Reading water color for more crankbait walleyes

[slimshady]

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!

[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.

[slimshady]

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.

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.

[slimshady]

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

[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.

[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.

[slimshady]

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.

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:



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

[slimshady]

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.

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.

[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

[slimshady]

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