High water looks intimidating. But especially in the fall it should be reason for optimism.
Of course, high and off-color water has it’s drawbacks. Wading and access is more difficult. There is literally more water to fish. Regular holes and targets may be impossible to reach. Every one of those concerns is valid. In fact, depending upon the significance of the changed conditions it might be unsafe to even try to fish. However, every one of those concerns has a positive side as well.
Late season rainfall and snowmelt present a few great opportunities for fly fishers because they create opportunities for fish.
Again, don’t let high and muddy water intimidate you. Here’s 3 reasons why you should see bad conditions as a good thing:
Rain can warm up the water, kickstarting fish activity. With the exception of large quantities of quick melting snow, water that gets added into rivers usually warms things up a bit. A bit is all that is necessary, though. The bump in temperature fosters a metabolic boost. This is more pronounced in the fall than in the middle of winter.
An influx of water can create new feeding spots that are easy to access. If you look at the shoreline of any body of water, there are features that would make excellent fish-holding habitat. When the water rises those spots become fish-holding habitat. Make mental notes of these spots.
Also, consider fishing adjacent to what would normally be hard-to-reach spots. “Inaccessible” fish may very well be approachable. Consider an undercut bank or a rock ledge on the far bank. You can’t access it from the far side, and the currents between you and the lie make presentations nigh impossible. In higher water, you might A) see that unreachable fish feeding in an accessible spot, or B) find the drift to be more friendly (albeit needing a lot of weight!).
Off-color water changes everything. You might not be able to see as much as you’re used to, but chances are you’re not sight fishing 100% of the time anyway. Here are some of the things you can do in all but the most chocolate-milk colored water: you can get closer to fish, you can fish bigger flies, you can fish brighter or flashier flies, you can come across fish that are generally low-light oriented in the middle of the day… there are a lot of positives. Plus, you’ll be surprised at what you can still see.
As long as you can fish safely, you can fish. See high and muddy water as a chance to fish your favorite water in a totally different way. It will be different, but it is worth trying. New spots, new fish, and new challenges come with a little rain.