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03/14/2001
- Article
Here’s
‘eyes in your mud
Rick Olson
Mudlines
are often the key to successful reservoir angling, but unfortunately
for many anglers, the how’s and where’s are as clear as mud.
Veteran reservoir anglers know all too well that mudlines are the
place to be when things are right, but as barren as the Mohave
Dessert when they’re not. The following should help clear things
up, and give you the confidence to start getting your share of mud
running walleyes.
 So
what’s the big attraction? Well, walleyes probably have no special
affinity for the muddy water itself, but rather the various feeding
opportunities it can provide. Muddy water attracts baitfish, and is
the real drawing card for hungry ’eyes. It also creates an
environment of limited visibility, and is a condition where walleyes
can do extremely well. The mudline itself creates an ambush point,
and a high percentage spot for contacting active fish.
Proverbial
mudlines develop when wind and waves crash into a shoreline, or
across a flat, and stir up sediment. The “mudline” is the area
where dark water meets clear. Wave action creates current, and can
carry sediment twenty yards or more off shore, depending on how
severe the conditions are. Wind blown points can make for classic
mudlines, and are relatively easy to distinguish. You can actually
see the distinct color change, and is an area where you should
concentrate your efforts, providing there is accompanying structure.
A mudline without an underwater point, break, or flat, really
isn’t worth much. However, if you can combine the two, you may
really have something.
Mudlines
can range in size from tight little pockets holding downwind of
point, to quarter mile long stretches of shorelines, depending on
the conditions. Little pockets of mud are easy to pinpoint, and can
be worked rather quickly. Casting shad raps, or pitching jigs tipped
with a minnow or crawler, will let you know if anybody’s home, in
short order. Although the edge of a mudline is a good place to
start, don’t be afraid to get right into the middle of it.
Depending on how bad things are getting stirred up, walleyes can be
found from the edge, to almost on shore.
If
you don’t contact fish in your first attempt, don’t give up.
When mudline fish get active, they’ll often move in, fill up, and
head out. If you’re there when they’re going, the action can get
pretty intense. If you just missed it, you can come up empty handed.
Also, if one point and accompanying mudline doesn’t produce,
don’t dismiss the rest. One point in ten may hold the biters, and
they all have to be checked out to know for sure.
Long
stretches of mud can may be more efficiently worked by trolling,
rather than casting. Trolling keeps the bait in the water, where it
belongs, longer than any other method. Crankbaits, and bouncer
spinner combinations, are top producers for trolling mud. Look for
crankbaits to be effective from early in the season, right up until
the very end. Good picks include the Shad Rap, Jr. Thunderstick, and
a new entry: the Normark Tail Dancer. They have what it takes, and
are available in models that can cover the shallow water zone.
Spinners,
on the other hand, become more effective after water temps pop into
the upper fifties, and beyond. A hot new spinner that has proven to
be extremely effective is the Stobe, from Blue Fox. It has a unique
wire shaft, and is absent the usual monofilament leader. Users of
the Strobe tie in their own leader, which gives them much more
flexibility, and allows for adaptation to changing conditions.
Although
a little mud is a good thing, a lot of mud can be much too much.
When mother nature let’s go with both barrels, things can quickly
get out of hand. Hard pounding waves can turn an area into solid
mud, and may shut the action down completely. Reduced visibility can
be turned into zero visibility overnight, and is a situation that
you’ll want to avoid. To find what you may have lost, look upwind,
(like directly above a wind blown point), for clearer water.
Walleyes will pile into said areas, and can help narrow down your
search rather quickly.
If
a big wind renders a good area completely un-fishable, don’t be
afraid to go back after things settle down. As water clarity begins
to improve, walleyes can be expected to move into these areas in
droves, to take advantage of ideal feeding conditions.
Determining
good mud from bad takes a scientific approach and a thorough
analysis: If you can still make out your prop, you should be OK. If
you can’t, better make a move to an area where you can. That
doesn’t mean you have to see the prop clearly, just enough to know
that it’s still there.
So
how do you now when to head for the mud? The answer is rather easy:
If there’s a mudline you better check it out. From early spring to
late fall, mudlines can attract and hold active fish. The key word
being “active”. Walleyes move to the mud for one reason and one
reason alone, and that’s to chow down. If a mudline develops, and
there are walleyes present, you can bet they’re munching on
something.
Rick
Olson
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