Reading water color for more crankbait walleyes

I recently had several people ask me what the most important factors are for finding and catching walleyes on crankbaits in Lake Erie or Lake St. Clair. IMO, being able to read the water color and/or find the right water color is THE biggest factor. This is second nature to those of us that have been doing this for many years. However, if you are new to the trolling game, you may not know what you are looking for. What's "too muddy" look like? What's "too clear" look like? What does "just right" look like? What role does weather or light conditions play in selecting the "right" water color? What patterns are best for each situation? Therefore, I decided to write an article about it and post it on my website. Here's a link to it if anyone is interested:

https://slimshadycustoms.com/blogs/n...kbait-walleyes

Cheers!

Very well written, thank you.

The only thing I would add is the waves/chop from the wind. In really clear water a chop on the top of the water does help and you can sometimes do better with colors that work in dirty water. Clear water and a flat smooth day can be really tough.
Of course this is IMHO and we always will keep a few contrary colors in our spread until the fish tell us what they want for sure.

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Originally Posted by Fishing Tiger

Very well written, thank you.

The only thing I would add is the waves/chop from the wind. In really clear water a chop on the top of the water does help and you can sometimes do better with colors that work in dirty water. Clear water and a flat smooth day can be really tough.
Of course this is IMHO and we always will keep a few contrary colors in our spread until the fish tell us what they want for sure.

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That's a good point, for sure. Wind and waves definitely play a role in the overall weather and conditions formula, as it changes the amount of light that penetrates the water.

BTW, here's the second part of my previous article for anyone who is interested. Part 2 focuses on how I go about finding the right water color without driving all over the lake looking for it.

Other potential topics that I am considering for future articles:

- Crankbaits, Spoons or Harnesses? : How do I choose? Does time of the year matter? Can I run them at the same time?

- Tips for Painting Custom Baits: . Finding Blanks, Painting options (rattle-cans, spray-guns or airbrushes), oil or water based?, clear-coat options, jigs and stencils, etc

- Crankbait shapes, sizes, bill shapes, diving depth, tuning, etc. How each impacts the motion in the water, what to pick & when, dive curves, etc

Let me know if any of these topics would be interesting to you. If you have any other topics that you have questions about, or would like me to write about, shoot me a PM or reply here.

Again, I know that there are likely people on this site that know as much or more than I do about crankbaits or about catching walleyes on Erie. However, at the same time, I know there are others who are just getting started and could benefit from what I have learned over the 40+ years that I have been chasing walleyes on this system. My articles are written for them.

Cheers!

https://slimshadycustoms.com/blogs/n...-lake-st-clair

Nice article on reading water color.Water clarity is one of the most important factors affecting your catch rate.The water clarity is usually a big factor in the spring when water is still pretty cool, and the jig/ crankbaits bite is what we are using to catch fish.One way to find proper water color is to use the satellite pictures that the NOAA puts out on their websites.Look for that greenish color in those pictures and avoid the chocolate and blue areas.But because of cloud cover we sometimes don't get pictures every day and even a week at a time.You also can't go by a two day old picture because of currents and winds constantly moving that water around.One of the reasons you will catch fish in the greenish color water over the clear water is due to the cloudy water is warmer than the clear water.It is more comfortable in the warmer water for the fish and the walleye use it to ambush their prey bait.

Try this link for satellite pics of the lake. Like Bob mentioned clouds are often an issue.

Lake Erie MODIS Imagery

BTW: You can also use the satellite to monitor the ice. Handy in the Spring for those of us waiting on ice out.

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Originally Posted by Fishing Tiger

Try this link for satellite pics of the lake. Like Bob mentioned clouds are often an issue.

Lake Erie MODIS Imagery

BTW: You can also use the satellite to monitor the ice. Handy in the Spring for those of us waiting on ice out.

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I used to use the MODIS site all the time, and it is pretty good. However, the HUGE thing that you are missing with the MODIS site is the GPS coordinates. With the NASA Worldview site, you get the same satellite images, but you get much more control on zooming in and out, taking measurements, and the GPS coordinates are the bomb! I can move my cursor to a transition line where it goes from mud to clear and know exactly where that is on the lake. You can't do that with MODIS.

