I've just spent a very happy couple of hours practising my casting on a field near my home, even though it was pouring down throughout.
While I was stood there I began wondering what effect heavy rain has on your chance of catching trout (I'm mainly fishing at trout fisheries while I learn the ropes).
Do the trout still feed in a downpour? If so, does the rain keep them feeding deeper or will they still take flies off the surface?
I'd be really interested to hear what you experienced FFers have to say.
Cheers,
Red Devil

One thing you can say for certain is that you will catch nothing at all for as long as you are sitting indoors, drinking a cup of tea and watching it rain. If you are a one day a week angler like me, then as long as the conditions aren't outright appalling, get out there and give it your best shot.

Steve Parton believes there is a difference between warm weather front rain (usually neutral to beneficial) and cold weather front rain (usually neutral to detrimental). Possibly this is as much to do with atmospheric pressure as with the rain itself.

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"In wine there is wisdom. In beer there is strength. In water there is bacteria." - German proverb
JH based near Southampton

I am a great believer that it's the change in weather rather than the weather itself that's important. If we've had a week of dour, miserable weather and you go on such a day, you'll do well. if it's been dour and miserable and your day dawns bright and crisp, you'll struggle. There's exceptions to every rule though and as John says, get out there and fish, you won't know for sure unless you're out there.

One weather pattern i do avoid is an East Wind in Autumn I find this cold wind puts the fish right off and would think twice about going when an easterly's forecast. Only twice mind you, and then i'd be off.

I agree with BB about the effects of "change" but go a bit further; I think there's good change and bad change. If the weather changes for the better, which often implies a rising barometer, I am rather more confident than when there's a change for the worse on a dramatically falling barometer. Edit; sometimes Day 2 of improving weather is better than the first day after a change...all very well if you have hobson's choice over your fishing day !

Cold winds do strange things when they don't put the fish right off. I recall a very cold March day at Avon Springs not long ago when, on the whole length of the "river" bank of Club Lake ie 200 or 300 yards, the only area where you could find fish was no more than 20 yards long. Where they were hunkered down and feeding on daphnia and phantom larvae, which again was surprising. In general, "when it is nasty and cold, seek shelter" as advised by Henry Lowe is not a bad guide, the lee shore is no place for angler or fish in those conditions.

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"In wine there is wisdom. In beer there is strength. In water there is bacteria." - German proverb
JH based near Southampton

Never a truer word ....................birdsnest

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Fear not if I steal from your side, as of yore, from paradise streams to fish Teifi once more.
BN based in Wolverhampton

I always feel that the rain disturbs the surface and makes the line/leader less obvious than on a flat calm day on stillwaters/slow rivers.

All very interesting chaps, thanks for your views. I'm fully waterproofed so a bit of rain isn't going to keep me indoors supping a brew. In my very limited experience so far, the biggest enemy seems to be the wind, whether it's riffling the surface making flies hard to spot or holding back/drifting my casts. I'm due out this Friday, come rain, hail or shine - probably going to try Harelaw fishery near Neilston, south side of Glasgow, which is just a short hop from my house, and I can't wait! Has anyone on the forum fished Harelaw and, if so, what tactics/flies might work there?

Have to admit most of my memorable catches have come on days were I almost stayed at home due to thinking the conditions were poor

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Allan
Only dead fish go with the flow.

The best evenings fishing I had this year was when I went to the river on an evening when the water was rising and coloured, it was to windy and I almost convinced myself that I was wasting my time. As the posts above say if you can go fishing then go. Fish dont read books and dont understand when they are not supposed to feed.......and you never ever catch fish whilst sat on the sofa,,,,,,

Go subsurface and very slow retrieve. Act like a dead or dying insect drowned by the rain

Plodger