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Street fishing after the rain
Autumn is on its way, and with it the cold and damp. It's also a great season for stalking perch, but also chub, especially the more beautiful specimens.
These two fish, emblematic of street fishing, are particularly active before winter to fill up on energy before the cold period, especially in certain conditions.
Anglers have always known that weather changes affect fish behavior. Some changes render the fish completely inactive, while others, fortunately, signal the awakening and feeding activity of our finned friends.
This is particularly true of rainy spells, of which there are many in autumn. While the bravest anglers won't hesitate to brave the wet to fish, it's just as sensible to wait for the downpour to pass to enjoy the benefits of rain on the aquatic environment.
This meteorological phenomenon, in addition to having a direct influence on water levels, will bring a greater or lesser quantity of food into the water, which fish, and particularly predators, know how to take advantage of. Here's how to make the most of these often prolific opportunities.
Flood episode
It's the first thing you think of after the rain: flooding.
This is a very sharp rise in water level, causing the water to become turbid and move out of the primary river bed. The river is frequently in this condition in late autumn, when the rains, often in succession, have swollen the river. In this case, there aren't many alternatives.
The current is powerful and fishing is not easy in these conditions. The rise in water level is mechanically accompanied by an increase in current strength and flow.
As fish have a natural tendency to flee from strong currents to less energy-intensive resting places, it's essential to concentrate your fishing where the current is least intense. In addition to the fact that fish tire less fighting a strong flow of water, the eddies and shelters of the current often bring food by the simple fact that it is transported and conveyed directly to the fish nose to the flow of water. What's more, it's not just the food (invertebrates, plant debris, etc.) carried by the current that keeps fish at these strategic points.
Predators such as perch, chub and pike-perch also covet fry and fingerlings, which also seek shelter from powerful rapids and congregate in restricted areas.
Contrary to what you might think, to fish for perch and chub in these areas, you don't necessarily have to go up in lure size.
Paradoxically, I use fairly small lures, 2 or 3 inches (5 or 7.5 cm) in size, when I'm looking for perch and chub in street fishing, so that the lure offers less grip on the current than a larger lure and works deeper, closer to the bottom and allows slow fishing in turbulent areas.
You'll need to fish slowly and insistently, especially if the water cools, as predators move less to hunt. Shads are classic all-purpose lures that lend themselves particularly well to this exercise. But it's also possible and even advisable to use finesse lures, small creatures or ringed lures, which are highly mobile and set in motion by the ripples and swirls caused by eddies and counter-currents. To rig these small lures, I prefer the drop-shot or split-shot, which allow you to fish with relatively heavy weights (5 to 14 grams) while still allowing you to fish with lures as small as 5 cm.
As for hooks, I use a single hook of size n°8 to n°2, depending on the size and thickness of the lure used. If the spot is crowded (branches, boulders, metal structures, etc.), I replace my single hook with a Texas hook, which avoids many hook-ups. I also use lead heads when I need to fish with more dynamic animations to trigger attacks. In this case, you have to be careful to get the right "match" between the size of the lure and the weight of the lead head. For a 5 cm lure, avoid using a lead head weighing more than 5 grams, and for a 3-inch lure, limit the weight of the lead head to 10 grams.
Prefer short hook shanks that don't break your lure's suppleness or constrain its movement. In all these cases, I prefer to use tungsten weights, which are less bulky and therefore better suited to small lures. Use a weight that allows you to easily make contact with the bottom and feel it. A medium-light tip action rod is perfect for this purpose. A full tip will help you detect the slightest touch and get a better feel for the bottom.
My rod of choice for street fishing in these conditions is the Pepper S2102ML Akoya Pearl, very resonant and sensitive, and capable of handling a nice zander or a small surprise catfish. Of course, you'll need to focus your efforts on bank structures and patterns that disrupt the main laminar current and create an eddy, as it will be virtually impossible to fish in full current.
Dock entrances are an excellent choice of position, as fish often remain there throughout the winter. Concentrate your efforts on the backs (downstream) of structures that break the current and are potential spots for holding a perch or chub on the prowl. Pile edgings also hold some surprises, as they break the current over a width of around one metre and create resting zones where predators are often to be found.
Heavy but short-lived rain
After a storm, for example, it's not uncommon to see the water rise slightly, slowly tinting, and to observe overflows, tributaries, manholes, stormwater nozzles and other unsavory networks spitting out heavily laden water. These are the ones we're interested in.
