What would you do?

[AndyLane]

All week long it has been either raining cats and dogs or really windy. It finally cleared up today so I went to the city pond for an afternoon of fishing. Long story short I tried to work my magic but all I pulled from my fishin hat was a skunk.

A lot of what I know about fishing has come from spending time on the water and trial and error. The rest of what I know and/or Will know about fishing comes from learning from people who have done more than their share of trial and error. Those who have spent a lot more time on the water than me. Those who's trophy wall ain't no joke. I believe that a good majority of y'all certainly fall into this category. I feel like doing a little learning.

Lets play a little game of "What would you do"

Ok lets say you go to a lake and have to fish from the bank. Heavy rain from the days before has brought the lake up at least a foot and the water is muddy as all get out. Your focus is catching crappie or bluegill. Fishing a White/Red, or Pink/Chartreuse jig 3-5 foot under a float or tossing a minnow pattern belly spinner along the bank normally works well. Today they produce nothing. What would be your approach?

 

[quivira kid]

Slow it down and go dark/obnoxiously bright.... and something with a spinner blade. I am guessing the water temp dropped pretty good and clarity went to crap. This early, to me that means slow and make sure they can see it. Pink head roadrunner with black body and blue tail!

 

[AtticaFish]

What would you do......... get a 6-pack of tall boys and head home. Maybe the question wasn't directed at me? ha!

Seriously, i would stick it out and do my darnedest. Will echo Quivira some and say dark body, spinner blade, slow it down for crappie. For the gills (i suck at finding crappie overall) right after a big cold rain, find any type structure OR vegetation and fish the deeper edge of it a half inch off bottom - would almost swear the gills are vacuum sealed to the bottom after major temp/condition changes or buried deep in the weeds but still very close to bottom. That is my approach under a rapid change situation anyway.

 

[ragged edge]

Crappie always prefer structure as a way of protection and out of direct sunlight. Wave action will warm the water up a little faster than no wind. Fish the protected side of lake. If there has not been a dramatic temperature change the fish are still there but may may be in a little deeper water with lockjaw. Fish under a float with a darker color jig such as brown, keep adjusting for depth. Darker colors in stained water such as brown or dull orange work best from my experience. From a boat I fish the same with no float and tight line.

 

[StumpHunter]

With muddy water I would use a road runner type body with a black head/ chart body/ black hackle tail with flash added or a orange head/fire-tiger body/ chart hackle tail with flash. Both of these colors work very well in muddy water and the blade with give the jig movement that will attract the fish. The reason I would use hackle is it will give the jig a bigger profile and I also believe the hackle will give off a sound while going through the water. I would use a 1/16 and throw out 30' or so and reel in fast enough to keep the jig from hitting the bottom but at a speed to keep the jig deep. In high and muddy waters I tend to catch more fish in the bottom 1/3 of water depth, say if I'm fishing 9' depths I want to fish the depth of 7' + or - a little.
The pond you are fishing I would think is maybe 20' at its deepest point? I would start off fishing the deep end working the jig close to the bottom and each cast I would more 4' away from my first casting place toward the shallow end of the pond and do the same each cast until I found the fish. Sometimes you may only catch one fish at a location but don't get in the habit of over fishing a dead spot.
This is what I would do.

 

[Jig Man]

If it were me, I would head for the creeks with some cheesebait in search of mr. whiskers... Oh wait you said perch, OK head for the lower end with jigs, a bucket of minners, some worms, a flask of crown and be thankful you have a lake on the rise. It's been awhile since I've seen that. In my lakes there will be a lot of fish heading up stream, but they will be difficult to catch.

 

[Pepop]

If it were me, I would head for the creeks with some cheesebait in search of mr. whiskers... Oh wait you said perch, OK head for the lower end with jigs, a bucket of minners, some worms, a flask of crown and be thankful you have a lake on the rise. It's been awhile since I've seen that. In my lakes there will be a lot of fish heading up stream, but they will be difficult to catch.

In some of your streams the fish'll need mud grips won't they Jig Man? Much of your water's pretty low isn't it?

 

[AndyLane]

Thanks for the tips and info everyone. I went back early this morning. It was cold (only 34 degrees when i got there) but it was a gorgeous morning to be alive and outdoors.
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I figured out where the crappie were. They started hitting on blue head/chartreuse body and tail (marabou with blue/green flash) Fished under a slip float In about 8 foot of water. They were holding tight to the brush piles. I wish I could of been in a boat fishing vertically cause they were hitting good but it was hard not to get snagged fishing from the bank. I got the first three in but had 5 fish in a dang row get me wrapped up in brush. I ended up losing a total of 7 jigs and 5 slip floats before I began to think about the definition of Insanity and moved on to something different. :beat-up: I'll go back later and try to find my floats that drifted off.:icon14: I caught a couple bass slow rollin a blue and white roadrunner then I got on to some decent gills by fishing right close to the bottom with a brown/olive jig tipped with a piece of night crawler. I was just letting the wind drift the float.

 

[Pepop]

Good job!!:icon14::icon14: Sounds like you worked it out and had a great morning.

 

[Fatman]

Way to figure them out Andy!!!!!!!!!!! Had a spot like that back home and always tried to float it close in front but used to get hung to!!!

 

[smalljaw]

Great job getting bit in tough conditions!!!

 

[Jig Man]

If it were me, I would head for the creeks with some cheesebait in search of mr. whiskers... Oh wait you said perch, OK head for the lower end with jigs, a bucket of minners, some worms, a flask of crown and be thankful you have a lake on the rise. It's been awhile since I've seen that. In my lakes there will be a lot of fish heading up stream, but they will be difficult to catch.

In some of your streams the fish'll need mud grips won't they Jig Man? Much of your water's pretty low isn't it?

Your right Pepop, we are in a bad way for some rain. Went to Stamford last weekend with wtex and we could'n't launch his boat. Nothing over 16 ft went in. Matter of fact I haven't been in a boat this spring.