Stained Water Conditions
It sure does seem as though spring is coming here in Alberta sooner than some would have anticipated, even including me. This I must say is always welcomed here in a province where winter makes up half of our year. We have been blessed with some very nice weather here in Calgary which I always take advantage of as a fisherman. We decided to visit a deep dark trout hole today and were rewarded with some nice Rainbow trout as a result.
The water here on the Bow is quite stained as a result of the dirty water from the banks and the city streets washing into the river. Sometimes if the water is not completely dark brown and unfishable, this tea stained water can and does work to your advantage. Here is why, the trout can see your bait and hear your bait if it rattles or buzzes, but cannot completely make it out, therefore it will hit your bait without hesitation. If the water is clear and the trout suspects something does not look right it will leave your bait alone. You will however have to make adjustments on your color selections when fishing stained water.
I use flasher baits and bait’s that have more rattling characteristics to them. This Rainbow troutwas caught with a Berkley Frenzy Rattler lure, which makes a very loud rattling noise. I like to use colors such as pure white, shiny gold’s, bright red’s and even colors that have more natural colors to them. Presentation will also play a factor with stained water so I present the lure 1-2 feet off the bottom of the river where the trout like to sit in these stained water conditions. Look for trout to be closer to the bank than if the water is clear, usually there is more oxygen in the water closer to the bank than further out in the middle. This is also where the fish look for flies and other pupa at this time of the year so adjust your casting accordingly. I tend to cast upstream, closer to the bank and retrieve the lure or spinner downstream; keeping the lure close to the bank to make the most natural presentation as possible.
The moral of this article is, do not let the dirty water deter you from going out to your local river and making some casts. This is when you may catch that lunker you’ve been looking for all your life. Try different baits, different color’s of baits until you key in on what the fish want and how they want it presented. Tight lines to all! See the bottom of this page for video footage of today’s fishing!