Even if this is not the most glamorous aspect of street fishing, it's worth taking advantage of these structures, which are particularly present and concentrated in urban areas! What's more, they're essential spots for street fishers, who don't eat their catch and don't care which spot they catch, no matter how nasty, as long as it's a good one. And that's the art of street fishing. Using and abusing the city's assets.
These nozzles very often discharge water laden with micro and macro particles that attract small fish (bleak, fry, etc.). Here again, opportunistic predators such as chub and perch are quick to come and chase this manna. These schools of small fish can easily be seen on the surface, or shimmering on their shiny sides. If the current hasn't intensified too much and the depth isn't too great, it's a good idea to use a swimmer fish to target active fish.
A simple crankbait reeled in along a sheet pile downstream of a weir or a small jerkbait twitched into a school of fry are likely to be successful. Carnivores are active and receptive to the strong vibrations caused by hard lures. Try to match the size of the prey in front of you, this will help you get more hits. One of the keys to success is to find the depth at which the fish will hunt. Play with the length of the bib or the density of the lure to provoke predators in the layer of water where they are.
Bites are often violent, as fish are active and attack in an attempt to surprise their prey. After a catch, you often have to wait a few minutes before you get any more bites. As these areas are quite small (often just a few square metres downstream of the weir), it takes this time for the small fish to refocus on the area "disturbed" by the fight with a fish, and for the predators to start targeting them again.
In fact, if possible, when catching a fish, try to move it quickly away from the strike zone, so as to cause as little disturbance as possible to other predators in the area. If there are few or no whitefish present, try to trigger them by fishing insistently below the flow of discharged water.
Small soft lures on lead heads or microjigs can give excellent results. The latter is particularly effective, because like small fish attracted by dirty water, they imitate a crayfish or invertebrate, which also take advantage of dirty water to feed and concentrate on these areas. The gliding action of a soft lure is natural and can also imitate discarded debris on which city fish also feed...
Trap in murky water
For several days now, a light rain has been slightly disturbing the river and slightly increasing its flow.
Two options are open to you, even if you think it's better to stay warm in front of the fireplace! The first is to fish in topwater or just below the surface. If the water has been loaded with surface elements, notably plant debris, which is very present during autumn (leaf fall...), chub can be very active on the surface, even in cold water, thanks to a ray of autumn sunshine.
These cyprinids are in search of the easy food provided by the current. Presenting them with a small lure, such as an insect drifting among the dead leaves, can be a good omen, but a micro stickbait can also trigger an attack. Even if this is a rare occurrence during winter, it would be a shame not to take advantage of these prolific episodes. On the other hand, if the weather remains gloomy and grey, it's best to fish close to the bottom.
If the current is not too strong and the depth does not exceed two metres, the most formidable weapon is undoubtedly the micro jig. Very gliding, this lure can pass for a slowly drifting invertebrate or a piece of debris fed on by chub, perch and many other species.
Depending on depth and current strength, I use weights from 2.5 to 4 grams. The aim is to control the drift of the micro jig and make it drift close to the bottom. Chub and perch glued to the bottom will only have to shift to seize this easy and appetizing prey. The micro jig is a very effective lure in winter, worked close to the bottom when the current is not too strong and the river is not too deep. Otherwise, you'll need to use soft lures on lead heads which "sink" better and offer less resistance to the current.
The importance of colors
After rain, water is often cloudy. Natural colors become less effective. To counter the turbidity of the water and offer fish a prey that is detectable and easy to target, there are two tricks. Either fish with flashy colors, or on the contrary, fish with natural, but very dark colors.
Even though there's nothing natural about them, their shape and the vibrations they emit give the illusion of life to predators who are less observant when they're active and aggressive. Dark colors contrast well with the color of the water and are particularly effective on delicate and difficult fish.
Cola or cherrycoke is a must, but black and green pumpkin also work well when the fish focus on invertebrates or plant debris. For swimbaits, natural colors are still very appealing, as they can emit strong flashes of light, unlike soft lures, when the water is slightly turbid and allows a few rays of sunlight to penetrate.
For swimming fish, I often use colors like fire tiger or mat tiger, which are very visible when the water is murky.
Street fishing and bad weather
Autumn and early winter may be periods when the quays are deserted, but it would be wrong not to fish. Under certain conditions, particularly after rainy spells, it's possible to achieve some very fine fishing. What's more, you can vary your techniques to find what best suits the fish present.
