Snow's Affect on Spring Fishing

[tlapinski]

I have experienced much better fishing on the CT river in seasons where we has extended high water in spring due to a slow melting of the northern ice pack. My thought process, only based on late night theories and discussions while fishing, was that the higher water made it easier for the bass to travel up stream with the herring and shad. Some of the stretches of river above Hartford are very shallow. I always figured that during times of flooding, the bass would find it that much easier to push on in pursuit of food. These years of higher water generally coincide with better catch rates and a prolonged season. Factor in the high flood water takes longer to warm up which will also help to hold the bass in the river longer, also resulting in a better season.

The one item not taken into account in my theory is river herring abundance. Those years of “better than late” spring fishing also occurred during years of much higher river herring #’s. So, my thought process can just as easily be shot down as it can be argued. If nothing else, it gives me a reason not to go postal each time it snows.