Tom Rust Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Ladies and Gents, I’ve watched a ton of videos recommending the best lures for muddy water, and thankfully the best 4 or 5 choices pretty much were in agreement. That was: Spinnerbaits, square bill cranks, bladed jigs, jigs with a rattle and buzzbaits.I’m sure you have your favorite alternative to this list, but I need ENCOURAGEMENT to even go when my lakes or ponds are dirty. Give some story or examples from your own experiences that can convince me to get out when that’s the only water choice I have. I need a push, please. And thanks ahead of time! I might add, the videos I watched just had a guy in a boat “teaching”, but never showed a fish being caught from the muddy water in the video, thus reinforcing my belief that it’s almost impossible to catch them when it’s muddy! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User LrgmouthShad Posted March 18 Super User Share Posted March 18 Newly muddy water is tough water for me, particularly if the water is normally a lot clearer. After the water has time to stabilize, I have a much easier time fishing it. Muddy water regardless of whether it is newly muddy or it has been for a while… make multiple casts to the same target from different angles. Accuracy is very important. Don’t be afraid to try a senko fished slow. I can’t make sense of it but it works sometimes. Your other lure suggestions are on point. As far as encouraging stories go, I got two 6 lbers in super muddy water in NC shortly after rain. I just had to switch to plastics and fish slow (on those particular days, could always be different). Give it a try! You may wind up having a great day. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted March 18 Global Moderator Share Posted March 18 I hate muddy water but purple and black worms have caught some for me. Given enough time I can just drive to cleaner water 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Jar11591 Posted March 18 Super User Share Posted March 18 If I could pick one condition to never have to fish in again, it would be muddy water. I think muddy water is a lot of bassers most challenging condition. Fish tight to cover, use large baits that displace more water, and flashy and noisy doesn’t hurt either. Muddy water is the only time I’ll use a rattle on a jig. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartyon8 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 I caught this guy on Lake Norman last month. Water was rough. Found him hiding under a collapsed boat house. Otherwise, caught nada. This made for a better end to the long day though. Like you, I hate muddy water as I can't seem to find fish. This guy was a fluke. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Rust Posted March 18 Author Share Posted March 18 29 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said: I hate muddy water but purple and black worms have caught some for me. Given enough time I can just drive to cleaner water Tn, were you standing in that current?- looks really fast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susky River Rat Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 I’ve caught two musky in 3 casts in chocolate milk water in an area I could cast frsm bank to bank. Ned rigs for smallies crush them no matter the color. Muddy water effects YOU more than it effects how the fish will react. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OmegaDPW Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 41 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said: Don’t be afraid to try a senko fished slow. I can’t make sense of it but it works sometimes. Your other lure suggestions are on point. Agree with this. My favorite pond is always muddy water. I've fished it for 20 years and have never seen the underwater weeds that are 2 feet off shore. All winter long, I basically fished a stickbait weightless- sometimes wacky and other times rigged weedless- and had the most success I've ever had in cold water. I rarely throw hardbaits, but the only other fish I've caught have been on Beetle Spins, so the blade vibration does seem to help in that kind of water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User scaleface Posted March 18 Super User Share Posted March 18 Muddy water has two advantages that I know of. The fish are shallower and tighter to cover. 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User T-Billy Posted March 18 Super User Share Posted March 18 Super shallow and TIGHT to cover is where I go when it's muddy. Dark colored jig and spinner bait are the only tools required. Edit to add: Creek mouths and cuts where runoff enters the lake are key areas. When you get a bite, slow down and fish that spot and others like it very thoroughly. 6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pat Brown Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 Yeah, you don't really have to look hard to find the fish when it's muddy. Super shallow. Super tight to cover. Bang your lure into stuff and vary retrieve. It's kind of a myth that Bass need your lure to be big or flashy when it's muddy. Caught tons of big fish in muddy water with small plastics on fast falling t rigs just throwing into heavy cover. The biggest obstacle bass fisherman face in muddy water is themselves. Have confidence and cover water and fish targets. In my humble opinion, muddy water makes smart fish dumber and big fish more likely to bite. If you've got a little wind and some muddy water throw a lipless crankbait on shallow flatter banks that normally are gin clear and hang on tight! I really like a brisk pumping yo-yo retrieve up shallow! Have at it!!! 😎🎣 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator TnRiver46 Posted March 18 Global Moderator Share Posted March 18 1 hour ago, Tom Rust said: Tn, were you standing in that current?- looks really fast! It was ripping! That was nearly 10 yrs ago, I was braver back then. There were plenty of people around to come get me if I got swept away 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DinkDonkey30 Posted March 18 Share Posted March 18 A white fluke with a green/white or silver/white fluke donkey rigged up shallow will change your mind. Cranks and spinner baits also work very well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Bankbeater Posted March 18 Super User Share Posted March 18 7 hours ago, scaleface said: Muddy water has two advantages that I know of. The fish are shallower and tighter to cover. I can think of one more. The bass can't see you through the muddy water so you can get a little closer to the cover they are hiding in. