I always hear that cold/muddy water is the worst possible conditions to bass fish in. I also hear that in pre spawn I should look for clear water.  This all makes sense to me except I also hear that stained/muddy water warms up faster which in my thought process means the warmest water should be stained/dirty.

 

I am fishing my earliest tournament this year ( Middle of March) in Oklahoma and traditionally prefer pretty stained water. The lake I am fishing has a North end that appears much more stained than the south end. I would like to fish it but am not sure if that is a mistake. I likely will get a half of day of practice and don’t want to waste it.

 

I say all that to ask: How cold is too cold for fairly stained water in the pre spawn? (less than 2ft of visibility)

In my neck of the woods, that switch usually happens around 50 deg (bracket 48-52). That is main body/primary creek mouth temps. This typically corresponds to about the first week of April here. There are no absolutes though, and weather patterns leading up to that point can affect this. Bottom line; if water temps are under 48, I search clearer water. If over, esp. into the low 50s, I lean toward murkier. Fish will be caught out of both though.

To me, there's a big difference between what I consider stained and dirty. If a white spinnerbait disappears a foot below the surface, that's dirty. 1 to about 3 feet of visibility is stained to me and that's the kind of water clarity I like. As long as it's in the low 40's, I'm confident fishing stained water. 

I haven't fished a lot of Northern lakes in OK. But in March I am looking for the warmest water I can find, I don't care about the clarity. You say mid March, depending on the weather we get the next couple months that could mean low 40's to mid to upper 40's. Depending on a number of other factors as well, but that is my guess. Also, I am in Southern OK so our lakes will warm a little quicker. I would look at topo maps of the lake and get an idea of areas that interest you. I would make way points and run to those areas and check the temp and clarity. If the water is mid to upper 40's and it's muddy, I would fish it. If it's low 40's, I might try to find clearer water. It also depends on what you prefer to throw. If you are a jerkbait, a-rig, paddletail, type of guy, I would find clear water. If you like a lipless, chatterbait, spinnerbait, etc then dirty water will be ok. About as far North as I have gone in March is Okemah and I ALWAYS target the grass on the North end of the lake. Water is usually dirty but a spinnerbait will get it done.