I was gonna go fishing on the Mississippi river this weekend, but now we're forcasted to get 2+ inches of rain and temps will drop like 15 degrees. Any idea what this will do to the fish? Water temp right now is upper 60's maybe 70

 

 

Thanks

Wapsi Smallmouth

Water will be up, fish the new flooded areas, lots of things in there to eat.  Also areas with current.  Look for the slack areas adjacent to the current flow.  Big bass love to hang out in the slack areas and ambush stuff floating bye.  I would keep an eye out for small streams flowing into coves along the river, and use noisy baits in the off color water.

Sounds like you are discribing a storm that could have lightning with the temperature drop. Cold windy hard rain isn't any fun. My advice is go the day before the storm arrives.

Tom

3 hours ago, geo g said:

Water will be up, fish the new flooded areas, lots of things in there to eat.  Also areas with current.  Look for the slack areas adjacent to the current flow.  Big bass love to hang out in the slack areas and ambush stuff floating bye.  I would keep an eye out for small streams flowing into coves along the river, and use noisy baits in the off color water.

sorry if this is a basic question but what is a slack

 Water running from a culvert, small stream, or past big rocks, tree stumps, or any other type of structure, when the water flows past any of them,  it leaves slack water on the back side.  Fish can rest easily in these areas without fighting the current and using energy, until the next easy meal comes along to them.  Its like hanging out in the kitchen all day, just chill en with your feet up!  The food comes to you, instead of you searching for it.  Fish all these slack waters when the waters are running.  Bigger fish know to rest and wait in these key spots.  If you look at the surface you can easily see where the structure, and slack water is located.  It leaves what looks like a swirl of water behind the structure.  

 

First try throwing up current and let the bait move with the current past the point.  It might look like an easy meal to the fish.   If that doesn't work, throw behind the structure and let it settle down in the slack.  Good luck, that is all for now.

14 hours ago, WRB said:

Sounds like you are discribing a storm that could have lightning with the temperature drop. Cold windy hard rain isn't any fun. My advice is go the day before the storm arrives.

Tom

x2

On 10/3/2017 at 5:28 PM, WRB said:

Sounds like you are discribing a storm that could have lightning with the temperature drop. Cold windy hard rain isn't any fun. My advice is go the day before the storm arrives.

Tom

Fish before the storm you might catch the feeding frenzy I been talking about. During this frenzy inline spinners are hot.

If you go after the storm, I'd go shallow. A lot of time they'll head to the newly flooded cover or cruise the shoreline looking for an easy meal of terrestrial prey that's been washed into the water. Good time to throw a spinnerbait or buzzbait and cover water looking for those hungry fish. 

On 10/3/2017 at 8:50 PM, geo g said:

 Water running from a culvert, small stream, or past big rocks, tree stumps, or any other type of structure, when the water flows past any of them,  it leaves slack water on the back side.  Fish can rest easily in these areas without fighting the current and using energy, until the next easy meal comes along to them.  Its like hanging out in the kitchen all day, just chill en with your feet up!  The food comes to you, instead of you searching for it.  Fish all these slack waters when the waters are running.  Bigger fish know to rest and wait in these key spots.  If you look at the surface you can easily see where the structure, and slack water is located.  It leaves what looks like a swirl of water behind the structure.  

 

First try throwing up current and let the bait move with the current past the point.  It might look like an easy meal to the fish.   If that doesn't work, throw behind the structure and let it settle down in the slack.  Good luck, that is all for now.

I believe slack waters is another way to describe eddys in the water. That's what it sounds like anyways.