Fishing high, muddy conditions on the NSR?

[Appletree]

With the NSR high and muddy as it is right now, I was wondering how you more experienced folks fish it under these conditions. Do you have any tricks for dealing with the high flow and low visibility, or does everyone just wait it out until the river clears?

[Alberta Bigbore]

creek mouths, outflows, etc etc. Best color ive found is a black or other dark jig for walleye when its like this. Sometimes pure white even, depending on the depth of the location. Suckers/ and burbot will always still bite on a bait rig with a worm. Same as goldeye if you can find a good number of them or a pod swimming by, using a bobber or a slip float and a small lead head jig fished not to far below the surface. Tip it with a small minnow or a worm and you should be ok if you find them. But these conditions just plain suck :D

[wake]

When its high is one thing...
But right now its at full runoff level courtesy of rains in the rockies.You will have a pretty hard time catching much right now out of the NSR.
Park wardens are also trying to get people away from the banks until things calm down a bit.

If it gets really warm in the next week or so out west, the river will likely go to flood levels.

[FisherPotch]

The turbidity hasn't slown us down one bit! We fished All night on Sunday! I mean like 7pm sunday when buddy got off work to 10 am monday!!!!! Best fish were three eye's between 24 and 26. A 35 inch pike. And one mystery fish that was so hog it fell out my net. Literaly, Only half the fish fit in the net and when I attempted to scoop it fell back in the water spitting the hook simultainiously. I thought It was a mid to high 30's Pike. Fishing partner thought it was a Pig eye. It was pitch black and it all happend so quick, needless to say buddy was heart broken, but we kept on fishing and likely landed around that sweet triple didget mark for the night. All caught on an array of different weapons.:cool:

Found a heard of burbosity the other day too. Still havn't gotten into a good pack of goldeye though.

I'll give one pointer for the day. STINKY BAIT!!!! :sick: buy some worms, leave them in the sun for a day (or many days :sick: :sick: ), then go catch some fish. If they can't see it target there sence of smell. I'm sick and tired of the "It's blown out and unfishable" attitude. It ranks right up there with the bad luck excuse.

Fav quote "Luck is an excuss for bad fishing" :tongue2:

[wake]

Great potch,

I am just saying that beacause last time I went down to W.C to fish when the water was high I was told to stay away from the water by park wardens.

I am sure she is dandy, but I will have to go to my spot and hope I dont get bothered by the ''wardens''.

[FisherPotch]

Thats interesting. I wonder why they are trying to keep people off the banks. Anyone know?

[SNAPFisher]

They had the reason on the news. Because like cats some people are just too curious. I think some measure of intelligence might factor or sometimes just plain bad luck (wrong place wrong time). When it is high and fast you have a much lower chance of getting back safely.

So, they are doing that for our own good. I imagine most people that frequent this board are careful and wise to high water conditions.

[sirmike68]

They like to close down the boat launches too. Makes no sense, I would welcome an extra 3-4 ft of water to keep me off the rocks.

[FisherPotch]

Ya I wasn't sure weather it was for our safety or if it was for environmental reasons. So long as your not fjording the river I don't see it being a huge issue just gotta be smart about it.

I'm heading out tonight, it's my 24 so I'ma be fishing real late again. Tight lines folks! Keep it safe.

[FisherPotch]

Spent thursday night on NSR for like 4 hours. Was purdy slow with some pike on big jointed suspending crank before the sun went down. Five eye's all caught on pickeral rigs, some on worms and some on minnows. Best eye was 25 inches. Water was very high and murky. Tight lines.