Being Stealthy

[Mobasser]

Eight years ago, I began fishing an old rock quarry lake. It's become my favorite place to fish. The water is very clear in this lake. Prior to this I fished a much larger lake with plenty of boat traffic and noise. It took me two seasons of trial and error( mostly error), to learn to fish this clear water.                 Here's my observations:       1. Make longer cast, and stay back from the fish.              2. Try not to approach close enough to flip or pitch to any shallow fish here, you'll probably put them down.                                             3. Avoid putting a shadow over these fish, at any depth.                                            4. Generally, smaller baits and lighter lines work best. I've watched bass turn away from large flashy spinnerbaits here.                          5. Try to avoid loud talking, or dropping things in the boat.                                         6. Topwater baits, especially moving top waters, can be great at times. The Zara Spook is my favorite, a white buzzbait second.                                            To sum up here, I've learned that clear water bass can be caught consistently, but, they can be unforgiving at times. They become very tuned in to they're surroundings, and a stealthy approach is always needed. I'm still learning how to best fish the gin clear water.      If you fish clear water, what are some things that have worked well for you?

[Pat Brown]

I've learned that the wisest bass in the clearest water will always hit a frog once in a while.  🐸🐸🐸🐸 

 

But basically - everything you say - I completely agree with.  Distance and not making any shadow or noise or vibrations is huge.  In the stillness of the morning I have even yawned and seen big fish swim away just from the sound of me exhaling.

 

People don't get how quiet and still you gotta actually be if you want a big one.

[gim]

If you're in a boat, back off with the main outboard further away.  Don't just cruise up to the spot you intend to fish.  I learned my lesson doing that one spring crappie fishing shallow water.  I could see all the fish scatter.

[padlin]

Most of what you mention I do all the time, the only difference being I try harder at being stealthy spring and late fall when the weeds die back and the water even clearer then summer.

[Swamp Girl]

53 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

1. Make longer cast, and stay back from the fish. 

 

This is why I'm reluctant to switch to baitcasting outfits. My spinning reels heave like Josh Allen and I have caught so many bass at the very ends of my longest casts.

 

54 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

5. Try to avoid loud talking, or dropping things in the boat.

 

I wince whenever I bump my canoe. I try to be slow and deliberate in my little boat.

 

51 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

 

People don't get how quiet and still you gotta actually be if you want a big one.

 

I soooo agree. I am a consistent bass angler because I am quiet and paddle well. I launch from a pal's camp at the pond I fished yesterday morning. His family has owned the camp for five or six generations and he said that he's never heard of anyone catching what I catch there.

 

"To be frank," he admitted, "when you told me what you caught, I didn't believe you. Then my son and grandson went fishing with you and they came back saying, 'Yeah, she really did catch 40.'"

 

And I put my pal's grandson on his biggest bass ever, all from this past June, three PBs, one after the other.

 

 

I put the kid in the bow and ease him up a choice spot (good paddling) and tell him to "Wait for it. Wait for it." until he has the perfect position to cast and then I whisper, "Now." And then the water erupts. And that all came from being sneaky...and patient.

[Pat Brown]

@Swamp Girl - One thing I don't often see mentioned in these threads about stealth is actually making quiet casts - this is an area that I think that baitcasters beat spinning rods every time.  I am able to consciously slow the bait down as it's entering the water with my thumb and the tip of the rod and essentially eliminate all noise and splash from presentations that are close by.  Oftentimes I get bigger fish making short pitches and flips and close range casts to targets that basically don't make any noise when they enter the water.  Sometimes distance is the deal but sometimes gentle presentations nearby work just as well or even better and oftentimes. You'll catch more big fish out of an area if you pick the area apart with little quiet casts because you'll catch each big fish that would have been scared by the one at the end of the long cast as you fought the fish in.

 

There are times of year where a quiet and close to zero splash presentation 15 or 20 ft from my boat or where I'm standing is the most important thing and I feel like the splash of the bait regardless of how far I'm making the cast is more what alerts them.

 

I'm not saying that this cannot be achieved with a spinning rod. I'm just saying that I can be much more accurate and consistent with a baitcaster when I'm doing this kind of fishing.

[A-Jay]

The biggest brown bass I catch,

quantify my level of stealth. 

IMO, stealth comes in many forms.

But fish size is often directly related to my own version of it.

