standing timber in 8-12 ft of water. water is around 50 degrees. water clarity is stained/muddy. any ideas?

jig

Swim baits. They are excellent in cover because they are weedless, have a great fall rate, and can be manipulated to do about anything. Just hope you have a plan to get them out! I have a hilarious story about fishing swim baits in standing timber. I encountered the "smart" fish.

http://best5zach.blogspot.com/2011/03/daddy-always-wins-part-2.html

jig

X2

X2

Yup. Jig.

NorthStar hair jig with their matching trailer

jig or brightly colored crank or spinnerbait

Knock a square bill around in there, if it doesnt get snagged it can flat out kill em'. Pause it after you feel it hit a stump. Jig is also a good recommendation.

depending on the substrate on the bottom I would do one of two things. If the there is a harder bottom, I would go with a creature bait of some sort (beaver, flappin hog, chigger craw etc.) with a 1/4 oz to 3/8 bullet weight. Bounce that of the bottom, giving it a longer period to sit on the bottom. If the bottom is softer (mud or muck) I would suggest using a light (1/4 oz) jig. when the water is cold, a slower drop rate is sometime better being that the fish are not as active.

jig

one more for the Jig