I fish a local lake here in the Northwest that is very sallow, deepest spot is only 8 feet deep. This is my third year fishing this lake and in the past I've started catching bass when the water temperature was in the upper 50's. Late last season I started using Senko's really like them; I'm normally a spinner-bait and crank-bait person. The water temperature today was 43 degrees and stained, any clues as to what type of bait would work in this colder water.

Try throwing some texas rigged plastics and fish them slow. Throw a senko rigged wacky style and if all else fails , throw a rat-l-trap.

Looking forward to your next years post.

Bass probably won't be that active yet so whatever you do fish sloowwwwww

These guys hit the nail on the head. Fish slow. I'd just t-rig plastics like Sweet Beavers, Worms, Tubes, or maybe even a jig. You gotta be really patient.

Good Luck.

dark colored worms

Hey Redwood, I fish a lot of the same water types in S.W. Idaho and these guys that have posted so far have it right, slow and easy. Patience is key but don't be afraid to use fast moving crank for an impulse bite. Our bass fishing now is a couple of weeks from getting good but I expect it will be good in 2-3 weeks! have fun dude and be patient.

Good Luck!

I'd go with a Rat-L-Trap myself. Anytime I hear "stained" or (to a greater extent) "murky" water, rattles jump in my mind. If its lightly stained, plastics will work great. But the more opaque the water is the harder it is for the fish to find the lure to begin with. Rattling lures have the added advantage of sound and they work in cold water too because they are annoying to the fish rather than tempting. A tube rigged with a rattling jig head is also a good choice if you want the best of both worlds. I have seen rattles put in Senkos and I suppose its a good tactic if you feel experamentative.

I would go with and X-Rap, probably a gold/black color, as my first choice.  Then try a texas rigged bait, I would go with a craw, worked slow.  If that fails try drop shotting a junebug or black finesse worm.  Good luck