How Rain Affects Your Fishing If you’re not dressed for it, fishing in the rain can be a miserable experience. However, when you’re suited up in the proper gear, you can often be comfortable and enjoy exceptional fishing at the same time. Die-hard fishermen know that a heavy shower at the right time can be just what the doctor ordered. For instance, when the water is high and cold in the spring of the year, a cold rain doesn’t add to your fishing success and can dampen your whole outlook on fishing. However, during the warm days of summer when the water level has dropped to normal or below, a steady rain is your signal to cancel appointments and grab your fishing rod. Another good time is right after a real downpour. Die-hard fishermen know that a heavy shower at the right time can be just what the doctor ordered. Successful Rainy River Fishing Run-off from a heavy rain carries all kinds of food in the form of worms and other crawling critters into a river. The increase in river flow also stirs small aquatic creatures from their living places. These circumstances often put fish into a feeding frenzy. As the water becomes murky and in many cases cools off, larger fish seem to move more freely about a river.