I faced a very weird scenario today. The heat index was over 100 degrees, the sky was mostly clear, and there was significant wind. There has been drought in NC for a while so water levels are lower than I've seen in decades as well.

To make a tale of woe short, I simply couldn't figure out where the bass were. Soft plastics weren't working on my usual summer spots, so I threw on a spinner (wind was high and water very muddy) and started working the lake. I eventually hooked up with a single bass which saved me from a total skunk. It appeared to be the only one in the area.

I don't have electronics, so my question is what's the best search bait in extreme heat/drought stress conditions? My theory is the stress had made the bass spooky and the spinner was too much commotion.

I suspect it might be a small paddletail on a jighead, but I'd like to know your opinions before going out and buying more tackle.

Weightless trick worm. Target cover and shade!

High, muddy water can be tough. I'd throw a dark big Colorado blade spinnerbait or a Colorado/Indiana blade combination. If that didn't work I'd use a big blade, bladed jig fished slow.

When the water is really high, often times I'll find bass in heavy grass that is normally on shore and newly flooded.

How muddy was the water? Less than a foot of visibility? When the lake that I fish is low, the bass are schooled up on offshore structure. Once I locate the bass a variety of lures will work. When the lake is muddy the water is high and the bass on in very shallow water, and spread out. I fish a buzzbait if they are active, and large soft plastics if they want a slower presentation. I don't often encounter the conflicting conditions you describe. Muddy water that is far lower than normal is a rare occurence for me, and I assume is not normal for most bass anglers.

It has happened to me and like you, I had tough fishing when it did. I have learned in my lake if the water clarity is less than a foot, I do not catch bass in water deeper than 12 feet, and usually the bass I catch are in water less than 8 feet deep. I have landed bass in 30 foot deep water with poor visibility, but the bass were five feet deep suspended in trees. This is where I found the bass the few times the water was low and muddy. They were in the same location as they were when the water was low and 2 foot of visibility, only suspended higher the the water column. If the water clarity is anywhere near 2 foot, I can find bass in any depth, and they will most likely hit a variety of presentations.

Water temperature will have a big effect on where the bass are, but even if the water is very hot, they usually will not like to go deep if the water is extremely muddy. Determining what the water clarity is will help eliminate a large portion of the lake.

Spinnerbaits are my number on choice for windy conditions in almost any water level and clarity. I also find myself using bladed jigs more now, as well as a variety of crankbaits when the wind is blowing. Deep cranking is my favorite way to fish when water is low, if the bass are in areas that I wont lose all of my crankbaits. If the water has less than a foot of visibility deep crankbaits are eliminated from my lineup but squarebills, and lipless will still get some playing time.

Hot low and muddy sounds like tough conditions to me. I hope other anglers here can be more help.

You might consider fishing at night in that extreme heat scenario. No way I'd be out there in the blazing hot sun under those conditions.

When the conditions are like that around here the bass usually hunker down in the thickest coontail that they can find.

I’m in NC with you and this year has been weird. The only success we had Sunday was crankbaits on grass edges. Shade made it better. I tried a couple spinnerbaits and several normally productive areas. Current helps when they start moving water but there’s only so much water they can move. Just a wacky year with the reservoirs being a few feet low when they should be full. We also had a huge mayfly hatch going on so with everything and that maybe we should’ve been golfing…

To me more emphasis should always be on where and how instead of what.

Smaller and slower in the tightest cover or deeper holes are the first and only considerations.

Color is last

Mike

Bouncing between a Grass Piece and a Flashy Swimmer, in these trying times.