Here's a screenshot of what I am talking about:

Attachment 7588

These are the GPS coordinates that are in the bottom right as you move your cursor around.
Attachment 7589

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Originally Posted by itsbob

Nice article on reading water color.Water clarity is one of the most important factors affecting your catch rate.The water clarity is usually a big factor in the spring when water is still pretty cool, and the jig/ crankbaits bite is what we are using to catch fish.One way to find proper water color is to use the satellite pictures that the NOAA puts out on their websites.Look for that greenish color in those pictures and avoid the chocolate and blue areas.But because of cloud cover we sometimes don't get pictures every day and even a week at a time.You also can't go by a two day old picture because of currents and winds constantly moving that water around.One of the reasons you will catch fish in the greenish color water over the clear water is due to the cloudy water is warmer than the clear water.It is more comfortable in the warmer water for the fish and the walleye use it to ambush their prey bait.

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I would agree that going by a 2-day old satellite image is less than ideal and I mentioned in the article that currents and wind are always changing the water conditions. 100% agree on that.

However, I would argue that 2-day old information is better than none. If you don't have any other reports to go by, then I will use the 2-day old image and the weather info from the time in between and try to extrapolate what has likely happened to the water in between. I know from experience that a strong E wind will muddy things up in MI waters, and a S or SW wind will do the opposite. So, I can use that information to estimate what changes have likely happened since the last clear image.

It's not perfect, but it gives me some idea what I am likely to be facing. If I kept my boat in slip and was able to go whenever I wanted, then it may not matter as much. I would just go and start searching. However, I am usually trying to decide whether to go to Erie or Lake St. Clair, and which launch to go to from there. I may even decide to stay home and do yard work and fish another day if I think it will be a muddy mess, so any information I can use towards that decision helps.

Well I have learned something new. I will stay out of the clear water. I have only trolled a few times and just got lucky and caught a couple. I plan on trolling a lot more this year so I enjoy your article

Glad to hear that. That’s why I wrote it. Thanks for letting me know.

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Originally Posted by fishfinder

Well I have learned something new. I will stay out of the clear water. I have only trolled a few times and just got lucky and caught a couple. I plan on trolling a lot more this year so I enjoy your article

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Don't ever be afraid to fish "clear" water. Just because the water doesn't have the "correct" stain to doesn't mean that you can't catch a walleye on a crankbait. A walleyes pea brain tells them to do two things, eat, make little walleyes. Walleyes, when hungry, can and will leave their prefered temp, oxygen level, light level to feed. Trust your eletronics. If there are fish there, try it, before you drive X amount of miles the find the "correct" stain. This forum has some great info, just be sure to make decisions based on more than one source. I would suggest that maybe you book a trip with a captain that runs the type of program you want to run, get out there and question the **** out of him.

I think that advice about avoiding water is in early spring when water is still in 30s and 40s.And,clean water that time is usually difficult to even find.But if you do have clean water,it is usually a couple degrees colder than any nearby stained water.A great place to fish is where that transition of color is located if you can find it.And yes,trust your electronics.If marking fish,give it a try.A few years ago was fishing in early spring and asked Captain Keith from pooh bear charters where to fish.He told me to stay out of the clean water.Not catching there with the cranks he was running.

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Originally Posted by fishhawk2700

Don't ever be afraid to fish "clear" water. Just because the water doesn't have the "correct" stain to doesn't mean that you can't catch a walleye on a crankbait. A walleyes pea brain tells them to do two things, eat, make little walleyes. Walleyes, when hungry, can and will leave their prefered temp, oxygen level, light level to feed. Trust your eletronics. If there are fish there, try it, before you drive X amount of miles the find the "correct" stain. This forum has some great info, just be sure to make decisions based on more than one source. I would suggest that maybe you book a trip with a captain that runs the type of program you want to run, get out there and question the **** out of him.

