With recent heavy rains, you can see the river has risen several feet into a not so fishable stage. For this river, the bank angler is best served in the 9.0′ to 11.0′ range.

I remark about this each year as something to do to help you in making a decision whether to drive to the river….or not. That drive might only be 30 minutes or several hours. Knowing what is optimal conditions for safe, potentially productive fishing will save you wasted effort and avoid dangerous conditions.

Now this usually doesn’t just happen. It requires research and observation. I know the above river is nice to fish at a certain level because I have wasted time going without checking in advance the water height after a hard rain. Trial and error at times. Eventually, you just know what is fishable and worth your time.

Also, I have taken 3 sons on numerous outings to Fall and Winter rivers and that makes you really pay attention. Keep notes, remember what the river looks like. Go home and check the level and note it “too low” “blown out” “muddy, but dropping” “perfect” then also note the river level. There are numerous river gage reporting stations around the country although not every river has a gage. Learn if any are in your area and take advantage of the data. Important for wading and boating and even property ownership. Some sites will forecast the river’s trend in the hours ahead given the weather looming.

Here is the same gage a few days later as the river dropped into shape.