I went fishing yesterday on my kayak. I hit up a local state park. The ramp was pretty busy, so I ignored the main waters in favor of the creek system that's inaccessible to boats with motors.

 

The majority of the creek was really muddy, with visibility of 6 inches or so, and surface temps of 78-79 degrees. I had absolutely zero luck fishing in this part of the creek (where I've always found fish in the past), and kept going deeper. The further I went, the cooler the water became and the lower the water temperature.

 

Eventually, I found a section of the creek where the water was basically bathtub clear (I could see the bottom in 6 feet of water), and the water temperature dropped to 74-75 degrees. Back there, the bass were biting really well -- I had 5 bites and 3 fish in less than 30 minutes.

 

All I know is: the bass weren't biting where the water was warm and muddy. They were biting where it was cool and clear. The relative depths, cover, and structure were near identical.

 

I know it's always hard to say, but why would you guess this was? The clarity? The temperature? The combination of the two?

 

Given the choice, would you always seek out clearer water with cooler temperatures?

 

Just wondering if this could be a pattern for other outings.

Fish location and activity levels are governed by many different factors, some of which you didn't take into consideration.  Oxygen content and forage availability stand out as major considerations in the situation you describe. It could be that the cooler, clear water was more oxygen rich or the muddy, warmer water had low levels.  Some fish rely heavily on their sight feeding skills and will seek out clearer water if available.  Hard to determine, but cudos to you for not predetermining where they would be and wasting valuable fishing time where the fish either were not active or were absent. 

Fish location and activity levels are governed by many different factors, some of which you didn't take into consideration.  Oxygen content and forage availability stand out as major considerations in the situation you describe. It could be that the cooler, clear water was more oxygen rich or the muddy, warmer water had low levels.  Some fish rely heavily on their sight feeding skills and will seek out clearer water if available.  Hard to determine, but cudos to you for not predetermining where they would be and wasting valuable fishing time where the fish either were not active or were absent. 

 

Thanks, papajoe. Sometimes I get too hung up on the things I can easily measure that I don't think about the things I can't measure (but can still observe). Good reminder.

To add to papajoe, you generally need baits that move more water when the clarity is poor.  Casting accuracy also becomes more critical.  Bass will hold tighter to cover/structure when the water clarity is low.