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To be clear, nothing in fishing is ever absolute. There are always caveats and exceptions. Like I said in the article, the Central basin is one of those exceptions. I have caught tons of big walleyes in clear water in the Central basin. Mostly on spoons, but that's because that's what we generally run when fishing for Steelies.

I also said that there are times when we can't find any stained water, and we are forced to fish in the clean. In those situations, I go very natural and fish my boards really far from the boat. We can usually scratch out a few doing that.

I also mentioned low light conditions. This could be early or late, or even just dark dreary days. That said, on most days, if I have the choice to fish muddy, clear or stained, I will always try the stained water first and it rarely ever fails.

Example: Last year over by Fermi, we were marking fish like crazy, but we could not buy a bite. A few junk fish here and there, but no walleyes. With all of the marks I was seeing, it was hard to leave, however, the water was just too clean for my liking. I decided to pull lines and run South. After a few miles, I could see the color changing. I told my crew that we were about to catch them. There was zero doubt in my mind based on the water color. I went a couple miles into the greenish water and set up. Within a couple minutes we had a 4 lb'er on and it never stopped the rest of the day. That was just one example of many over the 40+ years I have been fishing this system.

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Originally Posted by slimshady

To be clear, nothing in fishing is ever absolute. There are always caveats and exceptions. Like I said in the article, the Central basin is one of those exceptions. I have caught tons of big walleyes in clear water in the Central basin. Mostly on spoons, but that's because that's what we generally run when fishing for Steelies.

I also said that there are times when we can't find any stained water, and we are forced to fish in the clean. In those situations, I go very natural and fish my boards really far from the boat. We can usually scratch out a few doing that.

I also mentioned low light conditions. This could be early or late, or even just dark dreary days. That said, on most days, if I have the choice to fish muddy, clear or stained, I will always try the stained water first and it rarely ever fails.

Example: Last year over by Fermi, we were marking fish like crazy, but we could not buy a bite. A few junk fish here and there, but no walleyes. With all of the marks I was seeing, it was hard to leave, however, the water was just too clean for my liking. I decided to pull lines and run South. After a few miles, I could see the color changing. I told my crew that we were about to catch them. There was zero doubt in my mind based on the water color. I went a couple miles into the greenish water and set up. Within a couple minutes we had a 4 lb'er on and it never stopped the rest of the day. That was just one example of many over the 40+ years I have been fishing this system.

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This was exactly my point. There are a lot of factors involved in determining when and where to fish, and we could discuss determining factors until we are blue in the face. Your thread is a very good piece of info for a newbie to store away. If you have been pulling cranks that long, I'm sure you must remember pre quagga/zebra muscle days. When the lake was quiet, it all had the perfect stain. Best bite was midday.

The good news is if you can find that perfect color mid-day still rocks! The photos in my original article were all taken mid-day and it got better as the day went on.

Nice article, and appreciate you sharing the alternative satellite imagery site!

We were fishing west of the islands last year late March on the first day of our trip, and the water was definitely too dirty. We only had a couple hours to fish and marking plenty so hung with it. What surprised me was how good the late evening bite became in that dirty water. If memory recalls we ended with 8, and many came off a black and gold deep husky jerk. Guess it just had the right contrast in that muddy water. Having said that I won't intentionally seek out that type of water. Definitely prefer the chalky green as described.

Have heard similar success early in season catching later in the day.Think the sun warms up that dirty water near the surface and makes the fish more active.I will have to start using that website Slimshady recommended too, regarding using satellite photos and GPS position to find the preferred water color.

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Originally Posted by rcolson29

Nice article, and appreciate you sharing the alternative satellite imagery site!

We were fishing west of the islands last year late March on the first day of our trip, and the water was definitely too dirty. We only had a couple hours to fish and marking plenty so hung with it. What surprised me was how good the late evening bite became in that dirty water. If memory recalls we ended with 8, and many came off a black and gold deep husky jerk. Guess it just had the right contrast in that muddy water. Having said that I won't intentionally seek out that type of water. Definitely prefer the chalky green as described.

