How to deal with murky water while rockfishing

Hey everyone, I bought a kayak last fall and have been hooked on kayak fishing ever since.  I've taken my 'yak out of Trinidad a couple times this spring for rockfish.  The first time was great, lots of fish.  The water visibility wasn't too great, maybe 3 feet, but it didn't seem to matter.  Fast forward to the following day, and the visibility was down to maybe 1 foot.  There was some sort of algae bloom going on, and it was difficult to buy a bite on my usual plastics.  I was mostly using darker-colored plastics because that was what was working the day before, but I could only scratch up a few fish.

How do you guys tackle murky water when rockfishing?  Bright-colored jigs?  Bait?  Or is it mostly a lost cause?  Thanks for any input!

The bite is tough when the viz gets bad - sometimes bait helps, sometimes not.  Probably best to just wait for those nice days, but, then again, there's only a chance for a big one if your hook is in the water - no matter what the conditions.  Good luck.   

Good question Chris. I am dying to know also. That was the condition that we had
up Shelter Cove the other week. The visibility wasn't all that great.

Jedmo

bait/scent. I also think you gotta really make some noise or vibration with the jig. Bang it real hard on the bottom structure.

bait/scent. I also think you gotta really make some noise or vibration with the jig. Bang it real hard on the bottom structure.

^^

Thanks guys, I'll load up my jigs with smelly stuff next time the water's cloudy and hope for the best.

Black Ab--your videos on YouTube are awesome dude!  Your Lost Coast vids helped inspire me to buy a kayak 

Chris!! So happy to see you as part of this awesome community of crazed kayak fishermen lol Welcome my brother!!

I gotta admit, everyone has been so generous with their advices, as well as being very supportive. Thank you all again and I look forward to joining you all on the waters soon.

- Daniel

I fish Trinidad alot and have yet to find anything other than persistence as a pay off when murky. I have my spots that i know usually hold fish and i just keep at it till i hook up. I do however like to switch to white rubber when murky. The fish are there you just gotta work harder to get em.

6-8" white swimbait, twin tail or grub. Chartreuse would be my second choice. Slow pesentation.

Just follow Black Ab when he's trolling for salmon!!! when he hooks up drop right nxt to him and BAMB BABY!!!...j/k...NOT....

But seriously if u put it right in front of their face, guess what!!!  FISHON!!!  and probably cover more ground, for sure!!!  FF really helps...structure!!!

Have fun and Be Safe!!!

Use shiny jigs, and tip with squid.  Squid seems to help always.  Gets some scent in the water and allows a little extra movement.  Make it hit the bottom and use braid as you can feel hits that you would miss otherwise.  Use a thin wire hook that you can bend and you may not lose as much gear.  Just set the drag for less than the bending of hook and you will not lose fish.  And sometimes, the fish may not want to bite if an alge bloom.  But krill can color the water also, and the fish may just be stuffed.  Then some movement will get a reaction bite.

Slow-down your presentation, shorten your leaders, apply scent/tip with bait, and swap out the dark plastics for lighter colors like white, clear, glow [or brighter/shinier if using metal]. But honestly, rockfish aren't real picky and only rely on sight for a small portion of their feeding habits...they appear to key on scent, vibration, and movement just as much.