# Of Water Clarity and Saugeye



## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

Was going to PM ol' fishslim about this but figured most everyone could benefit so thought why not just start a thread.

Anyway since the Eye bite is going to be about as good as it gets in the next two-three weeks or so and most every system is either stained or chocolate milk what are everyone's go-to tactics for stained-water eyes? And more importantly (for this time of year) does anyone ever have any luck after-dark in stained water? Based on my experience Saugeye seem to shut off after dark when the water is stained/chocolate, makes sense because they already have trouble finding a bait to begin with, take out the lights and they're more or less blind..right?... or wrong

For me Clown/Firetiger/Chartruese colors have been hot in stained water, however some of my friends swear by throwing darker colors. Also find that a slower presentation helps give time for them to "home-in" on a bait they have trouble seeing...Thoughts?

And happy Thanksgiving!


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## 93stratosfishnski (Aug 25, 2011)

we fished buckeye tonight and it was slow... probably 15 people out and i think we saw 8 fish caught in 6 hours...water was dirty and obviously after dark... firetiger and white seemed to work for the couple we caught


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

Somehow I never got a text about Buckeye tonight?


























Seriously though you should submit your Smallmouth for a Fish OGF


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## Skippy (Dec 2, 2009)

Rattles,, For me it seems that rattles in any kind of lure will help out in stained water. That and slooooww. Give them time to find it. 
Posted about them before but for me the doctored Smithwick Mr. Walleye work. Not a big lure but with a good sound chamber. 
Still water just cast out then crank it down a little then just reel slow and steady. Most hits are that bump, bump then bang unlike fishing in a current, spillways, where you cast out and let the current do most of the work. There they just bang it.

AJ, Another thing that works at times is something almost like the swims that your working on. Made by Zoom there called Fat Albert. Big thick body and a oversized tail. Easy to load it with one of thoes rubber worm rattles and that thick tail also sends out some more sound. Light jig head with a big hook and reeled slow. Let it work. 

These work for me "BUT" this year theres been days and nights where just sitting on the tailgate of the truck drinking coffee,, I would of done just as good.

I also belive that you must have total confidence in what your throwing and staying in tune with it. Good luck out there.


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## sir fishalot (Dec 7, 2010)

I don't think their blind, but are able to sneak up on the bait fish during daylight hours;when normaly they will wait for night for their sight advantage over the baitfish.

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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

well Skippy hit it right on usually bigger profile baits that is the way i go in muddy water at night but i not doing it for sight reasons they do not have to see it to know where it is or pretty much what it is. I use bigger baits to displace more water as they are coming thru the water this is key for it is thru movement in the water around them as well as sound that they feed. Slow many times is good but not always it depends on water temp as well warmer the water the faster i reel making bait really work in the water. Trap style baits Vibe's work really well in mudd with all the vibration and noise they make. Just last week caught 18 saugeyes in pure mudd with current they were hitting both small swims and bigger ones in orange or pink kept right on bottom but reeled steady ticking bottom as you go. Then i tried a rogue larger 3 hook version so i could get it down on bottom and bang it hard on bottom then let it sit a second then a couple twitches or pulls and they were cracking it hard. I left but talked to a guy who came down when i was leaving and he caught fish after dark on jerkbaits as well. The best colors for me has always been orange or pinks in muddy water test have shown that they see these colors longest in mudy water. Also like yellow and yellow chartruese as well a black. I also feel that saugeyes put themselves in feeding areas when water is high and muddy so that they do not have to work hard to eat in these conditions laying in wait feeling and smelling as well as seeing food come close to them. Find those areas in muddy water and there will be fish sitting there. Going to hit a mudhole tonight at dark will see if they are waiting. Just remember as Skippy said be confident in your bait keep it in strike zone area which in mudd is usually tight to bottom and fish do not let muddy water scare you if it is a area you catch fish in normal conditions they will show up in muddy conditions. Tipping jigs in muddy water with scent like a minnow or crawler never hurts either.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

if you have super muddy water dont forget to try fishing in bright sun. my best day ever through the ice was in 1 inch visibility water in the middle of the day. got over 60 eyes in just a couple hours on rattle spoons with minnows and vibes it was amazing. In that case they were loving the sound and scent. I know its fall but spring time eyes seem to go real shallow in cold muddy water when the sun is warming the shallows. My wifes personal best 25 incher hit in 1 ft of water at high noon in the spring.


