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Old 12-31-04, 12:25 AM   #1
bassguy2004
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Default Muddy water

This past week we've been hammered by the rain and I know that our home lake is going to be super muddy. I haven't had much luck in the past fishing in this type of condition. I'm fishing in a tourney on New Year's Day and could use some advice.
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Old 12-31-04, 12:44 AM   #2
macgyver
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Default Re: Muddy water

Well usually when there is a lot of muddy there is some current or was, that was washing in. Rule #1 in muddy water, is fish react more to vibrations, than sight. So if you use baits that move a lot of water, or put off a lot of vibrations, or even rattles, they will help the fish find the bait better. Scent can't hurt either. If the lake is normally clear, try to find the clearer water, if possible. If there is current, then look for structure/cover somewhere in the current, and fish will sit behind it and wait for food to be pushed past it/them, and then nail it. Rule #2 if the water is rising the fish will usually be along the shore line getting new areas to to feed in, usually not accessible when the water is low. If the water is falling then the fish will back off into deeper water, and the shoreline usually isn't the best place to locate them. I'm by no means an expert on electronics, but this is a good time to be one. Use them if you have them to find the bait fish, or fish themselves. Also just because the top of the water is muddy does not mean it's muddy 2,3,4, or even 10 feet down. Try different depths, if they aren't feeding along the shoreline, I will usually start at the bottom, and work my way up. Of course these are just my opinions. One other thing I like to do, is that many times I will fish the edge of the muddy, and clear water(if theres a line).

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Old 12-31-04, 01:08 AM   #3
Rich
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Default Re: Muddy water

In muddy water I always reach for a spinnerbait with a big, single colorado blade. It puts off a lot more vibration that a tandem or double willow setup. I also like a loud rattling crankbait like a Cordell Spot or a Diamond Shad. I prefer those over a rattletrap in muddy water because they put out more noise. You could also throw a creature bait like a Brush Hog or Lake fork creature-they will move a lot of water, and don't forget a big, bulky jig. I'd throw that up tight to cover. Hope this helps and good luck!
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Old 12-31-04, 03:28 PM   #4
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Default Re: Muddy water

Thanks for the info guys, and have a Happy New Year.
I'll let you know what happened on Sat.
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Old 12-31-04, 04:50 PM   #5
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Default Re: Muddy water

get the biggest,noisiest black and blue jig with a black 4"paca craw trailer.throw to any structure.the bass should be hugging it.try shallow and deep.
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Old 01-08-05, 01:22 PM   #6
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Default Re: Muddy water

Here's how the New Year's day tourney came out. Â* Well things we not as bad as I first thought it would be which was a plus, but it was cold and it rained on us all day. My partner and I came up with a limit that was made up of mostly smallies, with a 2 1/2 pound smallie to boot. Anyway we only managed a small limit which was 8.83 pounds. We finished 15th. Out of 41 boats only 17 limits were caught. The winner had 28.35 with a 7.59 kicker and 2nd place had 17.77.
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Old 01-09-05, 12:15 PM   #7
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Default Re: Muddy water

How did you catch them? What'd you use?


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Old 01-09-05, 01:29 PM   #8
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Default Re: Muddy water

Muddy Water Fishing:

[glow=orange,2,300] Muddy water isn't as pretty to look at as clear water, but it can offer surprisingly good bass fishing. In fact, many B.A.S.S. pros actually prefer muddy water to clear water, believing that bass in a muddy environment are easier to locate and catch.

What causes muddy water
Soil erosion is a major problem in many areas of the United States. Rainwater carries soil particles into lakes and rivers via their feeder creeks and a network of ditches and depressions in the surrounding landscape. Bodies of water in lowland agricultural areas may stay perpetually muddy due to intense levels of sediment (suspended particles) in the water. These bodies of water often have a soft, silty bottom and a relatively low population of bass (bass prefer a hard bottom for spawning, and often don't reproduce well in a silty environment). Even the clearest lakes and rivers can turn muddy after a downpour, but they typically clear up within a few days. Bass location and behavior
High levels of sediment in the water make it hard for bass to see their surroundings and potential prey.

When visibility is limited, bass tend to move shallower and stick tighter to objects such as stumps, submerged logs, rocks or weed patches. Bass will feed in muddy water, but won't range far from a home base in search of prey. Muddy water is often high in dissolved oxygen due to increased current flow created by run-off. Many bass will be in a feeding mode, but instead of prowling for a meal, they locate in places where shallow forage species such as shore minnows, bluegills and crawfish are abundant and close at hand. These might include shallow points, riprap along dams, weedlines and current edges in rivers. If you fish around wood, rock or weed cover in similar areas on your home lake, you should catch bass.

Casting accuracy is extremely important in muddy water. The muddier the water, the smaller the strike zone. Bass hold very tight to cover and may not move away from it to strike. Here, "a miss is as good as a mile" — strikes often occur when your lure bumps into cover. As noted, bass are far less wary in muddy water than in clear water, making it possible for the angler to move very close to likely casting targets without spooking fish holding there. Short line presentations such as pitching and flipping, while normally not very effective in clear water, can result in tournament-winning stringers in muddy water.

