I fished a lake two days after a significant storm once — heavy rain, strong winds, the kind of weather that keeps most anglers off the water. I expected tough conditions. What I found was some of the best bass fishing I'd had all season.
That experience sent me down a rabbit hole of understanding what storms actually do to lakes and how to fish the aftermath. Here's what I've learned.
What a Storm Does to a Lake
A significant storm changes a lake in several ways simultaneously, and understanding each change helps you predict where fish will be and how they'll behave.
Runoff and turbidity. Rain carries sediment, organic matter, and nutrients into the lake through tributaries and shoreline runoff. This increases turbidity — water clarity decreases, sometimes dramatically. In lakes that are normally clear, post-storm turbidity can be significant enough to change fish behavior and lure selection entirely.
Oxygenation. Rain and wind mix the water column, increasing dissolved oxygen throughout the lake. This is particularly significant in summer when stratification creates oxygen-depleted zones in deeper water. Post-storm oxygenation often triggers feeding activity from fish that were lethargic in low-oxygen conditions.
Temperature changes. A significant rain event can lower surface water temperature by several degrees, particularly in summer. This temperature drop can trigger feeding activity from fish that were stressed by warm water. The effect is most pronounced in shallow water, which cools faster than deep water.
Current and flow. Runoff creates current in areas that normally have none — along shorelines, near tributary inflows, in coves that receive drainage. Current concentrates baitfish and the predators that eat them.
Where Fish Go After a Storm
The changes above create predictable fish movements that you can use to locate fish faster than you would on a normal day.
Tributary inflows. Any place where runoff enters the lake — a creek mouth, a drainage ditch, a culvert — becomes a concentration point after a storm. The current brings food, the turbidity provides cover, and the oxygenated water attracts fish. These spots are often the most productive post-storm locations on any lake.
Shallow flats near runoff. Baitfish pushed by runoff current concentrate on shallow flats adjacent to inflow areas. Bass follow the baitfish. A spinnerbait worked through these areas immediately after a storm can produce exceptional results.
Weed edges in turbid water. In turbid post-storm conditions, bass hold tighter to cover than they do in clear water. Weed edges, dock pilings, and submerged timber become concentration points. A weedless jig worked slowly through heavy cover is often the most effective post-storm presentation in turbid conditions.
Lure Selection After a Storm
Turbid water changes lure selection in the same way it always does: vibration and contrast matter more than visual realism. A spinnerbait with a large Colorado blade produces vibration that fish can locate even in near-zero visibility. Dark colors create stronger silhouettes in turbid water than natural colors.
The exception is near tributary inflows where current is present. In current, fish are actively feeding and willing to chase. A faster-moving presentation — spinnerbait, swimbait, crankbait — works better than a slow finesse presentation because fish are in an aggressive feeding state.
For more on fishing in turbid and post-rain conditions, see Fishing After Rain: Why Dirty Water Can Be Your Best Friend. For reading the water to find where fish have moved, see How I Read a Lake I've Never Fished Before.
The Timing Window
Post-storm fishing is often best in the 24-48 hours after the storm passes, not during the storm itself. During the storm, fish often go deep and become inactive in response to the pressure changes and surface disturbance. After the storm, when conditions stabilize and the oxygenation and temperature effects take hold, fish move and feed.
The lake I fished two days after the storm — the conditions were still slightly turbid, the tributary inflows were still running, and the fish were stacked in the coves receiving the most runoff. I caught more bass in four hours than I'd caught in the previous three sessions combined. The storm had done the work of concentrating the fish; I just had to find where they'd gone.
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