The continuing rains hitting Indiana has repeatedly brought rivers to flood stage and crested streams far out of their banks. The rains have brought high, muddy water, hard to fish and often nonproductive. If a mess of panfish is the intended target, there is a need to hunt for clearer water to fish.

As the high waters recede, it is best to think small. Farm ponds are number one, especially those isolated from heavy runoff, as they are the best bet to find good water clarity. Add to the list the smaller streams and rivers – they quickly clear as the water recedes and reaches more normal levels.

Natural lakes and larger manmade impounds are excellent. Depending upon the amount of in-flow from feeder streams and runoff, the large bodies of water usually have some clarity downstream. Usually, the water closer to the dam will be clearer.
The clearest water found in large lakes and impounds will be the spillway and river downstream of the dam or overflow. The area downstream of a clear-water discharge can be unfishable if there is too much water being released. Always remember: Safety first.

If tightening the line on a bass or two is the intent, muddy water can be surprisingly productive. Favored baits are those producing a lot of water displacement and creating sound the bass can pinpoint.
One of my earliest experiences with topwater baits was using a hula-popper or jitterbug in muddy water, or using the baits in the dark. If the water is murky and muddy for a prolonged period, bass can find it difficult to find forage and will begin to strike aggressively at sound and wave action created by “noisy baits.”

The consistent plunk, plunk, plunk of a hula-popper or the gurgling sound of a jitterbug chugging across the surface of a muddy river can bring hard strikes from big smallmouth.

An old favorite bait for muddy and deeply stained water is the spinnerbait. They come in all sizes, from oversize monstrosities for largemouth bass to petite “beetle spins” for crappie.

The design of a spinnerbait displaces enough water and creates enough vibration to allow predator fish to locate and strike.
One of my most productive day’s crappie fishing was pitching a small white beetlespin suspended three feet deep under a bobber. The water was extremely muddy and turbid, but a slow, steady retrieve interspersed with an ever-so-slight jigging of the rod brought a fish almost every cast.

Muddy water also gives a fisherman a daytime opportunity to kick back and drown a few worms in hopes of catching a few yellowbellies or mudcats. A lot of my boyhood was spent along Big Flatrock River watching a bank set rod for the telltale signs of a yellowbelly catfish trying to make off with my bait.

The small catfish are easy to catch and excellent table fare when rolled in a cornmeal batter and slowly fried to a golden brown in a cast iron skillet.

Shad control for Lake Everett

The fish toxicant rotenone will be applied to Lake Everett this fall to reduce the number of gizzard shad, based on results of a fish population survey by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division of Fish and Wildlife at the 43-acre lake in northwestern Allen County.

Gizzard shad – which, where abundant, can harm fishing for bluegills and other sport fish by out-competing them for food and space – ranked first in the total number of fish caught during the survey, which was conducted the week of June 6. Biologists caught 234 shad, (137 during electrofishing, 29 in gill nets and 68 in trap nets) measuring 9-17 inches long during the survey. Most of the shad were 12-16 inches long.

“We haven’t seen any significant decline in the number of shad since they got into Lake Everett in the 1990s,” said Jed Pearson, DNR fisheries biologist. “Unless we try to knock them down with rotenone, they will continue to dominate the lake and hurt fishing.”
Initial plans for the project were outlined at a public meeting in February. Local residents have volunteered to help with cleanup of the dead shad.

The DNR plans to apply about 15 gallons of rotenone to the lake in mid-September. The tentative date for application is Sept. 18.
By applying rotenone at a low concentration, biologists can selectively target gizzard shad without significantly affecting other fish.

“The rotenone may inadvertently harm a few bass and other small sport fish, but we plan to restock 4,300 bass fingerlings later on,” Pearson said.

Once shad numbers are reduced, Pearson said he hopes bass and other predator fish can prevent them from rebounding to nuisance levels. He said bass feed heavily on small shad but can’t eat those growing 10 inches or more.

“We’ll never get rid of all the shad, but if we can control 80 to 90 percent of them, that should help,” he said. “After we apply the rotenone, we’ll do another survey to measure the effectiveness of the project.”

Biologists suspect gizzard shad got into Lake Everett from downstream. Shad are known to occur naturally within the Eel River watershed. Pearson said at some point, conditions were right for the shad to enter and reproduce in the lake, even though a small barrier is present in the outlet.

To reduce the chances of shad getting back into the lake after the treatment, the DNR also considered treating a privately owned pond immediately downstream of the lake. The option was ruled out because nothing would prevent shad there from reentering the pond.