflow widely, opening onto a vast floodplain. But it is precisely during the short period of spring water entering the floodplain lowlands that it is possible to successfully fish here, if you can find places where various fish are naturally concentrated.

Read the material “Unusual practical ways of carrying a hunting weapon”

At the stage of rising water, the fish is forced to leave the turbulent stream, where its gills are clogged with mud and where it has practically no opportunity to obtain any food. But on the floodplain, where the depth is shallow and the flow is very weak or there is no flow at all, the water settles and even warms up a little.

As for food, there is an abundance of it here - these are worms emerging from the flooded soil, and all kinds of insects and larvae that remained to overwinter in last year’s dense vegetation, and there are also a lot of plant seeds here.

Therefore, more often in such places, the fish greedily grabs any worm thrown on a hook and does not react at all, for example, to a bloodworm, which will be appropriate when the river enters the banks.

However, not everywhere on the floodplain it makes sense to sit with a fishing rod at the peak of the flood - and here the fish have obvious “paths” along which it goes out into the flood, and then quickly rolls back with the beginning of the fall in the spring level.

Typically, zones of spring attraction for fish are coastal ravines, the mouths of small rivers and streams, and very low areas of the coast, where the water that floods them forms temporary bays and backwaters with a slightly greater depth than in the rest of the flooded area.

But these low-lying areas of the river floodplain are often more saturated with moisture even in summer, and therefore they are overgrown much more abundantly than the surrounding areas; moreover, as a rule, they are not plowed, which is why more food remains here.

As for fishing itself among flooded vegetation, there are different approaches. Often, many fishermen who know the area well and the usual flood regime, in the fall, clear “patch” for themselves in different places of the floodplain, where they will fish as the water rises or recedes.

Read the material “Spring Float”

Others do it simpler - put on a wading suit, arm themselves with a rake, and immediately before fishing, tear out the vegetation in the right place. The fish even seem to be attracted to this and after a while they appear in the fishing zone.

Photo: Anatoly Mailkov.

You can fish among the vegetation without doing any preliminary work: just find a small window or narrow passage in the thickets and keep the equipment in place there in order to save yourself the hassle with hooks.

In addition, if the fishing spot is not prepared in advance, then it is not at all necessary to lower the hook with bait on the float tackle to the very bottom, where hooks are inevitable, and the bait often remains invisible to the fish, having fallen into dense, fallen vegetation.

It is quite acceptable to hold the bait directly above the thickets, and the descent can be quite small - the fish here also walks higher, without burrowing into the jungle, and an attractive treat will certainly be noticed.

But you still won’t be able to completely get rid of the hooks, at least when playing for the next trophy. And this very annoying problem can be largely solved by using float equipment.

Firstly, it must be made much shorter in length than the rod - this makes the tackle easier to control, preventing it from uncontrolled shifting into “bad” zones under the influence of the wind or as a result of drifting with the current.

Secondly, a very thick, strong fishing line is installed without a leash, and the hook, on the contrary, is thin, unbends under significant loads, but reliably holds even large fish when it is “pulled out” from the thickets.

Such crude equipment, further simplified by a float with a fairly large carrying capacity and a single sinker on the line, will not in any way affect the results of fishing in troubled waters.

Here a thick fishing line gets lost among many stems, without causing concern to the fish, but strong tackle allows you to confidently resist a worthy trophy, because powerful ide, wide-bodied bream, and fast chub can bite, not to mention roach and crucian carp weighing up to a kilogram.

Read the material “The most terrible animal in Africa”

We must certainly add: at the peak of the flood, when fishing with a fishing rod most often requires wading, going far from land along a shallow flood, this, according to the formal criteria recorded in the restrictions for the period of the two-month spawning period, can cause serious criticism and even sanctions from fishery protection workers .

The fact is that at this time you can only fish from the shore, and outside the spawning areas designated by full houses. Therefore, in this situation, you should not conflict, even if the bite is good, but it is better to get out of the water and try to “get” the fish from the shore or even leave the forbidden place.

As a last resort, having taken a convenient position on the shore, you can use a match fishing technique, also called long-distance casting of a float rig. Here, a specialized rod with rings is used, equipped with a high-speed spinning reel, but given the shallow fishing depth, it is quite possible to do without the sliding float usually used here, which in turn will significantly reduce the number of “overlaps” of the equipment when casting.

