One of the areas I fish(Tidal system), the water is significantly dirtier this time of year than it usually is.  Usually by now, visibility is 1-1.5' or maybe a little better if you get around a lot of grass.  This year, there seems to be less grass in general and we have had a good bit of rain lately so the water is pretty dirty, I'd say visibility is about 3".  When it comes to water clarity, it seems like in general bass will go up shallow and tight to cover when the water is very dirty.  At the same time, high water temps will drive bass deeper to find stable/cooler water temps(surface temps are 88-90 atm).  This leads to my question, which do you think a majority of bass choose in dirty hot water?  Do you think they opt for the shallow tight to cover spots in the hotter water, or do they sit in the dark murky deeper water where the temps are lower and more stable, but little or no visibility?

From late morning until dusk, they're mostly out deeper and not feeding. You can still catch them, you just need to use reactive baits in brighter colors. Fish them fast and erratic. Some will stay shallow, but you usually need to finesse them a little more with wacky rigs and jigs. 

Tidal water is moving water and current tends to mix the water column so deeper water may not be cooler. The key is prey, where is it located? Rising water tends to have a wider verity of prey choices, falling water creates funnel areas draining the tidal flood cycle. I would look for funnel areas with good green weed/grass beds and target those with steady pace noisy lures the bass can easily find and time a strike.

Tom

PS, Catt is more familiar with the Louisiana delta area, I base my reply on the San Jaquine delta where tidal current is significant.

I fish calcasieu river on fourth of July. One thing I can tell you and it's been consistent here all summer, deeper outside banks with cuts. They sit at the mouth of the cuts on the drop offs cruising up and down. In your case I don't know what the fishery looks like but deeper outside banks usually hold fish. Easy to cruise deep to shallow

Also I say this cause you have shallow cover to pin against but within a few feet it usually turns to 15 foot

7 hours ago, kingmotorboat said:

I fish calcasieu river on fourth of July. One thing I can tell you and it's been consistent here all summer, deeper outside banks with cuts. They sit at the mouth of the cuts on the drop offs cruising up and down. In your case I don't know what the fishery looks like but deeper outside banks usually hold fish. Easy to cruise deep to shallow

Also I say this cause you have shallow cover to pin against but within a few feet it usually turns to 15 foot

Sounds pretty similar to Pearl River system that I also fish.  Similar pattern for catching them to. 

The location mentioned in the original post more shallow marsh, water is generally less than 10ft deep.  Usually by this time, there is so much grass that the water that the water gets pretty clean. It's usually not hard to find em, you throw a senko in the holes in the grass at dusk and dawn and you can catch a bunch.  This year there just isn't near as much grass as usual.  My theory is the the late winter cold weather that came thru wiped out what little grass was still left.  The lack of grass has kept the water so much dirtier than it normally is this time of year.  

Hard cover and changes in bottom contour is what I figure up they're laying in. Could be wrong but if most grass has died in the marshes doesn't seem like their could be anything else

Try some search baits in deeper water near rock walls or other structure.

I fish the St. Johns River which is also tidal. Lost most of the grass in the northern part of the river after hurricane Irma. Fish mainly shellbars, drops and docks.