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## ying6 (Apr 21, 2004)

Guys, I have been fishing pretty much mud the last couple weeks. (If you know where I stop on the way home)... both larger profile and smaller have produced fish, the larger one did catch a nice fat 22, but the smaller swim caught more fish including some nice crappie. All fish were caught on bright colors (yellowish..), I haven't been setting the world on fire but have been getting fish. 
On a side note, the fish came on windy days, cold days, sunny days, but all came from the same general area. So maybe I am saying if the fish are there and active you can get into them. - no rattle by the way.
ying


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

Big Joshy said:


> if you have super muddy water dont forget to try fishing in bright sun. my best day ever through the ice was in 1 inch visibility water in the middle of the day. got over 60 eyes in just a couple hours on rattle spoons with minnows and vibes it was amazing. In that case they were loving the sound and scent. I know its fall but spring time eyes seem to go real shallow in cold muddy water when the sun is warming the shallows. My wifes personal best 25 incher hit in 1 ft of water at high noon in the spring.


Thank you, lol.

I can't tell you how many times i've encountered chocolate conditions in the spring and wondered "you know what, I bet there biting during high sun in the early afternoon" just never could commit myself to chasing them at what seems to be the WORST time of day.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

it amazing but ive seen it time and again that there is a mid day bite with saugye, even in clearer waters. I believe the moon dictates when the mid day bite will be. gravitational pull is supposed to be strongest when the moon is directly overhead or directly underneath therefore supposedly the fish are the most active at that time. I see it on the ice all the time, there is always a mid day bite for about 45 minutes to an hour. seems to fall around 1-2:30 alot of the time when no one is fishing seriously for eyes. In shallow lakes like indian or buckeye it can be more productive than the evening bite because the fish are concentrated in the deeper holes when they switch on to hunt and are not scattering or on the move up into the shallows. Muddy water makes the mid day bite even better. come to think of it, the biggest eyes ive ever seen caught through the ice came in the middle of the day in dingy water. Im not saying that there is no evening bite in muddy water. I think when the evening bite falls can change based on water clarity. clear water fish like to wait for almost total dark sometimes. Alot of how the eyes act though I beleive is based on the normal water clarity for the lake or river you are fishing. Dirty water in alum can hurt the fishing because the fish are used to having clean water to hunt in. Buckeye and Indian, and alot of rivers 6 inch visibility is the norm so the fish just get used to eating in the mud.
This is all based on my experiences and talking to others, not to be taken as gospel!


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

Big Joshy said:


> Im not saying that there is no evening bite in muddy water. I think when the evening bite falls can change based on water clarity. clear water fish like to wait for almost total dark sometimes.


This has been my experience.


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

Deadsticking in stained/chocolate water...Anyone ever had any consistent luck? Seems to me that the deadstick bite is a sight-based presentation, and when the water is nasty it wont work, or doesn't work nearly as well. At least thats my experience, I've CRUSHED them deadsticking in clear(er) water this time of year, only to have basically no luck (dead-sticking) in stained water conditions. Almost think it would be better to slowly keep the bait moving/wobbling so fish can close in on the vibration because they're having trouble seeing it?


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

acklac, Earlier this month one of the holes i was fishing was quite dirty alomost muddy an i was getting them deadsticking a #8 xrap in gold with a orange belly. Seemed like most of the fish came straight up to hit lure so they had to see the orange belley. And seemed all the fish came right after i jerk pause in the dirty water. I think alot to do with those fish is all the lights around the area i was fishing. 
But mostly agree with you that they dont find it as good in the dirty water, an usually will fish something with some thump to it and really bright, Or slow roll the stickbait instead of dead sticking.........

When u going to get out with derek and me???


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

Saugeyefisher said:


> acklac, Earlier this month one of the holes i was fishing was quite dirty alomost muddy an i was getting them deadsticking a #8 xrap in gold with a orange belly. Seemed like most of the fish came straight up to hit lure so they had to see the orange belley. And seemed all the fish came right after i jerk pause in the dirty water. I think alot to do with those fish is all the lights around the area i was fishing.
> But mostly agree with you that they dont find it as good in the dirty water, an usually will fish something with some thump to it and really bright, Or slow roll the stickbait instead of dead sticking.........
> 
> When u going to get out with derek and me???


I'll make it over there soon enough, I HATE driving any considerable distance to fish, but with you guys nailing them like you are I might have to give it a shot, cause i'm getting sick of the :S


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Yea the drive sucks, but i really got used to after going 2-4 time a week. about 25 minutes for me. Not really killing them but has been really consistant, with not many skunks. Hope ya start nailing them soon, looks like it might be a while yet though


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