Mon, Feb 26 - Dam Fishing Jerkbaits
Arrived at dam shortly before dusk.
First thing I did was temp the surface of the water, came in at 38.8°.
I started on the dam about a quarter of the way from the NE corner of N1 cove and the dam... working my way toward the dam. The wind was blowing directly at me 3/4 of the time, the other 1/4 being complete calm (wind picked up again after dark before leaving).
I was casting out suspending jerkbaits on 8lb fleuro and working them extremely slowly. An hour or so in I realized that I probably needed to jerk them pretty hard a few times immediately after casting so they could get down in depth. They otherwise aren't really getting down to depth except for the occasional jerk driving them down as part of my normal retrieve. Not clear optimal strategy here.
My retrieves were extremely slow and pauses excruciatingly long. I have just begun to throw jerkbaits this month, with my understanding of them coming from articles and youtube vids. I tried a few different cadences, some
slower than excruciating (15 count) and some a touch less.
I temped the water again for consistency a couple hrs after arriving. Came in at 38.5°. The North Shore Marina reports water temps at 37° calling there this morning.
I ended at about 8:30 having not quite reached the dam. The moon was quite bright at 85%, especially after a few early clouds passed.
Final Tally:
Walleye: 0
Snagged/Lost Rapalas: 1
After deciding to pack it in and make the long, frustrating walk back I was surprised to see some folks arriving as I was leaving. When I reached the parking area two more vehicles pulled in as I was putting my gear away. I can't help but think I may have been a little early.
Here is the color and clarity of the water.
Here are some questions I have:
-Is this what they call "coffee colored" or "lightly stained"? It seems quite a bit clearer than most of the water looked last year when I started fishing.
-Given the water color, what are going to be ideal colors to throw? I was tossing:
-Rapala husky jerk 1/4oz color: Silver (HJ08 S), depth 4-6 ft
-Berkley Cutter 110, color: Table Rock, 9/16oz, depth 3-6 ft
-Rapala husky jerk 3/8oz, color: Glass Purple Sunfire (HJ10 GPSF) depth 4-8 ft (this is the one I snagged and lost)
These 3 jerkbaits comprise 3/5 of my jerkbaits (now 1/2). I want to pick up a couple more but would like to make sure I'm getting the right colors for the right conditions.
-Is a later start (in good moonlight conditions) more ideal?
-What do these water temperatures mean? It would seem to me they are still quite cold yet the consensus seems to be this is indeed prespawn time. Am I wasting my time right now? Or am I in need of some modifications and continued persistence?
Any feedback greatly appreciated.