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Thanks. When it comes to "dirty water" there are also levels within that category. I have done well in water that looked dirty to the eyes, but I could still see my prop. Here's a photo of water that was "dirty", yet we still caught some and I could still see my prop.

Attachment 7591

The other scenario when you can sometimes catch lots of walleyes in water that would normally be considered "too-dirty" is in the spring when you get warm surface water being pushed into shore by wind. Especially in the afternoon. I have seen times when the main lake might be 38-39 degrees, but the water near-shore with wind blowing in might be 8-10 degrees warmer than that. The baitfish will stack up in the warm water and the walleyes will follow, and they will sometimes be up in water less than 10 feet deep. As I mentioned, for this to happen, it requires wind to be blowing towards shore. The harder it blows and the longer it does that, the more the warm water stacks up. Unfortunately, the waves can also get pretty nasty in those areas, so it isn't the most comfortable situation to fish.

All good stuff. I’ll throw one last thing in… Throw a fish hawk or depth raider down to the depth you mark (and get bit)most fish then just target those temps as best you can. Killed them last April doing that. Never really paid too much attention to anything else.

Last week of March is the trip this year for the Crooked Hook. I can’t wait! February and March have got to be the slowest months of the year!!!

Thanks to everyone for the great reading!

Another thing I mention on this site once or twice a year when I give a "scuba diving" response to questions posted on here. The surface water visibility is not always an indication of the visibility of the rest of the water column.

I'm seen a variety of conditions while scuba diving the Lake. I've seen clear surface water (15 foot+ vis) that turned to 6-8 foot mid depth and was only 3-4 near the bottom. I've seen surface vis at 6-8 that cleared up to 12+ mid depth and near the bottom. I've seen 4-5 vis at the surface and 10+ at the bottom. 6-8 at the surface, 4-6 mid-depth, and near zero at the bottom. And consistent visibility from surface to bottom. There is a lot of variety throughout the season and location.

Remember that surface visibility is not always a tell tale of what the rest of the water column visibility is.

That being said, if you can link surface visibility to catch success, then there is a connection and that helps put walleye in the box.

Like Coho we watch our Fish Hawk for temp changes. Surface temp is good most of the time in the Spring. We also have found the wind pushing warm waters, bait, and fish shallow. But the Fish Hawk helps when the opposite occurs also (even more so). That is a cold wind can chill the surface temps but there is a band of warm water between the top and the colder bottom.

Like has been said many times, trust your electronics, this includes temp gauges. It is amazing what the newer stuff does. I sometimes feel like I am on a floating computer. It takes study and experience but the new electronics really work. They can't catch fish but they can give you an edge!

BTW if you follow the warmer water shallow, don't be surprised if you pick up some Brown Leapers. Some still consider them trash, but times sure have changed in that regard. We look at them as bonuses. We always catch several Fish Ohio smallies every March when we chase the warm water and Walleye shallow.

Great topic/discussion thank you!
My question may be related to color and temp.
In the central basin, open water, warm season fishing, I have noticed that the walleye seem to scatter after big storms roll though.
Seems to me, although I don’t fish enough consecutive days, that it takes a few days before the schools regroup and sometimes they have moved some distance.
I was curious what others thought or observed was happening in this period?

We definitely have seen the same thing.
I always thought it was because the storm scattered the baitfish and the Walleye had no bait balls to school under. So they spread out chasing the smaller pods of bait.

I too am curios what others think.

Yeah,after a big wind event the bite does slow down or shut off completely.Where we fish mostly in western basin where water is shallower I believe the biggest reason is water clarity.The direction and length of the blow definitely have an effect on how dirty and how long till the fishing gets good again.After a prolonged NE blow of 3 days,the fishing could be poor for a week at times.
We don't really fish much in the central basin and those winds/storms don't affect the water clarity as much,but the bite slows down there too.Could be the low barometric pressure.But sure other factors affect fishing in that deeper water.Would be interested on opinions of guys that fish in the central or eastern part of our lake.

