Fishing Snow Water - Good or Bad?

[rsimms]

With the coming predicted snow event, I want some opinions (possibly to be used in print). Have you ever heard of bad fishing in "Snow Water?" That's fishing following a major snow event, when the melting snow runoff hits our reservoirs?

I know last year our walleye guide had some of his worst trips ever immediately following the major snow we had. And over the years I've heard others (in the South) complain about the fishing immediately following a snow event. Some theorize that the so-called "snow water" is lacking oxygen, spurring fish to get stressed or become less active.

What's your opinion? Is it truth or fiction? Got any good anecdotes to confirm or disprove?

Thanks for any feedback. (Picture from last year for attention.)

 

[Crow Terminator]

My buddy Craig got this big brown a couple yrs ago after a big snow.

 

[Setterman]

My god at that brown

 

[UCStandSitter]

Stands to reason on the oxygen explanation. I've never had much luck following snow whether that be in a lake or a pond. I just assumed they'd gone deeper and were dormant due to temps but oxygen makes more sense.

 

[MCO8891]

I feel like a 3-5 inch snow wouldn't create nearly enough run off to drop oxygen levels in a lake. No scientific data to back that up. 3-5 inches of snow really isn't much water. That would maybe be the equivalent of one inch of rain? Also, why would snow cause oxygen levels to drop more than rain?


I think it would be more reasonable that snow run off could stain/muddy up cold water which is a pretty bad combo. Cold muddy water is probably my least favorite condition to fish. With that said, it would take a whole lot of snow to create enough run off to muddy a lake. More of a mountain issue. Snow on a mountain melts and runs off into river/lakes and muddies them up. Around middle Tennessee it would take a lot of snow.

 

[Wooden Arrow]

i think it is dropping temps most of the time. it may be species dependent. i've never noticed a drop-off in trout activity, nor in rockfish or crappie. i've caught some nice trout flyfishing with big nymphs in muddy run-off, oddly enough. who knows what fish think...