Fishing dirty water?

[splashhopper]

Hi all:

As a newcomer I am PERPLEXED when it comes to fishing in dirty / dark green waters for rainbow and browns.

 

I primarily float fish with a 6lb main line and a 4lb leader and use either roe / worms / pink power bait worms.

 

I have tried some jiggs and think they should help but to no avail in this water.

 

Any suggestions ?

 

Thanx

[silverstreak]

Try bumping up to larger size baits eg. larger roe sacs or larger profile bunny jigs.

Dirty water generally puts fish into migration mode so concentrate your efforts in heads of pools, Tailouts and my favorite - knee deep runs.

To be honest you, might want to pick up one of the many great steelhead reads available at tackle stores.

You will learn alot about steelhead behavior etc.

Other than that you might want to find a trib with cleaner water.

Peace

[splashhopper]

no tribs open on Lake Huron where i like to fish,,,

when the season opens.. i have a few great spots to get to with knee deep water and i also know the sections of a couple rivers to work the poolls etc.

 

I am struggling in the 10-15 ft of water areas of the rivers I can fish right now.

 

and i don;t know of others on L Ontario( west end) where i can try..

anyone want to send me a privaye message on that si ok nby me. lol

[MJL]

For a lot of my dirty water fishing, I switch from the 4-6lb leaders for my clear water fishing to anywhere from 6lb to 12lb...No need for finesse.

 

I find fish hold pretty close to the bank in shallow water out of the heavy current when the water's high and dirty. My favourite baits to use when it's really dirty are jumbo sized black woolly buggers tied on size 1-4 hooks or toonie sized roe bags tied in black mesh. I imagine both would provide good silhouettes under dark or dirty water conditions. I've also had luck holding or swinging medium sized Kwikfish and plugs back and forth in the current near shore - I add crayfish scent to mine for confidence.

 

If it's really bad, do as Silverstreak mentioned...Find another trib that's clear or grab a coffee for a few hours and hope for the best when you return.

[Greencoachdog]

Try bright colors and noisy baits (rattles, spinners, lipless cranks) scent may help. you may even want to try some glow in the dark something. I've never had good results with GITD at night, but in low light conditions (cloudy and/or stained/dirty water) they're some of my best producers.

[splashhopper]

Notes taken from all your replies.

 

Thanks

 

Great board.

 

Splashhopper

[Rich]

Bottom bounce!

[kemper]

BIG baits.

 

I find alot of people forget that steelhead really are big predators, and get too bogged down with the tiny, perfect presentation. When the water is up the bigger and more sloppy the presentation the better! Ive caught steel on marabou jigs the size that you would use for pickeral in a bright yellow colour.