How to catch fish in clear water and dirty water

The way you fish clear water has to be totally different to fishing coloured water.

 

Coloured water is just water carrying a bit of dirt silt or stain ..and fish react differently depending on water clarity for a few simple reasons and you need to use a few different methods.

 

If you have a favourite spot you’ll probably know how to fish it but what happens when you turn up to somewhere new ….and it’s nothing like what you’ve fished before?

 

You need to know how fish find their food ….so you can dish it up…just the way they like it!

 

Let’s start with crystal clear water –  If you turn up to water like this and it’s shallow….the fish might see you long before you see them and they’ll take off like a scolded cat.

 

If the waters deep, they’ll hang deep enough to feel safe, but maybe not on the bottom, so you’ve got to work out where to put your bait.

 

If the water’s muddy, silty or just carrying enough colour to lower visibility then you have to give ‘em something they can find even if they can’t see it.

 

Sight fish that hunt their prey by using their eyes will rely more on light and clarity to find their bait….when the waters clear… That’s why lures and bait used in clear must be presented “spot on”! It’s got to look right ‘cos the fish can take a good hard look at it before it swallows and if it ain’t sure…. it’s outta there fast!

 

I have boat fished in the bay for whiting where the water’s been relatively shallow and as clear as glass… you could see the fish approach the bait. They come in close and inspect the bait and then swim away

…but they always swallowed the small bits of berley we threw in.

It sometimes took a number of adjustments to get the bait looking just the way they wanted it before we started to catch.

 

Put those fish in coloured water and they can’t eyeball the bait or lure so well. Then they have to rely on other senses like smell, sound and feel. 

 

Fish have a sensory organ that runs down either side of their body called the “lateral line”. It’s kinda like a movement sensor that tells them what’s around them. It’s how they move around in low visibility  without bumping into stuff….

…it’s also how they find food, especially lively stuff like insects and small fish. They sort of “feel them”.

All this can really help you fool fish into thinking dinner’s ready. 

So if you’re fishing water that carries a bit of colour , a lot of colour after rain or is clear as a crystal wine glass then you can improve your chances of a catch by using the right bait or lure that suits these conditions….knowing how the fish will be finding food.

 

In clear water, like high country streams and lakes, you have to go into “stealth” mode as you approach the water.

 

A fish’s eye gives it a wide angle of vision so it doesn’t have to look up like we do….it can already see up when it’s on the bottom….so if you’re standing on the bank…it’ll see you!

Likewise with your bait or lure – it’s gotta be spot on in action and look if the fish is going to hit it….

…I remember years ago fishing the Upper Yarra River during a drought. The water was super clear and I was casting hard bodied lures at trout I could see. They’d follow the lure but wouldn’t bite it….until I changed to a tiny soft plastic lure that looked exactly like a small Redfin…I got a hit on that!

 

With bait fishing in these conditions you might have to try a number of different bait presentations and types of bait. The fish won’t swallow anything that looks a bit “dodgy”… so it must look like any other food in the water:

  • You’ll need to make sure the hook is properly covered….and isn’t too big.
  • Your line will have to be a bit finer and you might even have to change to fluorocarbon (almost invisible line) before the fish will go near your bait.

 

When you fish water with lower clarity, presentation doesn’t count quite as much but smell and movement do. The fish have to find your bait or lure and they can only do that if they can smell, hear or feel it. Lures with rattles, added scent, big movements and colours that are can be seen in murky water are the go.

 

Years ago, before commercial “scent additives” were common in tackle stores you could look at colour charts that showed the best lure colours to use at different water depths and different water colours. Since you can now use smells, noise and water displacement in lures – these charts aren’t as important anymore…but are always worth checking if you need an edge on a hard fishing day.

 

So….to get the best out of your fishing – look at things through the eyes, nose and feel of a fish…and your fishing could improve out of sight!

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