low and clear conditions

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coolerfull1
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2007/05/14 20:00:31 (permalink)

low and clear conditions

trout, steelhead, bass, you name it....water conditions mean almost everything in a river, stream, or even a little creek.  of course the fish have to be there too.  my first trip to erie many years ago i was told by experienced anglers that sometimes they hit and sometimes they don't and to this day I am still in shock when I hear people say that.  they don't say anything about water conditions, its like they don't realize that.  i pounded steelhead in october when it was 75 degrees already, but erie had got alot of rain prior and the water was perfect.
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    spoonchucker
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    RE: low and clear conditions 2007/05/14 20:08:06 (permalink)
    Whether the water is clear, or murky. Wether the skies are clear, or cloudy. Wther it's warm, or cold. Sometimes they hit, and sometimes they don't. I've slammered them in low clear water, and I've gotten skunked in "perfect' conditions. Learning to adjust to the conditions helps a great deal. But sometimes they hit, and sometimes they don't.

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    #2
    Stillhead
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    RE: low and clear conditions 2007/05/14 20:35:49 (permalink)
    what spoon said ^^^^
     
     
    Water conditions certainly play a huge part in how you fish, and sometimes they will keep you from catching them, but not always.  It doesn't matter if there is 6 inches of visibility or 8 feet of visibility, if there are trout/steelhead in there, they can be caught. The other species of fish I have a tougher time with during less than prime conditions, but that's probably because I've spent less time targeting them.
     
    If there are fish there, and the water has enough clarity for them to find your offering, but you are still not catching them, then change something.
     
     
     
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    plnoldrick
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    RE: low and clear conditions 2007/05/14 22:19:15 (permalink)
    low and clear deffinatly makes it tougher..... imo
    my general rule with water condition like this is get as natural as you possibly can. try to use patterns/shapes/sizes of lures that mimic baitfish/fishbait as close as possible. and downsize your line. early today at the yough i was flippin a dark green and red flake tube and couldnt manage anything. switched to an identical color yum crawbug and smacked out a couple decent smallies. later today i stopped by northmoreland after my doctors appointment and i knew it was gonna be like the yough. i brought a rod to flip green/creme senkos (baby bass look a likes) and drop shotted the dropoff side with a 4" roboworm (aarons magic). i coulda probably threw plugs and jigs till my arms fell off and wouldnt have gotten anything but i knew it called for finesse because of the water clarity and i walked away with a couple 8" northmoreland lunkers.
     
    btw i did see a couple pigs cruising the shoreline back and forth. i was pretty suprised, but they were easy 4-5lbers.
    #4
    2dog
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    RE: low and clear conditions 2007/05/15 21:30:09 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: plnoldrick

    low and clear deffinatly makes it tougher..... imo
    my general rule with water condition like this is get as natural as you possibly can. try to use patterns/shapes/sizes of lures that mimic baitfish/fishbait as close as possible. and downsize your line. early today at the yough i was flippin a dark green and red flake tube and couldnt manage anything. switched to an identical color yum crawbug and smacked out a couple decent smallies. later today i stopped by northmoreland after my doctors appointment and i knew it was gonna be like the yough. i brought a rod to flip green/creme senkos (baby bass look a likes) and drop shotted the dropoff side with a 4" roboworm (aarons magic). i coulda probably threw plugs and jigs till my arms fell off and wouldnt have gotten anything but i knew it called for finesse because of the water clarity and i walked away with a couple 8" northmoreland lunkers.

    btw i did see a couple pigs cruising the shoreline back and forth. i was pretty suprised, but they were easy 4-5lbers.

     
     
    Sure those pigs weren't carp?
    #5
    plnoldrick
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    RE: low and clear conditions 2007/05/15 23:37:54 (permalink)
    ORIGINAL: 2dog

    ORIGINAL: plnoldrick

    low and clear deffinatly makes it tougher..... imo
    my general rule with water condition like this is get as natural as you possibly can. try to use patterns/shapes/sizes of lures that mimic baitfish/fishbait as close as possible. and downsize your line. early today at the yough i was flippin a dark green and red flake tube and couldnt manage anything. switched to an identical color yum crawbug and smacked out a couple decent smallies. later today i stopped by northmoreland after my doctors appointment and i knew it was gonna be like the yough. i brought a rod to flip green/creme senkos (baby bass look a likes) and drop shotted the dropoff side with a 4" roboworm (aarons magic). i coulda probably threw plugs and jigs till my arms fell off and wouldnt have gotten anything but i knew it called for finesse because of the water clarity and i walked away with a couple 8" northmoreland lunkers.

    btw i did see a couple pigs cruising the shoreline back and forth. i was pretty suprised, but they were easy 4-5lbers.



    Sure those pigs weren't carp?

     
    i can assure you i know the difference between a largemouth bass and a carp.
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    coolerfull1
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    RE: low and clear conditions 2007/05/17 18:38:54 (permalink)
    of course there are exceptions, that is why I stated in my original post that water conditions mean 'almost everything'.  if they stock a bunch of fresh brooks in low and clear water and you throw minnows in front of them, sure you'll catch them.  but i'm talking about fishing in general.  give me a long drive to go fishing and i'll ask for the water conditions every time!!!  not to mention some overcast and drizzle during spring, summer, or fall for great trout and bass action at the lakes.  no cold fronts coming through, just some clouds and light rain.
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