I will always take the long hard road, because everyone else I see, does not.

YMMV

A-Jay

[Bankbeater]

There are a lot of good points mentioned above.  Many of the clear lakes I fish around here have matted vegetation growing in them, or are partially choked on the surface. 

If the mats are large enough, and I'm in a boat, I will cut the motor as I'm approaching the mat and try to get on top of it, so it helps hide me from the fish below.  Sometimes a paddle or a good set of oars will be crucial to get back out into the open water.

If the mat is thick enough and I'm fishing a weedless bait, I'll cast the bait on top, let it sit for a few seconds, and then drag the bait slowly off the mat so it falls over the side.

[Swamp Girl]

On 10/10/2024 at 10:34 AM, Pat Brown said:

@Swamp Girl - One thing I don't often see mentioned in these threads about stealth is actually making quiet casts - this is an area that I think that baitcasters beat spinning rods every time.  I am able to consciously slow the bait down as it's entering the water with my thumb and the tip of the rod and essentially eliminate all noise and splash from presentations that are close by.  Oftentimes I get bigger fish making short pitches and flips and close range casts to targets that basically don't make any noise when they enter the water.  Sometimes distance is the deal but sometimes gentle presentations nearby work just as well or even better and oftentimes. You'll catch more big fish out of an area if you pick the area apart with little quiet casts because you'll catch each big fish that would have been scared by the one at the end of the long cast as you fought the fish in.

 

There are times of year where a quiet and close to zero splash presentation 15 or 20 ft from my boat or where I'm standing is the most important thing and I feel like the splash of the bait regardless of how far I'm making the cast is more what alerts them.

 

I'm not saying that this cannot be achieved with a spinning rod. I'm just saying that I can be much more accurate and consistent with a baitcaster when I'm doing this kind of fishing.

 

Pat, I can't argue with any of what you wrote. First off, you know baitcasters better than me and I do absolutely agree that landing a lure softly on the water is vital. I have some success being attentive to the angle of my release. Like you, I want my lure to land like an Olympic high diver entering the water. 

 

[Susky River Rat]

I am as stealthy as a bull in a China shop wearing bells.

[TnRiver46]

47 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

I am as stealthy as a bull in a China shop wearing bells.

Hard to be stealthy in a jet! I can hear them coming from at least 4 river bends away 

[Fyrewulf]

If worst comes to worst, I've learned that there's hardly a bass around that won't take a Senkos on almost any line.

[Susky River Rat]

@TnRiver46 you ain’t kidding 😂😂

[Zcoker]

I buy in to the quiet thing but I’ve caught some awfully big bass in the most noisiest situations imaginable. Heck, I once caught a 7 pounder while bumping around in the kayak while talking on the phone. Moreover, my bait was hanging over the side with my rod loose. Fish just came up and snatched the bait. I’ve also caught trophy sized fish right in the middle of a busy ski boat lane. Many such situations where noise made not the slightest difference! Go figure. 

[Zcoker]

The word quiet can also be replaced with the word disguise. Things that disguise are things like wind, rain, water clarity, obstructions…anything, really, that masks the fisherman. That’s why night fishing is so great because the cover of darkness disguises the fisherman along with his fake baits. 

[2tall79]

If you want to learn more about the value of stealth in bass fishing, read anything by Doug Hannon.  He pretty much invented it.

[Spankey]

I try to take that approach most times but our lack of rain for months has both the river and lake very clear. Clearer than usual. I agree with your approach. 
I’m in the soft plastics state of mind. Have been for quite awhile now. Lake fishing I have not caught a bass in real shallow water for weeks. The bite has been from 13-18 feet of water. Lake is much deeper than that but I’m not sure if I can lure fish in water that deep. 
Good fishing. 

[Swamp Girl]

3 hours ago, Zcoker said:

The word quiet can also be replaced with the word disguise. Things that disguise are things like wind, rain, water clarity, obstructions…anything, really, that masks the fisherman. That’s why night fishing is so great because the cover of darkness disguises the fisherman along with his fake baits. 

 

Agreed, which is why I like to launch in fog, in the rain, and in the dark. I'll take any help I can find.

[Catt]

I always approach my intended target from casting distance. 

 

With FFS & Side Scan I no longer have to pass over structure to find where the fish are located. 

 

As for a quiet entry, one reason I don't peg my bullet weight is I wanna raise a little hell especially in grass.