When to fish
Fishing in the rain: when it pays off and when to stop
Light rain is often good fishing, a thunderstorm never is. How to read rain, stained water and gauges, and when to pack up.
Guide sections: Learn to fish: Fishing in the rain
Why rain can help
- Less light. Clouds and rain dim the light, so predators hunt longer, as if dusk had started early.
- Broken surface. Raindrops and wind break up the view from above, so fish get less wary, even in the shallows.
- Food washes in. Inflows, ditches and banks wash worms, insects and small fish into the water, and fish gather there.
- Cooling in summer. After hot days a shower brings cooler water, and carp and trout often wake up.
Experience and rules of thumb, not measured data.
Where to fish in the rain
- Inflows and ditches
- The first place to try: food and oxygen-rich water arrive here. Perch and trout hold at the edge of the stained plume.
- Windward bank
- Wind and rain push food to the bank the wind blows onto.
- Rivers on a rising level
- A slight rise with some colour is classic eel and catfish time, above all in the evening. Pike and perch move into slack bays and harbours.
- Shallows
- In drizzle fish move closer to the bank, so fish close in as well.
Lures for stained water
The more stained the water, the more fish hunt by their lateral line and scent instead of sight. Lures that push water (inline spinners, spinnerbaits, rattling crankbaits, soft swimbaits with a big paddle tail), strong contrast (dark or bright) and a slow retrieve. For bait fishing: worms and nightcrawlers, cut or live bait, strong-smelling baits for carp.
Downpours and floods: check the gauge
When a river rises fast and turns brown, fishing is usually poor and banks get slippery and undercut. Check the gauge for your water before you go and stay off crumbling edges. Our map shows gauges with the current level.
Thunderstorms: pack up at once
On the water you are often the highest point, and a rod makes you taller. In the USA, 418 people were killed by lightning from 2006 to 2019 according to the National Weather Service, 40 of them while fishing, more than in any other leisure activity.
- Hear thunder, leave. A storm is typically dangerous from about 10 km (6 miles) away.
- Put the rod down and leave the water. Get the boat ashore, close the umbrella, leave rods and metal behind, and get into a car or a solid building.
- Caught in the open: Crouch with your feet together and arms around your knees, ideally in a hollow. Do not huddle in a group; keep at least one, better three metres apart.
- Wait 30 minutes. Only go back after half an hour without thunder.
Sources: NWS, Jensenius 2020: Lightning Deaths 2006-2019 · VDE Ausschuss für Blitzschutz 2018
Clothing and gear
Waterproof jacket and trousers, a hat or hood and non-slip boots. A fishing umbrella keeps bait and logbook dry, but never in a thunderstorm. Keep your phone in a pouch and dry your reel afterwards.
Quick answers
Do fish bite in the rain?
Often yes, especially in drizzle under overcast skies: less light and a broken surface make many predators bolder. A downpour with muddy, rising water usually slows things down.
What lures work best in the rain?
In stained water, lures that push water, rattle or carry scent, in strong contrast, so dark or bright colours. For bait fishing, worms near inflows.
Is it safe to fish in a thunderstorm?
No. As soon as you hear thunder, pack up and get off the water. Go back only after half an hour with no thunder.
Is fishing good after rain?
Often, when the water is lightly stained and starting to drop. Inflows and ditches bring food then. With brown, rising floodwater, wait until it clears and check the gauge first.
Know more?
Additions, photos of your catches or a mistake in the text: write to us and we will gladly credit you as a helper.
Send a tip