Fishing Rising Water

Most of the Central U.S. has been hammered over the last several weeks by massive spring rains, and almost every lake I've fished lately has been on the rise and much muddier than normal. That being said, under those conditions, I have had some of my best spring fishing in recent memory!

 

Never let rising water keep you from heading to your favorite lake. Always remember that rising water (within reason) usually means new cover, an influx of food and stained water. Stain can be a big help in lakes that are typically clear. It brings fish to that new shoreline cover and makes them, well... stupid and easy to catch! You still need to avoid major creeks or drains that have super muddy or cold runoff though. Always remember to, "Rise with the water". The fish will as well.

 

Baits like Spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits that send off vibration are my personal favorites under these conditions. If the water is below 55 degrees, a jig with a big trailer tail can be very effective as well around that new cover, but if that water is 56 to lets say 64 degrees, it should be "game on" with the Spinner and Chatter. I like those better because I can cover lots more water...

Pattern on the FLW-Lake Hartwell

I was blown away by the size of the crowd at the final days weigh in at the Coliseum here in Greenville. It was a real grind on the water for me, only getting six bites all day, but my 11-15 limit was enough to move me from 10th to 7th place in the final standing on Lake Hartwell. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't extremely happy! I felt like I maximized what I had to work with, only losing one fish the whole event! 

 For those wondering my pattern, here goes: I was fishing a 1/2 oz. Chatterbait on 17lb fluorocarbon line, which I was slow rolling in the back of stained water pockets up in the Tugaloo River. The key for me was targeting shallow pockets off the main river with shallow flooded shoreline grass. The key, though, was that they had to have a ditch with a little deep water running into them. A pretty basic pre-spawn pattern, but for me it was with $16,500 and a smile on my face!

Made the Cut

I made the 20 cut! It wasn't pretty, but I hung in there. The cold, bright, calm conditions were really not conducive to the shallow water fishing I'm doing. I got just enough bites on the Chatterbait I've been using exclusively to get the job done. I weighed five fish for 11 pounds 4 ounces.

I'm hoping the forecast of rain will help me tomorrow. Either way, I'm in the top 20 cut and very, very happy!