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 Post subject: Fishing dark waters
PostPosted: Mon Nov 04, 2013 4:51 pm • # 1 
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Is there a strategy when fly fishing dark (murky or deep) water? Is one just fishing blindly waiting for a strike? For example: I have taken my kayak out in a lake and even the creek feeding the lake, but I just can't seem to locate any fish.


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 Post subject: Re: Fishing dark waters
PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 6:56 pm • # 2 
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You need to fish structure, like any wood in the water, or any place that you know they will normally hold. I use black subsurface flies a lot in turbid water since that type of water dominates in my area. All the reservoirs have color, and many creeks have sight color too.


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 Post subject: Re: Fishing dark waters
PostPosted: Tue Nov 05, 2013 9:43 pm • # 3 
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Also, fish the edges of dropoffs in the lake. Fish will congregate along the edges and travel along them.


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 Post subject: Re: Fishing dark waters
PostPosted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 10:42 am • # 4 
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Time of day might also be a factor. At dawn and at dusk, the fish are more likely to be holding or patrolling in the shallows searching for food. Your flies will be more visible in the shallower water. In addition, they're likely to move toward the mouth of that creek at dawn and dusk for the same reason.
When you say murky, do you mean turbid or stained?
Brent


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 Post subject: Re: Fishing dark waters
PostPosted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 3:47 am • # 5 
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My strategy? I don't fly fish deep murky water, while fish can be caught for me there's more efficient ways to use a fly rod. That feeder creek sounds interesting.


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 Post subject: Re: Fishing dark waters
PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 7:23 pm • # 6 
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Brent,

What is your definition of turbid vs. stained water?


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 Post subject: Re: Fishing dark waters
PostPosted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 10:45 pm • # 7 
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Rightly or wrongly, I view turbid water as having a lot of suspended solids (like silt or algae) in it. Stained water, I view as that water that originates in peat bogs and such, and is clear but tea-coloured.
Brent


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 Post subject: Re: Fishing dark waters
PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2013 2:49 pm • # 8 
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Brent,

Based on that definition I would say the water is more stained than turbid. Does one type require a completely different strategy for fishing than the other?


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 Post subject: Re: Fishing dark waters
PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2013 3:13 pm • # 9 
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Stained water is still fairly transparent (perhaps translucent?) so the fish can see flies pretty well, even though you can't see down into the water far, esp. if the bottom is dark. I've had trout come up through a good 6 or more feet of stained water for small dries on the surface. I wouldn't worry about whether the fish can see your fly; just sounds like you're not fishing over fish, or not presenting a fly that looks or behaves like food to them. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably resort to a small, buggy black and olive wooly bugger (with a weighted body or a beadhead if legal), fished very slowly near the bottom in very small jerks. Especially, try where the stream flows into the lake, out roughly where the current of the stream starts to fully mix with the lake.


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 Post subject: Re: Fishing dark waters
PostPosted: Sat Nov 09, 2013 5:15 pm • # 10 
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Brent,

Thanks for the advice. I will give that a try.


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 Post subject: Re: Fishing dark waters
PostPosted: Tue Nov 19, 2013 10:09 pm • # 11 
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Wheeze has it right. Just what I was going to say. Darker flies, especially wooly buggers. At least for me, when the water looks like chocolate milk around here a dark bugger will bring out the trout. The dark color has more contrast with the water, creating a better view for the fish. Light colored flies will get lost in the darker water.


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 Post subject: Fishing dark waters
PostPosted: Sun Nov 24, 2013 5:57 am • # 12 
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Depends on what the water is like and what species you're after. In still water the fish either patrol the good spots for food or hang out where there's both food and shelter.
Some species like to hang out deep were the water is cold and do food patrols closer to the shore and the surface.
Slow, almost still, creeks are the hardest to read. Some stretches of water (creeks) can be almost barren if the bottom sediment and oxygen in the water don't sustain enough food to hunt, or that there's no shelter for the food to hang out. If you get turbulance on the surface and there's a visible line to the strongest current, those should be good spots to fish. Any visible object breaking the surface will provide nice hangouts where there's both shelter and food.
Colorwise? Match the likely food source or go black with an attractor effect, orange or bling...

If you can describe the creek and lake a little more; width, depth, fast, slow, vegetation, shallows etc, and what species you're after I'm sure you'll get more and better advice.


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