The closest lake to me that smallies call home isnt the greatest in clarity. 1' visability is the average. Stained water, with a little cloudinss tossed in depending on where you are. I've seen 2, (lost 2) that would go over 3lbs. Its not the best lake for black bass, but I know they are there, and some with size. With the water quality where it is, what lure/color options would you go with for the brown fish. (Mind you, more washed out colors for small mouth)

If there are some decent smallies in there, then by all means, put a 5" Fat Swing Impact on a 1/2 oz. head and slow roll it along the bottom. And if it's not to snaggy, try blade baits - vertically jigged - as well. One or both of them should produce big time for you. You just need something with some vibes that can be worked slow.

Something else to try would be a brightly colored spinnerbait with painted blades. Either chartreuse or chartreuse and white on the blades. Smallies are notorious for hitting going for gaudy colored lures. The other thing to are crawfish colors. Smallies tend to go crazy for either. 

Black and Gold Gitzit dragged on the bottom.

If your marking fish on the bottom in 15 fow or deeper use a blade bait or jigging spoon fished vertically like Crestliner suggested. If you want to fish for suspened fish try a crankbait or jerkbait with loud rattles & bright colors  & fish it fast. It would not hurt to get hold of Clayton (bluebasser) for his insight about dirty water smallies in Kansas.

All the local rivers I fish are muddy as well, spinnerbaits with painted blades or gold blades work best when they are chasing, If th bite slows down then I fish a football head jig, dragging it and hopping it is best for me, black and blue is best and if water hits about 2 feet of visibility throw a green pumpkin trailer on the same black and blue jig.

We talking El Dorado?

We talking El Dorado?

Yep

Guys that com in the tackle store have reported doing well in this type of water with a pink jig head and a milktruese  colored grub.

Guess I should have tried my Carney Man Jig. Bright Chartreuse, Orange and Yellow....

Nice smallie. 

Right now I would think they would be hammering a paddle tail, spinnerbait or a crankbait chasing shad around.

 

Chart black back crank

chart/white spinnerbait

shad colored paddle tail

I'd try a Strike King Mini King Spinnerbait in Blue/Black, and change out the blade for a slightly larger colorado blade. 

there's a pond i fish for smallies that kinda fits this description. For these conditions i ushually go with black, green pumpkin, or a darkish blue for foft plastics. brown craw colored jigs and trailers, and chartreuse spinnerbaits and crankbaits. I'll occasionally use white/translucent as well.

 

so when the waters stained pretty nicely i'll start with

 

BLACK

BLUES

GREENS

BROWNS

CHARTREUSE

WHITE/TRANSLUCENT

 

at lease a few of these colors should pay off.

Lucky craft pointer, (crack),(chartreuse shad).

If there is some cover around, I would bang around a squarebill crankbait looking for a reaction bite. That bait will clang off of rocks and wood and make a knock that the bass just can't ignore. Choose your colors based on the proffered forage species.  

I'd use a gitzit with green sparkle and drag it along the bottom for a while if that doesn't work then I'd pick up a strike King 2.5 in chart sexy shad..

In really stained water I use a rattling crankbait, crank it down to running depth and jiggle, jiggle, crank. Just enough retrieving to keep it down. They find it and whack it. Depending on depth something like a Big-O or a Bomber Square A. Can't go wrong.

The river I fish is farm runoff brown and there are some nice fish in it. Texar rigged craws , buzzbaits , poppers , and half Senkos account for most of the fish. I just go casting at whatever looks good , ripples and holes .

 

I go with top floater with rattles. They hear it first.  Then come up & see it. Works for me

When the water gets "dirty" here, usually mid to late summer from algae blooms, I have caught them flipping and pitching on the deep (12'-13') weed edge. It's a little more water temperature sensitive than the largemouth bite, as they don't seem to show up regularly until it dips into the low 70's, but over the years it's been consistent enough to expect it, especially in known smallmouth producing areas.