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Bird Posted March 19 Super User Share Posted March 19 Nothing reduces my confidence more than getting to a lake or river after days of heavy rain to find muddy water but that's mainly because I'm use to fishing ultra clear water. The upside is I love throwing a spinnerbait and while I do well in clear water with them because they trigger a reaction strike, they excel in murky water. That said, Last year in very muddy water on a lake I've never fished, caught my only fish on a black Senko....... black gives the best contrast in dark water. Imo 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartyon8 Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 It's funny to me that many will say shallow and tight to cover but I fish those things 99% and struggle mightly in muddy water. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Rust Posted March 19 Author Share Posted March 19 maybe it would help all of us if someone made a video underwater of what the fish's view is for what we call muddy water. in other words, show the dirty water from above looking down as we humans see it, and then show with an underwater camera how it looks down there. does anyone have a link to something like that?? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User LrgmouthShad Posted March 19 Super User Share Posted March 19 7 hours ago, Pat Brown said: Yeah, you don't really have to look hard to find the fish when it's muddy. Super shallow. Super tight to cover. Bang your lure into stuff and vary retrieve. That’s what I don’t like about Stillhouse sometimes, being that it is so clear. The fish will relate very loosely to cover sometimes. It’s like this: ”Fish, you are not relating to anything” ”Yes I am” ”Prove it. What are you relating to?” ”That tree over there” ”That tree?” (Points 50 yards away) ”No, that tree” (Points with a fin to a tree 1 mile away” 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king fisher Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 Caught in water with 6 inches of visibility on a Junebug 7 inch Senko. The bass have to eat regardless of the water clarity. extreme muddy water may limit the hunting ability of the bass, but it also makes detecting them more difficult for the prey. In the end it probably evens out when it comes to advantages and disadvantages. For anglers it can help by eliminating much of the lake. Forget about fishing deep. The shoreline is your friend in muddy conditions, and most of the time bass will be tight to visible cover. The bass are still there, and they are still hungry, so don't shy away from muddy water. 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Catt Posted March 19 Super User Share Posted March 19 Lot of things to consider Pond, lake, River, bayou or creek Marsh, brackish or freshwater Is the water generally off colored or clear. What caused the change, how drastic was the change. Bass in bodies of water that are normally off colored use their lateral line to locate pray more than their eye sight to feed. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fin Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 12 hours ago, king fisher said: The bass have to eat regardless of the water clarity. Yep. Some fish live in water that is muddy most of the time. 12 hours ago, king fisher said: The shoreline is your friend in muddy conditions As a bank fisherman, maybe this is why I love muddy water more than most people in this thread. "The lateral line system allows the detection of movement, vibration, and pressure gradients in the water surrounding an animal. It plays an essential role in orientation, predation, and fish schooling by providing spatial awareness and the ability to navigate in the environment. Analysis has shown that the lateral line system should be an effective passive sensing system able to discriminate between submerged obstacles by their shape. The lateral line allows fish to navigate and hunt in water with poor visibility." "Blinded predatory fishes remain able to hunt..." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lateral_line 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Troy85 Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 As someone who fishes tidal marshes 99% of the time. I find that fishing muddy water in the ponds and bays is almost a waste of time. Where I fish is mostly shallow(4' or less) grassy ponds with almost no hard cover. If wind or tide pushes in muddy water, I think the fish just scatter randomly in the acres of grass and only bite if you happen to drop it on their head. Once the tide changes and starts pulling the clean water out of the grass and cuts, everything seems to come alive again. There are lots of dead end canals that were dug by oil and gas companies over the years, most of these have hard cover and laydowns along the shoreline. If water is muddy everywhere I go fish these canals, the fish seem to setup better on the hard cover in the canals. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Bankc Posted March 19 Super User Share Posted March 19 If the water is usually pretty clear, but suddenly got muddy, it can be hard to catch fish. Loud baits help. But so do accurate casts. If you can draw the bait right next to the fish, almost thumping it on the head, you've got a good chance at getting a bite. Water that's muddy all of the time, or often and for long periods of time, doesn't play by the same rules. The fish adapt and you can fish it like fairly clear water. Ultra finesse presentations where you're asking the bass to travel long distances on sight alone probably won't work. Stuff like drop shots or jerkbaits can be tough. But a silent crankbait, jig, T-rig worm all will do fine, so long as you can get it close enough. I only fish in heavily stained to muddy waters. It's all we have around here. 12" of visibility is rare. 4" isn't unheard of. 6-10" is about average. But I do alright. Conventional wisdom says you won't catch bass in deep water when it's that stained, but I catch them in deep water all of the time. I believe the fish adapt and their eyesight gets better in the dark if that's all they're exposed to. I know their colors get muted in dirty water, due to the lack of sun. I see these deeply colored bass being caught all of the time on TV, but all of the bass I catch seem to be really pale. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Catt Posted March 19 Super User Share Posted March 19 @Troy85 You in South Louisiana? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
volzfan59 Posted March 19 Share Posted March 19 Muddy water can be tough. Muddy and cold water is doggone tough! I'm no expert, but I've done my best muddy water fishing with two baits. A 1/2 and 3/4 oz chartreuse and white spinnerbait with one huge (don't remember the size) copper Colorado blade. I built the bait myself. Copper blades can be hard to find but there out there. The other is a 1/2 oz Strike King Red Eye Shad in chartreuse and white with an orange throat. I slow roll them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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