"high and stained" vs "low and clear"

[Corey Steffen]

Read some of an interesting thread from "ilyakkin" yesterday on Instagram, where he asked if folks would choose "high and stained" or "low and clear" for smallmouth fishing in creeks/rivers.   It wasn't exactly a poll so a bit hard to measure, but it appeared by comments (from what I saw) that most would choose "high and stained".    That surprised me a bit so I thought I'd ask the ISA.    🙂

If you had to pick one, would you choose "high and stained" or "low and clear"

As a side note, the hurricane really brought parts of central IL a lot of rain on Tuesday, so I'm going to be stuck with "high and stained" for awhile again, like it or not.    😬

[gordon p]

Low and clear.  

[John Gillio]

I’m a low and clear guy also. And I feel your pain as your water is headed my way.

[rich mc]

id say high and stained as i do better under those conditions and fish are closer to shore

[Eric]

High and stained, generally. The fish are bunched up more in predictable locations. Suits my run-and-gun style of kayak-fishing, slinging spinnerbaits and swim jigs.

Low and clear is nice for fishing topwater. So-called “fair weather fishing” seems to happen less often and it can be a real treat. September and early October comes to mind.

[Paul Trybul]

For the most part, I prefer the low and clear. Smallmouth are primarily sight feeders and I don't want to have to drop it right on their nose to catch them.  That being said I think a little stain does some good when it comes to bigger fish.  Big fish can can spooky or shy in some crystal clear situations. I also feel this low/clear vs high/stained preference has more to do with the size of the river.  Smaller rivers and creeks are typically a no go when high and stained.  There are a limited number of fish and now with high water a lot more places to look for them.  It's typically the bigger rivers where anglers will tell you they prefer high/stained. The high water pushes the bass out of the mid river structure and in more predictable shoreline eddies.  For a big river, this makes the majority of the bass population, more accessible for anglers fishing from shore.

[Kev-mo]

I'm in the high and stained group also. What Rich and Eric said about fish location and also fishing style. As Paul noted river/creek size is also a factor.

With that said I've had some exceptional days when the water has been low and clear in the summer months. 

I also think time of year factors in.  Low clear and cold no thank you.

[Corey Steffen]

This is why I love the ISA.   🙂   So often on the forums I learn something.    It's nice having more experienced anglers who willing to share their knowledge.

I hadn't thought much about the river/creek size factor, but it makes a lot of sense.    And maybe that's some of why I struggle down here with high, stained water (or at least that's what I'm going to tell myself so I feel better, haha).    Most of my rivers are definitely on the smaller side compared to the rivers further north.    In high water conditions I too often feel "lost" and can't locate fish.

I also just need more "high and stained" water fishing experience, since I tend to avoid those conditions and wait to fish when the water has come back down.   At the least, I'm trying to do better in dirty conditions by throwing more spinnerbaits (as Eric mentioned) or lures with flash or sound.

[Paul Trybul]

7 hours ago, Kev-mo said:

  Low clear and cold no thank you.

I'll take low clear water in the Winter. I caught some really nice smallmouth and walleye dragging that Trybul rig through some of the deeper Rock River wintering holes when the water is low and clear. The best fishing was on cloudy afternoons or the low light period right before dark.

[John Gillio]

All good points made about things depending on the river, time of yr , and fishing style. I’ve done well in  high murky water at times in the Illinois River, and some other streams that I would still be able to walk along the shoreline . But being that most of my local streams are in gorges that make walking along the stream in high water conditions virtually impossible, and being that shore walking and wading are by far my favorite ways to fish a stream, my preference is low and clear. My streams are smaller sized and fish are gathered In predictable areas that are usually easy to wade to in the lower water conditions. 
 

[Kev-mo]

20 hours ago, Paul Trybul said:

I'll take low clear water in the Winter. I caught some really nice smallmouth and walleye dragging that Trybul rig through some of the deeper Rock River wintering holes when the water is low and clear. The best fishing was on cloudy afternoons or the low light period right before dark.

 

I've fished high, dirty and cold far more than low clear and cold so i could have some bias. I may have to give that rig a try in about 4 months or so....

[Eric]

Corey, white and gold slays on the Fox. 😉