Love That Dirty Water

Growing up in Boston, the song from the Standells wrings in my head eliciting fond memories of the smell of sausage and pepper stands outside of Fenway park. I’m sure; however, when folks see stained and turbid water, they aren’t exactly thrilled.

Our time on the water is precious. I’m not exactly one to pack it in and go home if the conditions aren’t right. I adapt to the conditions. High, off colored water is something we experience often. So unless you’re going to take a bunch of scenery pictures, you got to learn how to fish it.

The adjustment I make has to do with fly selection. Forget about your dries, unlikely to happen. The fish needs to see your fly. If you have less than 6” of water clarity, your chances aren’t good. These conditions call for large flies that will cast a good silhouette.

The colors I like are black, brown, dark olive and sometime peacock does well. If you’re fishing nymphs, you want to go large. I’ll frequently throw size 10’s. A bit of flash and rubber legs are a good thing too. You first job is to get the fish to see it, you second job is to get the fish to think it’s food. If the fish doesn’t see it, nothing else matters.

Don’t be afraid of weight either. Dirty water and swift water often go hand in hand. I have to say, my go to in dirty water is the streamer game. You can cover a lot of water, nicely size up, and attract big fish. Same color preferences apply.

Fish deep. If the water is swift, the trout will be avoiding the current. Also, for an added twist, I’ll actually put a dropper on my streamer, like a lightning bug. You’d be amazed how my fish this catches. As always, pack in, pack it out. Tight lines my fishing friends