senile1

Excellent points, Crestliner. When the show first started airing I was hoping it would be along those same lines. This could be one of the best if they would take it in that direction.

2000 Stratos 295 Pro Elite with 200 HP Evinrude

Cool. That's the first time since I've been here that I was the first to answer a poll. I have all three though the spincast reels are used mainly by my wife, kids, and grandchildren.

How long has the temperature been at 63 and what section of the lake is at this temperature? Has it been higher and dropped or did it just reach 63? I would suspect you will have spawners up shallow depending on how clear the water is, and you will have prespawners at the first dropoff or break, whatever depth that is. If your lake is rather clear the fish will spawn deeper and hang out deeper generally which may explain the 15 - 20 feet fish you are marking. (Also, are you sure these are bass?) Post-spawn fish can be shallow or at the first break depending upon how long it has been since they spawned and where their forage is located. Closer to the dam you will find cooler water and more prespawn fish. Further up the lake you will find warmer temperatures and some fish that have already finished spawning. We had a full moon about 11 or 12 days ago so if the temperature was around 63 then you probably had a bunch of fish come up to spawn.

Water temps are still ranging from 46 - 52. Nights have been in the 30s with some 20s now and then. Highs have been in the 50s with a 60 degree day thrown in now and then. That is all changing this week. Monday - lows in 30s, highs in 60s Tuesday - lows in 30s, highs in 60s Wednesday - lows in 40s, highs in 70s Thursday - lows in 50s, highs in low 80s Friday - lows might reach 60, highs in low 80s The water will be warming up but I've been dealing with this for a few weeks and I want to be prepared for the next late Spring. But for now, bring on the prespawn and spawn!

No, I don't fish the tournaments at Smithville. Then why in the hell would you choose that lake to figure out? I, quite often, work very long hours and this lake is the closest lake to me. When time is short you often don't have a choice. Besides, I like the challenge. There are other places I could go and catch fish for sure, but I believe this will help me become a better angler. And Smithville has some hogs. The winning team on Sunday had just over 20 lbs and big fish was over 8 lbs. Unfortunately, only two teams were able to get a limit and everybody else had 3 fish or less. Find the right place at the right time and you can catch some good fish here. I think it's worth the time.

No, I don't fish the tournaments at Smithville.

2000 Stratos 295 Pro Elite 2000 Evinrude 200 HP Ficht Minn Kota Maxxum 74 lb thrust Lowrance LMS 520Cs console and bow networked with GPS Renegade 4-blade prop Top speed - 68 mph @ 5800 rpm measured via GPS Length - 19' 6" Weight - 1575 lbs

Welcome! Since you are new to bass fishing I would suggest you click on the Fishing Articles Tab at the upper left and go to the "For Beginning Anglers" section as well as any other sections you find interesting. There is a plethora of information in these articles so dig in!!

Crestliner, that was my opinion also but this year's shows have improved. He recently did a couple of shows about fishing crankbaits and sight fishing for smallies during the spawn. Both of these shows provided some good information which had been lacking in earlier shows. I won't say this is the best fishing show but at times it has been worth watching.

Welcome, Todd!

Thanks for all the comments. You've all been very helpful.

Welcome, Brent!

Thanks, WRB. I'm in a boat using two LMS520C sonars. I have marked fish at the first break which is what I would see with normal clarity and I have caught some of these fish, but as I said it has been a struggle to get bites. Funny thing is the water is very muddy but the lake is still a half foot below normal pool. There has been a lot of run-off from the upper end of the lake and the siltation has actually caused problems at a ramp up there. It's too shallow to put larger boats in at that ramp. A few weeks ago they opened up the gates and ran a lot of water through to keep the lake near normal pool and it has been very muddy ever since. This is a 7200 acre lake and from the dam to the end of the riverine portion of the lake is about 16 miles so it drains a pretty good area. In addition to rain some of the main points of the lake have been washing away over the years and it is becoming an issue. They have started a project where they are placing rock around some of the points to protect them from further erosion. Even near the dam the visibility wasn't over 6 - 8 inches last Thursday.

As mentioned in the original post I am familiar with all of the axioms for fishing muddy water such as fishing shallow, fishing tight to cover, fishing bulky lures, and fishing dark or bright colors. What I'm trying to clarify is bass location in cold, muddy, late-winter to prespawn water. We all learn that fish tend to be shallow and tight to cover in really muddy water but when that water is at late winter to prespawn temperatures I'm trying to determine if the shallow water axiom still holds true in most cases. It would seem to me that none of the literature ever addresses this conundrum. In 46 - 50 degree water, under normal clarity conditions, I catch most of my fish in 6 - 12 feet of water at the first break or drop-off.

