How to fish spring runoff

Spring rains can wash away the grey veil of winter, but can simultaneously make your favorite fishing water seem unfishable. Runoff is a yearly ritual and while it can be the hardest fishing condition to deal with, it's also one of the most beneficial for the fish. 

Staring at a lake full of chocolate milk-looking water may not inspire confidence, but there are still work-arounds where you can find fish that are still feeding. These are some of our favorite tips for keeping a line in the water during spring runoff, when others wouldn't dare.

Disclaimer: Fishing during runoff can be perilous and the utmost safety should always be considered first.

Move water

If you know the fish won’t see your bait you can at least make sure they feel it.

Sure bass are ambush predators, but they rely just as heavily on their other senses. Fish have an amazing organ called the lateral line, which runs the length of their body. This organ detects movement in water and is a bass’ go to when they can no longer visually ambush prey.

When the water turns to chocolate milk, pick a lure that displaces a lot of water. Spinners with large blades and big soft plastics with multiple appendages are great starts. Your lure will be detected by a bass’ lateral line organ which is sensitive to movement within water. Extra points if your lure has lots of legs and rattles.

Try a consistent pace with your retrieves when fishing colored up water so your lure is creating constant vibrations that will alert the fish and help them track it without a visual.

Stabilize the weather

Bass will get accustomed and even emboldened by muddy water, what they don't like is the change. As the rain falls, and the water changes, bass will go into a bit of shutdown mode, but even if the clarity stays poor for a few days the fishing will pick up as soon as the storm dies down. 

You should be watching the pressure and the weather intently when a storm begins. As soon as weather stabilizes, bass will be out into the shallows, emboldened by the security colored up water provides. That’s when you should tie on a water displacing lure like we mentioned above.

Targeting creek mouths

Fishing water doesn't always dirty up and you can find some advantage to that. Even if your fishing spot isn't affected, there may be some running water feeding into your spot that is affected. 

The off-colored water running into lakes, ponds and larger rivers is full of nutrients after a storm. You can all but guarantee that baitfish will stack up at these mouths to feed on the nutrients coming down. And where there’s bait, there’s predators. This rule doesn't specifically apply to bass either. Trout, pike, smallmouth and other predatory fish.

Stream gauges on your Fishbrain map will show the local water levels of these feeder creeks. When you see a rise, you know the nutrients are flowing into your fishing spot. Target the line where the clean water meets the dirty water for the best success. 

Find the braids

Snow melt can fill a river fast, leaving main stems blown out with off colored water and fast moving water. Braided channels will fill with less water than the main river. These braids are often overlooked during summer and fall, because of low (often unfishable) water levels, but during early runoff braids fill with the perfect amount of water. 

Baitfish will often migrate into braids during runoff to avoid the turbulent watts in the mainstem and predatory fish like trout, pike and smallmouth will often follow. 

Braids often have great structure to fish, like cut banks and overhanging trees. These targets, plus the new volume of water in the braid offer fish security and will leave them less stressed than low water periods.

Watch the gauges like a hawk

River gauges are your best friend during runoff. Experienced anglers will know the exact height, or volume (measured in cubic feet per second) a river reaches when it becomes unfishable. Anglers who don’t know these metrics need to pay close attention to the Fishbrain River Gauges to look for spikes in the water levels of your favorite river sections.

Because of the fluctuating temperatures of spring, you should also pay attention to a cold night’s effect on water levels. One cold night can refreeze melting snow, putting a pause to raising levels. The pause in rising water can clear up clarity and slow down currents just enough to present water that fish are willing to feed in.

Tailwaters and dams

Tailwaters refer to rivers, creeks and streams that are influenced by the dams. Tailwaters, opposed to freestone rivers which have no obstructions, are at the mercy of controlled flow rates, making them less likely to be blown out and dirty from sediment.

Even when the dams do release extra water during runoff the downriver system is still far more fishable and often your best bet. The deep pools just below dams are often great habitat for large fish, as well. The depth of the pool offers plenty of cover for certain species to proliferate and grow large.

Search the edges

The center of a river is the most affected by high water runoff. This turbulent water will wreak havoc on fish’s ability to seek cover in these areas, thus forcing them to seek calmer waters near the bank. Cut banks, overhanging grass, bushes and trees are all going to replace large boulders, or logs fish use for cover in the middle of the river.

Anglers approaching a river, or creek, this time of year should be extra sneaky even going so far as to knee walking toward a proper casting position. Most of the stream’s fish will be held up along the bank and if you give your position away, or cast a glaring shadow over the water, the spot will be blown before you even make a cast.

The pull of spring fishing is often stronger than our own better judgment. If you’re looking to get some fishing in during spring runoff this year always use extreme caution when getting in, or near the water. Every single year the highwater comes down to fishable levels, so if you’re unsure about the conditions, stay home, stay safe, wait it out and live to fish another day. 

But if the conditions are right and you can find that safe place to cast, spring runoff can produce some great days and great fish.

Now let’s go fishing. We’ll provide the river gauges.

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