Im going fishing in the moring and need some advice.  We had a lot of rain the past couple days and the lakes are muddy.  What is my best bet to catch some bass?

Ky and Barkley lake are never realy clear but today they were muddier than normal.

What lures, colors, etc?

Think noise and vibration.  A spinnerbait with a big, single Colorado blade, a noisy crankbait, a big bulky jig that will move a lot of water-you get the idea.

Colors-if it is sunny I use bright colors and darker, more natural colors if it is cloudy.

I suggest you fish shallow/deep water transition areas, such as drop-offs, ledges, and steep banks. Try a combination of jigs, carolina rigged brush hogs, and spinnerbaits. For jigs I suggest a 3/8oz. casting model in a dark color like black/blue or black/purple with a matching trailer. Be sure that the jig has a good rattle system on it though. For the c-rig I suggest a 1/2oz. weight with 2 glass beads for better sound, for the hogs I suggest dark colors like blueberry, and sapphire blue. For the spinnerbait I suggest a 3/8oz. or 1/2oz. model with a big indiana blade and a smaller colorado blade, use a slow rolling retrieve. For colors I suggest white, white/chart, and chart.

You now have good advice on the lures of choice that appeal to the main senses a bass uses in low visibility. In clear they switch mostly to sight feeding, the most reliable of their senses. I didn't see mention of scents. Bass definitely rely on their sense of smell when having to also rely on their lateral lines and hearing. Scents help them come across the trail of your lure, and that helps them course the direction from which sounds and vibrations originate. So smear some scent on the skirts and up the main line a few feet.

Bass behave a lot like crappie in muddy water. They prefer to hold up next to something solid like a stump or stickup. It gives them a point of reference, else they get disoriented even though they become more secure in muddy water. If there's any clear water next to muddy they will hold in the muddy looking out into the clear, using the muddy to cover them. The clear water gives them a reference point to the confusing muddy realm. I watch all year long for mud lines along shorelines, kicked up by wind or boat traffic, then I cast parallel to the division between waters using the baits listed above.

Another point worth mentioning is if you had a lot of rain and the water is rising the bass will spread out to feed, not holding to former clear water habits. An entirely muddy lake will have bass all over places they normally don't like, which makes for some tough locating. That calls for lots of miles of casting covering large areas quickly with fast baits.

Jim

Have had good luck with A 3/4 oz. Rat-L-Trap cream with agua stripe fast retrieve.Also try other colors. Sometimes change front hook to bleeding bait hook not sure if that helps but anything for more variety.

                                              Good  Luck  !

                                                        Sinker  48  

A big spinnerbait like Reb suggested, a big crankbait like a Strike King series 4s or Norman Fat Boy, and a bulky jig with a good rattle.

Think noise and vibration. A spinnerbait with a big, single Colorado blade, a noisy crankbait, a big bulky jig that will move a lot of water-you get the idea.

Colors-if it is sunny I use bright colors and darker, more natural colors if it is cloudy.

do what this guy^^ said.... larger lures that make noise or vibration are better in muddy water... makes it easier for the fish to locate the lure..

I've found that arrangement will draw bass in muddy water, but when they get close enough to see it the blades need to be about the size of the baitfish they are going after. Sometimes 2-4 smaller baitfish sized blades on a tandem/quad bait will get the bite, while bass will break off chasing one large blade spinnerbait.

Jim

Thanks for the help guys.

I didn't get to implement these tasks today.  We ended up going crappie fishing, with no luck.

Thanks though.  I will remember these for next time.

When water is muddy crappie are kissing wood. Drop a jig right down alongside standing snags close to deep water.

Jim

When water is muddy crappie are kissing wood. Drop a jig right down alongside standing snags close to deep water.

Jim

Tried that yesterday, didn't help.   The crappie fishing only happened because the bass fishing was such a washout.  Heavy rains Fri nite followed by another big storm Sat morning had the lake a mud hole. So much water was washing over the spillway on the 120 acre lake there was actually a slight current.  Add to that surface temps of only 48-50 degrees and I should've stayed home.

Shame too, dead shad everywhere.  Would've been a fantastic jerkbait bite if the fish could've just seen the bait.