Hugely Successful Clear and Cold Water Fishing Tactics

As difficult as the fishing can be after a severe cold front moves through, most anglers more often face the demanding challenge that clear water presents.

Stream trout anglers, Great Lakes trollers, and north-country fishermen alike know all too well the unique problems of fishing at clear water sites, and they have learned, through experience, that these tough situations can still produce great fishing.

By making a few minor changes in tackle and presentations, you can become a more successful angler and enjoy consistently good catches, even under the toughest conditions.

Sometimes referred to as "finesse" tactics, the subtle and systematic changes needed for clear water angling success can be quickly accomplished and easily applied to many types of fishing.

Then, if you have to (or want to) fish at clear water sites, the following tips will absolutely improve your angling technique, catches, and confidence.

The secret to successful clear water fishing is to employ a non-intrusive presence, lighter tackle, natural baits/colors/finishes, slow presentations, and strategic timing at key structural locations.

Using these tactics will help:

Distance yourself from the fish. Fish deeper water or suspended fish. Make long casts. Use an adjustable float / bobber.

Tie long leaders for trolling approaches. Put out planerboards, side planers, jet planers, Dipsy Divers to get lures down and away from the overhead presence of the boat and prop wash.

Minimize your presence. Reduce noise in the boat and limit your movements. Along the bank or shoreline, keep out of sight as much as possible.

Wear subdued, natural / earthy colored clothing - even camo. Paddle or use an electric trolling motor.
Watch where your shadow falls. Turn off the stereo.

Use thinner, lo-visibility line. If your fishing would normally call for 12-lb test line, move down to 8-lb test; from 6-lb to 2 or 4-lb test.

Remove unnecessary terminal tackle - e.g. snaps, snap swivels, leaders, split rings. Use a suitable knot instead.

Downsize all baits, lures and tackle including hooks, sinkers, minnows, lures. In clear water, smaller is decisively better.

Enhance the sensual appeal of baits & lures. Use live baits or scent / salt impregnated lures.
Choose natural baitfish colors or those which closely resemble indigenous crayfish, leeches, frogs, insects, etc.

Slow down your presentations (e.g. trolling speed, lure retrieval, lift & drop) and minimize the action imparted to the bait / lure.

Remove the rattles. Allow live baits to move freely, naturally.

Crawl jigs rather than hop them along the bottom, and incorporate pauses into retrieves.

Repeatedly present the bait / lure to visible fish.

Avoid splashy lure entries when casting or the unnatural movement of baits.

Fish under optimal conditions such as during stable or improving weather conditions, on overcast days, through the low-light periods of the day (daybreak, dusk), at night, when there is a slight chop on the surface, and during pre-frontal periods prior to storms.

Avoid bright, dead calm days when visibility is at maximum levels.

Fish prime spots with good cover / structure, near or in deep water. These include deep weedlines, submerged weedbeds & timber, drop-offs, points, channel ledges, sunken islands, island saddles and deep shoals.

Cover lots of water looking for "biters".

Fish in clear water lakes and streams live in a fish bowl. In a competitive ecosystem, visibility translates to vulnerability, and fish in clear water must either exercise extreme caution or quickly become the prey in the food chain.

But feed they must and, as a result, fish can be caught consistently by strategic anglers who modify their tackle, baits, and presentations to fit otherwise challenging, clear and cold water fishing situations.