I love fishing storms. Some people think I’m crazy but I absolutely love fishing storms pushed onto the lake by a warm or especially a cold front. Something about that setup just gets the fish biting!
Now, to be sure, there is a very important safety element to fishing storms. First off, I don’t recommend fishing from a boat. The bank or a pier is much safer in rough water conditions. There is also a big difference between fishing in some rain and wind and fishing in a lightning storm. Holding a graphite and stainless steel rod in your hands during lightning isn’t the best of ideas. You must also monitor for worsening conditions like tornados and flash floods.
However, if you take the necessary steps to protect yourself, fishing before or after a storm can be very rewarding!
Last week we were approaching the end of a very unseasonable warm period. For two weeks we were seeing mid to upper 70s when we should have been seeing low 60s or even upper 50s! The warmer weather had definitely activated some spring feeding. We were catching monster perch and FAT catfish every time we went out! Coming up on the end of that warming trend however, we had a perfect setup.
The morning started overcast and cool but not cold. Low 50s to start the day. Misty rain permeated most of the morning commute. The conditions didn’t change much for most of the day. Cool and overcast up until about 3 or 4 PM. But then something beautiful happened. The cloud cover broke, the sun peaked out, and it wanted to make its last stand. That sun brought the temperature up close to 20 degrees in short order. But his reign was to be short-lived. Riding in on the sun’s heels was a line of storms riding a cold front to bring back the winter.
We got on the water probably around 5 PM. It was beautiful! The temperature was perfect for sitting out and enjoying the water, made even more beautiful by the thought this was our last chance for a while. The wind was gusty, which was certainly a challenge, but not enough to stop us from catching some beauties!
Before we hit the water, my instincts told me this was THE day to be out. Shortly after sinking my first catfish bait (a piece of a stinky aged white perch), my instincts were confirmed by a nice dark blue catfish! We didn’t have to wait as long as usual for our first catfish and I took that as a sign of things to come!
After we released that fish, we had a couple challenges. The wind picked up. We had a few minutes where it was so bad I thought we would have to leave. Fishing in wind is always tough but for a few minutes the wind had become so strong fishing was impossible! Thankfully, the wind died down some and we were able to continue the trip. We had 2 rods out for baitfish. Normally perch and the occasional sunfish. With the wind, it was pretty much impossible to reliably see bites and catch smaller fish. We did manage a couple though including a perch that tied for my personal best!
As nightfall approached, we lost one catfish that took the bait but didn’t hook up. We got a chance at another when it got dark. This one stuck and we pulled in a NICE 16lb blue catfish! The fish was nearly 3 feet long but looked like he hadn’t started pre-spawn feeding yet. He was feisty though and put up a good fight! He was released to grow bigger and get caught again.
For a few hours on the water, this was a great trip! We were finally driven off the pier when the storm came through with a vengeance. We miss timed our departure and got soaked by some sideways downpours (that hilariously stopped as soon as we finished packing up). Overall, the trip was great, and my son and I made some great memories. As they say, train them up young. He may as well get used to the fact that his dad’s penchant for fishing before storms often leads to a good drenching at the end of the day!
“He got up, and rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.”
- Mark 35:39
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