What kind of effect does lowering the water

[reggis]

have on fishing during the actual lowering of the water?

[Fishtaco]

The little fish tend to swim in circles yelling, "The surface is falling! The surface is falling!"

Sorry, I just had to.:p

[bobberwatcher]

The little fish tend to swim in circles yelling, "The surface is falling! The surface is falling!"

Sorry, I just had to.:p

That there was funny stuff.. :D

[Darryl Morris]

The way I've always looked at it is both rising or falling water level changes the fish's environment. Fish are going to stay in what I call their comfort zone. So, as the water level changes the fish have to move to adjust to the new environment and find their comfort zone again. Depending on other factors the move may be small, like just moving from the shallow side of a brushpile to the deep side. Or, it may be drastic like them completely moving out of the coves back into the deeper channels for example. When you know a change is occurring, just find your starting point, then check shallower and deeper both to see which direction they're going.

[FalconSmitty]

I don't get to fish flooded areas so I'm clueless except for what I've read.
links
http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/documents/...cts/97r001.txt
also read this
"""Flooding always seems to produce large numbers of big crappie, and fisheries biologists have learned that flooding directly relates to the crappie spawn. In years in which this section of the state doesn’t flood and new areas aren’t inundated, the crappie don’t get off as good of a spawn as what they achieve in regions of the state that do flood. Since the named lakes flood almost every year, the crappie generally manage a good spawn, making these lakes consistent crappie producers.
“The floods cause both a great spawn and a tremendous crappie production from these lakes,” David said. “If the weather’s warm, and the river’s high, you’ll catch plenty of crappie in these sections of the Atchafalaya Basin. But if the weather’s warm and the river has fallen, you’ll take even more crappie.”
Fisheries biologists in Louisiana consider February and March the prime times for catching large numbers of crappie in this section of the state. Weather and water conditions determine just how good crappie fishing will be in the basin in the early spring.

“Last year, the water didn’t fall out of the basin until late June or July,” David said. “Although there were plenty of crappie caught from February through the spring, the bonanza catches of crappie didn’t occur until late summer. In March, the best you can hope for is a stable water condition. Then you can get back into those flats and catch those big shallow-water spawners. Stable water is good, but falling water is even better for catching crappie in the basin."""""

From my fishing I have found that rapid falling water levels will concentrate the crappie on deep water structure. Cover doesn't seem to be relevant. Those long points into major channels will hold them. Bridges also seem to be a very hotspot after water falls drastically. If you know a bridge that is good fishing at full pool it could be 10 times better after a drastic fall, like drawdowns.