8 replies to this topic

[Bulldarter]

Hey guys, so fresh off of my first microfish today, I found a nearby stream that I have not explored that has some new species for me to check out. But there is one issue. As I type this, and throughout the night, it is raining/going to rain. I expect this to make the water fairly cloudy and it will be pretty windy, so is it even worth trying to fish tomorrow, or should I wait until next weekend?

[Betta132]

Depends on what you're after, if your rod is light enough for you to feel the fish pull, and if there's a reasonably sheltered spot where your lure won't just fly off every time you try to cast.

[Bulldarter]

My rod is light enough, but generally I think of sight as being a big part of microfishing, would clarity hinder my ability to find the fish?

[Matt DeLaVega]

Yes. Takes the lightest of rods to feel a darter, if you even can. takes shallow water and sight for me, and I have an ultra sensitive rod. I am not at a point with it that I would spend time in murky water. I use flies though. Short hook set time compared to natural bait. Natural bait may give you an advantage over me.

[MtFallsTodd]

When the water is murky I skip the rod and reel and use a simple hand line. This lets me feel the lightest bites.

[gzeiger]

I would never use a reel for microfishing anyway. Phragmites reeds with the line just tied on seem perfect for darters.

[Betta132]

Get a good flexible reed and you can feel even .75" minnows biting. Tie the line to the base so you can keep a finger on it, then loop it around the tip to get it further out. Works great.

[gzeiger]

That's a good idea to run the line back. I hadn't tried that.

[Matt DeLaVega]

The hand lining makes the most sense here to me. If the water is murky, you are not going to scare fish too easily. So stand right there with them. I think Todd has a pretty good plan for those conditions.

 

 Like the reed idea a bit as well. I think I would go a step further though, and attach a guide to the tip of the reed. Take a pair of dikes(side cutters) whatever you want to call them and cut a safety pin up to make a guide(using the looped end) that you can stick into your reed tip. Then attach your line to the base. Hold line with fingers to feel the lightest takes. Works perfectly. In theory anyway, have not tried it. Benefit of hand lining, but with a bit more reach.