A little more input to this topic. This info comes from both research and what the pro walleye fisherfolks are now saying. I got some of this info from the seminars at last weekend's Columbus Fishing Expo.

Color is not as important as people think. It was, on one pros and a fish behavior researcher's list, the last one of five factors involved in both how to catch walleye and how predator fish find prey. Fish don't see color like we do. Color pattern, or light and dark contrasts, are often more important than the colors themselves. Such as a striped or blotched pattern. So on a day where you have say an orange and chrome or white crank bait / stick bait catching more walleye, it may not be the colors but the pattern of the colors that is attracting the fish. If the bait is painted with stripes, then try other baits with stripes, not just the came colors.

We are finding out so much more about the science of fish, and here walleye on Lake Erie, every year. There is a huge amount of data being collected from all kinds of sources. I plan to start putting some of this data, and how to make sense of it, on my Lake Erie web site starting this spring. Right now there is no place to get this information all in one place.

As far as where the fish go after a big wind event ("big blow"), I'll be looking into that this season with my underwater camera project. I hope to have some real answers starting mid-summer and certainly by the end of the 2022 season.

West

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Originally Posted by West Basin

A little more input to this topic. This info comes from both research and what the pro walleye fisherfolks are now saying. I got some of this info from the seminars at last weekend's Columbus Fishing Expo.

Color is not as important as people think. It was, on one pros and a fish behavior researcher's list, the last one of five factors involved in both how to catch walleye and how predator fish find prey. Fish don't see color like we do. Color pattern, or light and dark contrasts, are often more important than the colors themselves. Such as a striped or blotched pattern. So on a day where you have say an orange and chrome or white crank bait / stick bait catching more walleye, it may not be the colors but the pattern of the colors that is attracting the fish. If the bait is painted with stripes, then try other baits with stripes, not just the came colors.

We are finding out so much more about the science of fish, and here walleye on Lake Erie, every year. There is a huge amount of data being collected from all kinds of sources. I plan to start putting some of this data, and how to make sense of it, on my Lake Erie web site starting this spring. Right now there is no place to get this information all in one place.

As far as where the fish go after a big wind event ("big blow"), I'll be looking into that this season with my underwater camera project. I hope to have some real answers starting mid-summer and certainly by the end of the 2022 season.

West

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I think you missed the point of the article. It was not about the color of the crankbaits. It was about the color of the water. I mentioned which types of patterns tend to work better in each type of water color, but those are broad categories, with many different colors of baits that work well in each situation. Just wanted to clarify that point.

I wondered when someone would point that out. :)

Yes, I did focus on how color changes with depth. I forgot to add how water clairy effects color. It does. I don't have the info at hand, but there is a "chart" that tells what colors are better in different clarities / colors of water. I do remember that fish don't see greens and blues very well in algae filled water, so when there is an algae bloom in Lake Erie, lures wtth a lot of green and blue don't show up well. Or, fish don't see them very well, at least the colors on the lure. Assuming the lure is at a depth where the algae is present in significant enough concentrations.

If I remember I'll find that "chart" and put the info here.

I remember seeing a post that had a chart on what colors fish see based on water clarity.I think I remember that red and purple work best in dirty water.But would be great if you could find and post it.

You need light for color to show up. For those who dive you will see that some colors fade faster the deeper you dive (deeper means less light). Red seems the first to go for people, it quickly looks brown.

That said fish and people have different eyes and see colors differently, so I too would like to see a chart of what colors Walleye see best and worse.

Also, the dirtier/muddy the water the less light so it also effects colors as mentioned earlier in this thread.

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Originally Posted by itsbob

I remember seeing a post that had a chart on what colors fish see based on water clarity.I think I remember that red and purple work best in dirty water.But would be great if you could find and post it.

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Not sure how to attach files, but recall In-Fisherman magazine article quite awhile back on color spectrum and which colors walleye see best. Orange Red Green in that order were best. Google In-Fisherman article for colors walleye see best & think you'll find some reference. Come springtime jigging, I catch most of my fish on dark purple and black jigs though.