Hank Williams has a song called “I’m For Love”; in that song, he states: “…I'm against fishing in the rain”. That sums up how most pros I’ve talked to feel about fishing in the rain. Takahiro Omori says, “Fishing in the rain? I don’t if I don’t have to!”. Marty Lawrence says he’s not a big fan of rain, and the day after a rain is even worse. The only guy I talked to that likes fishing in the rain is Gary Dobyns, and he loves it.
Rain doesn’t bother the fish at all, of course. They’re already wet. And although there is zero scientific proof for it, many anglers believe that a low, low-pressure, like the fronts that bring rain, improve the bite. The worst part about fishing in the rain is the fisherman being wet, cold, and miserable. That can be remedied with the right gear.
One February, a few years back, my partner and I were fishing a tournament at Lake Pleasant, and the weather was nasty – windy and rainy. It was raining pretty hard, and most of the field chose to stay in the main lake area, closest to the start. We headed for the back of Humbug Creek – a longish ride that seemed even longer with the rain beating on our faces. Two other boats braved the drive back there as well. The only good thing you could have said about the weather was that it wouldn’t matter if you fell overboard because you couldn’t get wetter anyway. However, the fish bit jerkbaits and spinnerbaits all day long, and the three of us took first, second, and third in that tournament.
Tako's Take
Takahiro says that if he must fish in the rain, he brightens up his baits so the fish can see them. Rain means dark skies and clouds, so he chooses colors like chartreuse shad. He also picks baits that make noise, like buzzbaits and hard baits with rattles. He wants the fish to be able to both see and hear the bait.
Takahiro says he stays away from muddy water from creeks, but if the water coming in is clear, that can be great – and he loves it when waterfalls are coming over cliffs. In the summer, cooler water makes a great place to fish, but in early spring, he says, that water coming in could be cold and not so great.
His best advice is to get a good rain suit when you absolutely must fish in the rain. It may cost you $500, but it’s one of the best investments you can make if you fish tournaments.
Marty Lawrence - Rain At Night
Marty Lawrence is an Arizona guy, and in the summer out here, we fish at night almost exclusively. Summer is also monsoon time in Arizona, meaning big storms will roll in and usually start in the evening. Night tournaments during the monsoon season can be exciting because the fishing is good, but it also feels like you’re riding a bucking bronco once those monsoon winds hit the water. “Storms in the winter don’t seem to turn the fish on,” he says, “but those monsoon storms in summer get them going.” He says if you can brave it, monsoon fishing is usually good.
Marty throws crankbaits and jigs during storms and works them fast and shallowly. He says he was fishing a night tournament at Roosevelt this summer and the wind was so bad, and waves were going over the bow so often that he was fishing from the back of the boat. His Minn Kota Ultrex trolling motor kept him in place all night long – all he had to do was hit Spot-Lock, and then he was free to fish from the back. He wears Gore-Tex 100MPH gear and stays comfortable all night, even though Arizona nights can have low temperatures in the 90’s.
Gary Dobyns – The Rain Main
Gary would be called an “ame otoko,” an Otokoman in Japan. This guy loves fishing in the rain. His buddies swear he does a rain dance to get the storms to move in on tournament days. While everyone else is huddled down, cursing the weather, Dobyns is up front with a big smile, reeling in bass. “I love fishing tournaments in foul weather,” he says, “I’ve had many, many big wins in bad weather.” He says that rain and wind mean low pressure, which makes the shallow water fish much more aggressive. That plays right into his style of fishing.
Fishing in the rain is miserable for most anglers, Dobyns says, but he doesn’t mind it. Travel in the boat is a drag because the rain hits you pretty hard at high speeds, but the way he figures it, since so many guys hate fishing in the rain, he’s got half the field beat from the get-go! Would he go fun fishing in the rain? Not, he says. But as for tournaments, he wishes they were all in bad weather.
Fish like low pressure, and rainy days mean less light penetration, so they don’t get as good a look at the bait. Gary always prefers to fish shallow and use reaction baits, and rainy days are ideal. He uses brighter colors, especially if run-off is making the water dingy. Dobyns throws jerkbaits, Chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, and jigs down to ten- to twelve feet on rainy days and topwater if it isn’t cold. “Fish fast and cover water” is his mantra. Jerk it, hop it, and reel it in – even Spooks and buzzbaits, even in the wind. Those particular topwater baits make plenty of noise.
I had the great fortune to fish with Dobyns on both Clear Lake and Oroville, and the days we were at Clear Lake were cloudy, rainy, and cold. But Gary had us throwing frog baits in the rain, and we caught some giant fish. The best part was that we had the lake to ourselves – it was a weekday, and no one else seemed to want to fish in the rain. It was a blast.
The Morning After
The downside to fishing in the rain is the day after. “When the storm blows out, then it’s high pressure, and it stinks,” Dobyns says. Gary says he thinks the second day is worse than the first day after a storm. He hates those high-pressure days. If this happens on a tournament day, he says you need to either slow down or fish deeper. If you know Dobyns, you know that fishing slow isn’t his deal, so he goes deep. Those fish don’t seem to be as affected by air pressure. Also, different species are affected differently, he says: spots aren’t as bothered as largemouth, and Florida strain largemouth are the most affected.
As for wind, he says he knows lots of guys think you have to throw into the wind and use the “current” from the wind, but he doesn’t fight it. He goes along with it. Wind current, he says, doesn’t seem to matter like a tidal or a river current does. You can get out of the wind in canyon lakes, but he’ll take a 25mph wind over a glass flat lake any day.
Rain looks miserable, but if you have good rain gear, it isn’t bad. A helmet or a face shield will keep the rain from pounding into your eyes while you’re traveling, and Gary says he puts on his Cabela’s Guide Wear rain suit and is a happy camper.
Embracing the rain is vital – once you decide to make the best of it, you’ve won half the battle. Next time tournament day starts dark and wet, make the most of it – like Gary, you’ll have half the field beat if you decide to make the rain work in your favor.