Lures for muddy water
Because visibility in muddy water is so limited, your first task as an angler is to make the bass notice your lure. This can be accomplished by choosing lures according to the following guidelines:

Size — In muddy water, a big, bulky lure is far more likely to be seen by bass than a small, slender bait. Use a rubber-legged jig with a fat pork trailer vs. a Texas-rigged plastic worm, or a pot-bellied crankbait vs. a jerkbait.

Color — Lure color subtleties are lost in muddy water. In general, lures that are either very dark (black, purple, deep blue) or very light (white, yellow) show up best. Now also is a good time to try hot colors such as chartreuse, bright orange and bubble gum.

Noise/Vibration — Use your noisiest, hardest-throbbing lures in muddy water. Rattling jigs, lipless rattling crankbaits and short arm spinnerbaits with big Colorado (rounded/cupped) blades are especially deadly.

Depth Range — Bass are often in 3 feet of water or less in muddy conditions, so extreme depth capability is not an issue when choosing lures. Short billed crankbaits and spinnerbaits can produce limit catches now. But deep diving crankbaits can be a good choice even in shallow water, since they create added noise when rooting along the bottom.
[/glow]


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Old 01-09-05, 01:34 PM   #9
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Default Re: Muddy water

[glow=orange,2,30]
More tips for fishing muddy water

1- The best muddy water bite often occurs on sunny days, when visibility is increased. Many bass anglers report the fastest action in midday vs. early or late.
2- Monitor the water temperature closely, especially in early spring and late fall. Muddy water warms quickly when exposed to the sun and can attract bass.
3- Cold, muddy water is seldom conducive to an active bass bite. If the water is below 55 degrees, fish your slowest moving lures, especially weedless jigs. Now is a good time to "saturate" cover with short line presentations.
4- Because it's critical that your lures come into contact with cover, use abrasion-resistant line and retie often.
The edge where clear and muddy water meet can attract large quantities of baitfish and bass. Bass often hide in the murky band and rush out into clear water to attack prey. [/glow]


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Old 01-09-05, 01:40 PM   #10
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Default Re: Muddy water

How Bass React To Muddy Water: We mistakenly picture bass as creature at the mercy of their environment. Being cold blooded, bass are affected by water temperature. But as successful predators, bass have learned to adapt and survive in a variety of conditions, including muddy water. Of the many myths concerning bass behavior in muddy water, the most prevalent is that bass leave a muddy environment to find clear water. This implies a mass migration to a clear-running tributary. Bass generally don’t move far in clear water. When visibility is limited, they move even less. How would a bass in muddy water in the middle of the lake know the water was clear a distance away near the dam? When water turns muddy, bass have options. 1. They move shallower. This occurs in reservoirs and rivers. Even smallmouths acclimated to deep-lying structure move shallower when their habitat turns to chocolate milk. Fish can see better in shallow water. One to three feet isn’t too shallow for bass in muddy water. 2. They move closer to objects. Bass in clear water roam from a home base such as a sunken tree or rock pile to find prey. In muddy water, visibility is reduced, so bass tend to hold close to objects. They seek the security of a dock, brushpile, or boulder, perhaps using the object as a reference point. Present lures as close as possible to cover. 3. They move out of increased current. Muddy water and high flow usually coincide. Largemouths in particular don’t prefer fast water. They hold in slack-water pockets, backflows, or behind objects that break current. Smallmouths are at home in rivers, but they also avoid heavy current. Look for them in sloughs or downstream from cover objects. 4. They use other senses in addition to sight. A bass has to see a lure before striking it. Vision is their primary sense even in muddy water, but the lateral line, which can sense vibrations over 10 feet away, becomes more important as visual range is reduced. Bass also use their inner ear to sense sound produced even farther away. Smell is also important in muddy water.

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Old 01-09-05, 02:54 PM   #11
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Default Re: Muddy water

Seaphantom, the winners said they caught all their fish on jig and pig combos in 2 to 20 feet of water. That was all they would give up. The second place team fished mainly crank baits and jigs all day and the depth wasn't talked about. My partner and I fished points with shallow diving crankbaits in a firetiger pattern on the outside of points. The largest of the smallies came off the rip rap on the dam using a dropshot rig from 15 feet. Now that I have thought about it more, we should have backed off the dam into deeper water and possibly caught bigger smallmouths, but hind sight is always 20/20.
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Old 01-09-05, 04:27 PM   #12
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Default Re: Muddy water

i would use a crank bait with a wide wiggle in fire tiger and homer color.a rattle trap in the same color's.or a spinner bait with colorado blades.-hammered or not-in plastic baits i would go with a a bait that disturbs a lot of water. some thing like a bush hog,a ribbed worm with a large paddle tail i a dark color.-june bug,dark melon,black.


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