Of course, the pace of fishing with a “match” will be significantly lower than with “dead” float equipment, but sometimes fish, especially large ones, move so far from the shores that only long casting can save fishing. Therefore, a fisherman must have this gear when fishing in spring.

Photo: Anatoly Mailkov.

ROLE OF BAIT

It should be noted the role of bait for fishing with a float rod in muddy spring water, because bait in any case is intended to concentrate and activate the fish in the fishing zone.

However, many years of fishing experience in early spring in open, but still very cold water gives ambiguous results on the effect of bait in different situations.

For example, on wide river floods, when the water enters the meadows, the fish clearly scatter from the places where baits made from standard compositions based on plant components were introduced, even if animal food in the form of bloodworms, worms or maggots was added there.

But a finely chopped worm and mixed with fragrant fertile soil can, after some time, albeit a short one, attract large spring fish to the fishing site, both predatory and peaceful.

But such actions of the fisherman are more akin to affection, when it is possible to expect the result for a day, or two, or even a week - the main thing is that this work coincides with the timing and routes of the spring movement of the fish of interest, since only in this case the offered “treat” will not be wasted .

Read the material “Opening the season with a side nod”

However, at the same time and even at the same water temperature, a moderate amount of bait of a standard summer composition, of course, improved by a portion of small bloodworms, but applied in different conditions, turns out to be quite effective.

It gives a clear improvement in the bite in areas of flowing ponds or reservoirs that have already filled with muddy spring waters.

Anatoly Mailkov April 18, 2021 at 09:09 pm

Do you fish in high water or wait until summer?

A real fisherman is not afraid of difficulties, on the contrary, it is a challenge. Finding a spot, selecting bait, experimenting, all these are integral components of the success of any fishing. However, not everyone succeeds; sometimes even our experienced fellow hobbyists throw up their hands, jokingly trying to blame the failure on the “phase of the moon.” And it’s generally not easy for beginners. Maybe we can share with them in the comments our secrets of fishing in high water and give them useful tips?

For example, on these three points:

Where is it more effective to fish in high water (white fish and predator)?
What gear do you use when fishing in troubled waters?
Useful tips.

If you have had successful experience catching fish in high water and have written a report about it, you can also share a link to it in the comments.

Types of floods and fish behavior

There are two types of floods. The first type is an increase in water level after snow melts and glaciers break up. The second is the addition of water as a result of heavy rainfall over many days.

Depending on the amount of precipitation, the water level can vary significantly. If, for example, there is a lot of snow in winter, then in spring you can expect rivers to overflow their banks and even floods and inundations.

A slight increase in water level has a beneficial effect on fish biting. This is easy to explain, since at this time the water is significantly enriched with oxygen, and the food supply increases. It’s not for nothing that they say that water is life. When it comes to spring floods, the best time to fish is when the water level has reached its peak and begins to gradually decline to an acceptable level. At this time, metabolic processes in many species of fish intensify, and it is good to catch them near the shore using float and bottom rods.

When the water level rises, soil particles and various debris fall into the water. At this time, the water becomes cloudy and the fish’s gills become clogged, making breathing difficult. This usually happens in March. At the end of March and beginning of April, the situation changes, and the water gradually clears and warms up. It is easier for the fish to breathe, and it seeks to satisfy the hunger that has accumulated during the period of active flooding. At this time, it is very well caught with a regular worm and maggot.

How does the behavior of peaceful fish change during spring and rain floods? When the water level increases significantly, it becomes cloudy, then on the one hand the fish bite is not so intense, but on the other hand the fish does not see the fishing line and other installation elements. Therefore, if she bites, then, as a rule, for sure, without unnecessary twitching or pulling. Sometimes you can see how an angler using fairly coarse equipment pulls out large roaches and bream with enviable frequency.

This seems to be a paradox, because in cold water it is customary to use miniature hooks on thin and long leashes and a thin main cord. Yes it is. But if you constantly fish in an area with muddy water, then the difference between coarse and delicate gear is not particularly noticeable.

It should be taken into account that during floods the flow speed increases, and the fish tends to occupy calmer places. This applies to roach, silver bream, bream, blue bream, and crucian carp (especially).

When adding water, the fish tries to stay close to the bottom. This also applies to the period of spring floods and when the water level rises as a result of prolonged rains. At such moments, it is best to use bottom rigs.