For those who are sure this is done, would you name some of the shows where it occurs? I believe it probably happens but I have no evidence to support my opinion.

Kent, the thought has crossed my mind to stay home but when you've got the itch you have to scratch it. I have other places to fish where my luck is better, but it's really become a goal of mine to crack Smithville's code in all the conditions I experience there since it is the closest lake to me. Thanks for the answers WRB. The baits you mentioned are pretty much what I've used. Spinnerbaits are a confidence bait for me and I have chartreuse, black, and black/red with single Colorado blades. I also use black worms with rattles and black jigs with rattles and bulky trailers. These normally work for me in muddy water but when the clarity is less that 6 inches it becomes a whole new ballgame. I have tried black buzzbaits as well but have had no luck with them which was actually part of the reason for the questions regarding whether the fish will be in shallow warm muddy water, or will they sometimes be in normal depths for early prespawn. It would seem to me that the buzzbait would only work if they were up shallow with the clarity of this water. Fishfordollars, you mention fishing the first drop out which is what I would be doing under these conditions if the water wasn't this muddy. Will the fish be at the first drop but tend to suspend shallower due to the mud?

Welcome, Tim!

Welcome to the forum!

The last two years Spring has arrived later than usual in my neck of the woods and it has forced me to fish the type of water that is my major weakness - cold, muddy water. Normally, bass are spawning by the second or third week of April here, but the last two years have been abnormally cool, and, currently, surface water temperatures are running around 46 - 50 degrees and visibility has been 3 - 6 inches on the lake that I fish the most. The weather has been unstable as well with a warm day followed by a few cold ones. There have been a few threads recently that covered the types of lures used in muddy water. I'm familiar with the rules of thumb for muddy water (i.e. the use of bulky lures that move water, the use of bright or dark colors and rattles, fish hold tight to cover, and bass tend to be shallow in muddy water), but I have some other thoughts about bass location under cold and muddy circumstances. (1) Will bass still tend to be shallow based on the muddy water rule of thumb when the water is this cold, or will they be deeper most of the time based on the season (i.e. late winter to early prespawn). Would you expect the bass to be shallow at all times due to the mud, or do they stay deeper as they would under normal clarity conditions and maybe only move up shallow on a very warm day? (2) Another rule of thumb states that light penetration is approximately 3 times the depth you can see your lure. If I can only see my lure down to 3 inches before it disappears, that rule of thumb would put light penetration at only 9 inches. Even if I stretch it a little and say the light penetration is 2 feet, if the bass are deeper they will never see the lure and will have to depend entirely on the senses of hearing, smell, and the lateral line. If the fish are deeper and only move up shallow occasionally, it would seem the best time to catch a fish is when they move up, but the rest of the time would be more difficult. (3) Finally, under cold, muddy conditions bass are usually not aggressive. I generally have to saturate the probable locations with casts to provoke a strike. It is imperative that I am fishing in the right locations most of the time or I'm going to waste a lot of time. This lake has a ton of structure/cover options that match the season so I already have a lot to sort through. The last two years, my fishing at this lake, during this season, and under these conditions has been a struggle. Any thoughts you can provide to clarify my thinking or to give me a new direction is appreciated. Fortunately, it looks like Spring is truly arriving this week with consistent temperatures. The water temps should be moving up soon.

Ah yes . . . another debate about George Perry's fish . . . I think we have a couple of these threads a year but this one is the best one yet. Obviously, there is room for doubt, but some people would doubt the record no matter what Mr. Perry did to prove it at the time. We have to accept that he met the standards for the time period and he holds the record. (And it was definitely within the realm of possibility to catch a fish of that size, at that time, in Georgia, as Randall stated.) For those who don't think a 22 lb'er could have been possible in Georgia, how many of us would have believed a 25 lb'er is possible in California if we had not seen Dottie? (Or, as another poster mentioned, that a 15 lb northern strain largemouth would be possible in Massachusetts?) Who knows what lurks in the depths of Cali's clear lakes . . . man-eating bass maybe? Don't let your toddlers go near the water.

That's scary stuff. I tuck my tail and run when I see lightning. I wish this fellow well and hope he survives. Recovery from a lightning strike is a long process and some people are never quite the same.

Welcome to the community, David!

Nice fish, Needemp!

Welcome, Colton.