Fish after a thunderstorm for comfort and success

This week, strong thunderstorms hit Daniel Island pretty much every afternoon. While it is never a good idea to fish in a thunderstorm, fishing afterwards can be outstanding. Thunderstorms often lower the water temperature by one or two degrees. This seems to invigorate the fish and make them hungry. So, in the summer, I try to fish in the early evening right after a thunderstorm passes. In this timeframe, the top water bite can be off the charts (good).

When fishing top water, I spend a lot of time simply looking at shallow areas one to five feet deep. Often times, Redfish and Trout will give themselves away by chasing finger mullet or shrimp on the surface. This tells me where to fish and what lure to cast. If predators are feeding on finger mullet, I opt to use a Lucky Craft Sammy 100 or Rapala Skitterwalk SW8. If Redfish and Trout are focused on shrimp, it is hard to beat a smaller profile lure like a Lucky Craft Sammy 65. Over the past several days, the fish have been eating shrimp.

Cast your lure of choice towards any sign of feeding activity. Let it settle on the surface for a few seconds and then give it a slight twitch. This will often trigger a crushing surface strike. If the lure goes unnoticed, begin a slow twitch, twitch and pause retrieve. When the strike occurs, wait until you feel the weight of the fish to set the hook. Speaking of hooks, I smash down the barbs on all my top water lure hooks. This makes it much easier to unhook the fish (and occasionally myself).  

Late summer in the Lowcountry can be brutally hot. If you fish after thunderstorms, you will be more comfortable and probably catch more fish.