Bass after a large thunderstorm

[jooleyen]

Well, last night we had tornado sirens, high winds, and heavy rain. Today, 20 hrs later, I went fishing and it was very hot out and sunny. The water was in the high 70's and I expected the fish to be shallow in slop and stuff. I went to some shallow bays and only caught two little ones. Did the thunderstorm push them deep? Why weren't they shallow like normally?

hmmmm...

Oh and the water stayed clear and didn't rise - it barely ever does in the natural lakes around here. The temps stayed warm too.

[geezer1]

There are tons of variables that can affect that scenario, but here goes. 20 hrs later, clear & sunny...The barometer had settled down. Rule of thumb=just before, during, & just after a storm the fish will be the most active. The closer in time you are to the storm, the more active the barometer is & the stronger the bite. The water stayed clear & didn't rise...With that rain you had, water transfer in the lake surely took place. Much of it through runoff. Rule of thumb=the richer in nutrients a runoff area provides, the larger in number and longer duration the baitfish, ergo, Bass, will congregate in that area to feed. Due to the strength & amount of rainfall, this concentration of nutrients & baitfish may not be in the shallows. Be aware that toxic runoff (field fertilizers, pesticides, large amounts of cow manure, etc.) will have the reverse effect. You'll have to examine the higher ground, feeding runoff, to establish this. Bottom line...Find the baitfish, & you'll find the Bass. This is just a tip of the iceberg, but things I would be looking at right off the top. Hope it helps. I'm sure many others here will offer additional insight. Good fishing.

[keithdog]

geezer is right. There are many variables to consider. And after a night of big storms, it's often a toss up as to what to expect. Two weeks ago, I caught 34 bass on a topwater after a night like you described. I would suggest that after a night like that, if there is still a good wind, head for the wind blown side of the lake and start there.

[Bassboss]

I'd think it would push them shalla?!

With all the wind and rain, it'll murk the water up and most likely push them shallla. Maybe they went deep finding current, or you just where not presenting the right baits or something?

[Embrey]

20 hrs later, most likely they are shut off

[jooleyen]

But the water stayed clear boss. No current on natural lakes around here.

[Cavs1123]

they are probably buried in the weeds

[bassinbob]

I have luck fishing laydowns and pads after a hard rain. Most of the laydowns are those that are next to deep water.

[TN_Bassin]

Well when I'm fishing just before, during, or after a large rain or T-Storm I throw topwater. Gennerally speaking if it was 20 hrs later and the storm didnt flood big time then I would think that the fish are back to doing what they "normally" do that time of the year. That's just my 2 cents and since it's a natural lake that doesn't react much to rain it seems like that would be the most likely scenario.