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Fishing Dirty Water After Rain
By Bo Sawyer
As I sit here with a hot coffee, watching a major weather event unfold, I can’t help but plan and think about my fishing over the coming weeks. With lots of rain comes a steady influx of dirty water, that’s sure to make fishing pretty tough for the foreseeable future. So, what techniques or strategies can I implement and what areas should I target?
Where to Fish
Well, we can’t catch fish sitting on the couch, so let’s talk about where they’ll be biting.
Bar Entrances
The cleanest water will of course be the ocean, so as an inshore angler I want to be fishing as close to a river entrance as I possibly can. Bars/mouths will benefit from the most tidal flow, while also receiving the cleanest part of an incoming tide. This would have to be the best place to fish following a rain event, however you can expect more current than usual as there’ll be a lot more water flowing down from the upper reaches. Plenty of bait will also be getting pushed out of the entire system, so it makes sense that the more productive fishing will be concentrated around these areas.
Deep holes
Salt sinks, so there will be a much higher salinity level in the deeper pockets of water. Fish will use this as a sanctuary to escape the concentrations of fresher water and us fishos can capitalise on this by targeting these deeper areas. The extra benefit here is that we can fish an area that will have a better concentration of fish, which is very handy when there’s poor visibility in the system.
Use Your Sounder
Sounding potential spots is a great way to find where the fish are. Using down scan or side scan can help locate bait and schools of fish, which will guide you to where your efforts should be focused. Just remember that with all the debris in the water you’ll pick up a lot more on the sounder, so make sure you spend some time setting up and reading the screen properly.
The Flats
You don’t usually associate dirty water with a hot flats bite however we do have one ace up our sleeve… the fish can’t see us. You are far less likely to spook good fish in shallow water when it’s dirty and we can use this to our advantage. Just ensure that you take it easy when driving through shallow areas as there may be large branches that have been washed onto the flats with the influx of water into the system.
Lure Selection
Lures are still a great option when fishing in dirty water, in fact I’d rather fish them over bait to avoid all the nasties that tend to come out after the rain, such as sharks and catfish. When choosing a lure, I’m looking for something that will create good water dispersion and vibration. Paddle tails tick both boxes and are my go-to profile. I especially like the ZMan 4” Diezel MinnowZ as they offer good size and width in the lure profile. The HerculeZ swimbaits are also pure gold when chasing larger fish as the bigger body and tail will grab the attention of fish and draw them in from a larger area.
Colour selection is also VERY important. Darker colours will create a silhouette and that really increases the visibility of your offering. If you’re fishing shallow, something with a bit of flash is also very effective when the sun is out. The light will penetrate the water and let the lure create its magic. Pearl and colours that have glitters and/or flecks through their body are great for this. You will notice the shine whenever you work your lure to the surface or just as you’re about to lift it up to the boat.
I use scent regardless of water clarity, however it’s even more important in dirty water. If you’re working your lure with hops or flicks, followed by a pause, you want to give the fish every opportunity to find your lure. Adding Pro-Cure scent will definitely aid in this aspect and fish will also hold your lure for longer, giving you a little bit more time to strike and set the hook.
Local Knowledge is Key
Having some local knowledge of the area that you choose to fish will assist with steering you in the right direction post rain. I know from past experiences that a great deal of rain will turn my system into that dreaded coffee coloured water. Even though this is far from ideal, I know what areas will clean up the quickest, what species will thrive (at the very least outperform others) and what methods will work best.
This may even be the main reason for heading out as soon as it’s safe to do so, to make the most of the opportunity to increase my knowledge in preparation for the next weather event. At the end of the day, no angler likes being forced to sit at home when they could be out on the water catching fish.
Cheers, Bo