Maybe you want to head out bowfishing, but you just had a rain that makes you question if the bowfishing will be any good after the rain. Will a strong rain mean less carp activity afterwards? The one advantage you have is you don’t have to worry about the bites of the fish because your arrows shot from the bow bring them into the boat willingly or unwillingly.
Is bowfishing good after the rain? Bowfishing after a rainstorm isn’t great because it changes their behavior. During a rainstorm, the fish go into a feeding frenzy because it cools the water and washes insects and other food off from the banks and back into the water for eating.
Stirs up the Mud
The biggest downside of after a rain is that it stirs up the sediment under the water. Your activity will depend on the lake or river that you bowfish on as well. In some places, you won’t notice a big difference in the activity.
If you want to see more fish, you might choose to shoot during a rain because the fish will be everywhere. With that said, beware of doing it after because you may not shoot as many. This is known as one of the worst times to go fishing is after a rain, and it’s the same case with bowfishing. The fish aren’t anywhere near as active.
Never Bowfish in Lightning
You can bowfish in the rain, but you should leave immediately at the first sign of lightning because of how this can be extraordinarily dangerous to you and any bowfishing buddies. On a lake or river, you will be the highest point, and while lightning doesn’t always strike the highest point, it does follow the path of the least resistance. Don’t stay on the lake if you think it will lightning.
How does Raining Affect Bowfishing?
As said before, one of the reasons that fish activity drops off after a heavy rain is because they go into such a wild feeding frenzy during the storm. They will feed off all sorts of insects and other nutrients that the rain washes into the water. This is one of the best times to be on the water, but with that said, never take risks with lightning.
The rain will serve two functions with helping to bring out the fish activity. First, it cools the surface, and the water temperature changes can make a difference in activity. Second, it wil aerate the surface with more oxygen. Especially during a time like the hot summer, this can drive fish activity to peak levels.
Especially because you have multiple things happening at once, it can have a drastic impact on the type of fish activity in the water. It can make a huge difference. A lot of bowfishermen have reported a personal best during a rain. With that said, after a rain is considered one of the worst times to be out and bowfishing.
Bowfishing in the Rain: Why Try It
I would recommend that you try bowfishing in the rain at least once because you will have a great time. It is fun to see how this type of weather brings out the fish activity. Just make sure that there is no lightning out.
Bowfishing during a rain seems to make the carp go wild, and at the same time, this normally cautious fish throws caution to the wind during a good rainfall. In a heavy downpour, you might have a much harder time seeing them, but with that said, this is still a blast.
How to Shoot After a Rain
After a rain, it depends on the area because it can make it much harder. The rain stirs up the sediment, and this can make it difficult to see for more than 6 inches, which will make your shots with bowfishing harder. If you want to have more success, look for the areas where you have a lot of tree cover because this stirs up the water less.
Avoid the muddy spots after a rain because if they were muddy before, they will be even muddier, which can make it even harder. A lot of Texas and Oklahoma lakes and rivers tend to be muddy, which can make it even harder to take the shots. It depends on where you live and what kind of water you deal with.
Shooting after a rain does give you an advantage in that you can shoot with the sun illuminating the surface, which will help you to see them a little easier. If you bowfish at night, this may not make as big of a difference.
Bring Along Rainproof Clothing
If you plan to bowfish in the rain, you will want to bring along weatherproof clothing. You might keep a set of dry clothes in the truck that let you change out of the wet clothes as well so that you don’t have to worry about it. Even with weatherproof clothing, you can still get wet.
I have also found that the heater in the truck works wonders for a quick warmup if you get cold during the rain. Try to choose clothing that won’t interfere with your bowfishing shots.
Why Does It Differ from One Place to the Next?
You see some people who report having the best bowfishing of their lives during a rain. Some bowfishermen have even reported it not being too bad after the rainstorm. Others say that it is not worth the risk to your life, which it won’t be anyway if you do it right, for poor bowfishing. With that said, why does it seem like the accounts vary so much from one place to the next?
In all the likelihood, the difference in the experiences could have to do with how geography and climate differ in each area, so the rain has an impact in different ways on the fish. If you bowfish on a river near a forest in Tennessee, you will notice a difference because it tends to wash the insects and other nutrients down into the river.
Meanwhile, someone bowfishing on a river in the desert of Arizona may experience something entirely different. It depends on where you live.
Bowfishing after rain isn’t generally thought of as the best time to go bowfishing. With that said, it’d be next to impossible to know for sure unless you tried it for yourself because it differs from one region to the next. You can learn for yourself if bowfishing works well in your area after a rain. Bowfishing during a rain is one of the best times in many cases, but never do it during a lightning storm.
If you want to try this, it might be a wise choice to first get some rainwear. You can buy the CLC Custom Leathercraft Rain Wear here to help you on your journey.