What are your favorite baits or techniques to fish with in cold muddy water?

Black/blue t-rigged craw and big black/blue spinnerbait with a big black/blue (seeing a color pattern?) Colorado blade, fished very slow, ticking the bottom and touching cover. Bass will often be touching the wood cover when it's muddy.

 

As with Catt's RLT, rattles certainly help. Anything that helps the fish locate the bait. The water is turbid around here a good portion of the year and black/blue is a good all around color for things like jigs, soft plastics, buzzbaits and chatterbaits. It's easy to distinguish in off-color water even in low light periods. Only when the bite slows do I go with the watermelons and pumpkins.

 

http://www.basspro.com/Strike-King-Tour-Grade-Night-Spinnerbaits/product/11071915395657/

Black  jig with a bright orange trailer .

My favorite cold muddy water bait is turning off the alarm clock.

Like Catt illustrated I like vibration mixed with noise. Second choice is reason's reference.

15 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

Like Catt illustrated I like vibration mixed with noise. Second choice is reason's reference.

 

I want something that gives off a lot of vibration & flash!

Vodka gimlet.

 

Dark colored jig or bladed jig. A big single Colorado bladed spinnerbait, a rattling squarebill, or rattle trap.

many moons ago, me and my cousin wanted to do some fishing but we had a high wind advisory that day so lauching the boat was out. we ended up walking the bank at a smaller lake. it was early April and the water was still chilly and muddy, plus the wind. he tied on an old red rat L trap and i did not. he makes me sick. the end

Cold muddy water = go find something else to do for me. There are much better conditions to fish in.............in fact, I can't think of anything worse*

 

* this is assuming it's not a year round muddy water fishery. Fish that usually live in clear/lightly stained water, do not react well to mud/cold.

1 minute ago, ww2farmer said:

Cold muddy water = go find something else to do for me.

 

If it's always muddy drag a 1/2 ounce black/red jig really slow I mean SLOW in the deepest part of the pond. Maybe a fire tiger deep crank. If the pond isn't always muddy then wait for it to clear! Stay home and clean your reels or organize your tackle. 

I'm wondering if there is an optimal color for the single-blade spinnerbait?  White? 

Cold muddy water is difficult . I fish shallow , slow and tight to cover . The jig moves a lot of water making it easier for a bass to detect  than a worm , in my opinion .

4 hours ago, Outdoor Zack said:

I'm wondering if there is an optimal color for the single-blade spinnerbait?  White? 

A bright color like chartruse or firetiger, or black.

Muddy water is warmer usually especially if you find some sunshine hitting it. Dark or bright colors, maybe a texas rig or shaky rig with a rattle or shallow running crank or probably a rattle trap. If it is really cold, the mud will be hard so you can fish it like sand.

23 hours ago, Outdoor Zack said:

I'm wondering if there is an optimal color for the single-blade spinnerbait?  White? 

I only use gold in stained to muddy water & hammered blade. One thumping Colorodo with a contrasting trailer. Black skirt, gold blade, White/Red trailer.

One year I got on a bite in February throwing a chartreuse/blue back colored rebel wee-r squarebill in dirty water, man it was something else, the bass would have that bait in the back of their throat! The bite almost felt like a jig bite.

 

Tried other brands and they just didn't have the action or cadence that the fish wanted.

I dont know what muddy water is in the rest of the world but here it can be 1 inch of visibility .

Bass in muddy water are lateral line feeders.

 

My lure selection will have flash, vibration, & highly contrasting colors!

   Blue/chartreuse spinnerbait with single Colorado thumper blade, low and sloooow. I know whereof I speak. They hit like a 4-year-old eating cotton candy.  jj