Stained water

[smlfishing]

With the recent rain and upcoming planer board season our area is very stained on BW. My light at the dock maybe penetrates 1.5 feet but I did have bait fish there this morning.  Do the striper stay in water like that or do they leave for clearer water.  Any tips on technique or what to look for when fishing this kind of water?  I have heard to look for where the water color starts to break but really have no experience in fishing in these conditions.  What do you guys do?

 

[dogsbestfriend]

i cant believe not one person has given any advice. i too was wondering about these conditions , i guess we will just have to pay our dues and figure it out for our self .

[Gator]

Last year I fished the upper BW after a big rain and the water was almost red. Particularly, it was just below the cliffs and I crushed the fish on u-rigs. If there is bait....there are predators around. I think it is instinctive for predators to follow bait and if the bait goes the predators follow.

[mwardncsu]

I don't like to fish in real colored water - but like gator says - if the bait is still there the fishb may be. If you can find the transition from colored / stained to cleaner then that can be productive as well. Of its real colored then the fish won't be able to see as much and have to rely on their other senses - so vibration and smell and such can be more important - cut bait can be a good technique in muddy water.

[Bert]

They don't run from muddy water, how would they know where to go to get out of it? Figuring out things is half the fun, or would you rather someone hook the fish and hand you the rod!

[smlfishing]

Thanks Gator the fish seemed to be around but just scattered. Seemed like you had to get the bait right under their nose to get them to take it. Could have been the water or just the fish. Mward BW does not seem no were near as bad as the pictures you posted with the logs just very dirty. I really appreciate the help and tried to keep my post very general. I was not asking for the location of this stringer we read about and hope I did not give that impression. I agree the hunt is part of it and this was just a topic I know we all encounter but I have never seen discussed on this forum.

[Jason54]

The past 2 days we had a lot more action in the cleaner water. We did have a few hits in the very stained also but it was much less. Hard to see the bait in the mud I guess.

[Deleted]

If the water is really muddy, I like to pee on my gizzards. It's quite rewarding.

[smlfishing]

I took the kids out for an hour last night after work and pulled some boards with no success. That would have at least gave them something to do.

[mwardncsu]

Oct 15, 2015 0:15:57 GMT -5 Yam said:

If the water is really muddy, I like to pee on my gizzards. It's quite rewarding.

Someone is going through fishing withdrawals.....

[fujimo]

I myself do think the stripers tend to move some what away from the muddy water but I do like to fish the mud line on the edge !!! I guess if your going to play in the MUDD you may as well P-I=S=S ON IT !!!

[smlfishing]

That is a good attitude to have because the way it looks it's going to be muddy for awhile.

[dogsbestfriend]

well bert, perhaps some folks would like to spend their time and money wisely . this site has a bunch of good people who find enjoyment in helping others. perhaps not all folks on here have money to waste fishing, if the odds are they are not going to catch anything. i think that your " hook the fish and hand you the rod " comment is one you should have kept to yourself.

[Deleted]

Yep, I agree with dogsbff on this..... no call what so ever to say something like that....

[striperjohn]

Stripers are a major predator. They go where the bait goes. I've caught them in water so muddy you can put it in a glass and the sediment settling to the bottom would be very visible. It's not a matter of them "seeing" the bait, they sense the bait. Each one of those stripes is a sensor that helps them track current, movement in the water, bait. Here's some info from a saltwater website.

The Striped Bass is the largest member in the sea bass family. (Female stripers grow larger
distinguish it from the largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, which are actually in he
sunfish family. Stripers have two tooth patches on the back of its tongue and points on the
back of its gill plates, which distinguishes it from other types of bass. The striper's dorsal
fins are also clearly separated into spiny and soft-rayed areas. The spiny fin is situated in
front of the soft, consisting of 9 or 10 stiff spines. The rear dorsal fin is supported by 12 to
14 soft rays, being barely separated from the front one. Rockfish also have a slightly forked
tail, one anal fin, with a spine attached to the front of it. They have a pearl white belly with
an iridescent, silvery, blue-green coloration up its sides shading to olive green to
bluish-black on its back. The darkening of color along its back is due to the lateral lines
becoming wider and closer together in this area. The appearance of this fish is sensational
when the sun's rays are reflected at that "striperchum" angle!There are seven to eight
unbroken, lateral bands that run from head to tail along each side (giving the striper its
name). These horizontal lines are more than just attractive coloration; they also contain a
complex series of receptors that enable these fish to avoid collisions, react to water current
direction changes and help them detect prey. With this sensitive radar system of neuromasts
picking up movement through its electroreceptors (hair cells), along with its keen sense of
smell and eye-sight, stripers become very tactical hunters. They are especially active
hunters at night.


Striped bass have a dual pair of nostrils on each side of its head (behind rear of lip and
before eyes). Water enters these four openings and passes over hundreds of thousands of
olfactory cells, then exits through exit ports without going down the throat. The striper is
constantly smelling and sensing fresh water as it swims. Some equate the striper's sense of
smell in water to as efficient as a dog's sense of smell on land, or better! This is why it is so
important for anglers to avoid touching their bait or lures if their hands contain foreign
odors. This would ultimately discourage a striper from striking. This is also the reason
experienced, consistent striped bass contest winners put so much emphasis on changing
fresh bait often. . . . stripers seem to know the difference.