Would you make this choice?

[keithdog]

I just read the Day On The Lake section from the sept/oct issue of Bassmaster magazine. The featured angler is Todd Faircloth, who is without a doubt a very knowlegable angler. He is fishing a small reservoir and he describes the water clarity as being a "murky green" and "off color". This translates to me as having very little visibility. He goes on to describe his lure choices, one of which is a Yamamoto Flappin Hog creature bait in the color green pumpkin/red flake. As I read the article, he is obviously having good success with this green pumpkin colored bait which really surprises me. I've seen green pumpkin colored soft plastics in murky off colored water and the bait disappears almost as soon as it enters the water. I would have thought to choose something that would be more visible in the water, such as a black/blue colored soft plastic or perhaps a white color. Why would someone choose a color that virtually camouflages a lure in the water?
Todd also mentions bass "sticking tight to cover in murky water as long as the sun is out". This also surprises me. I would think that off colored water in and of itself would offer bass cover and encourage bass to venture away from cover looking for prey to ambush. I've often read of bass using areas where off colored water meets clearer water forming a breakline from the differences in water clarity. The bass will stage inside the off colored water ambushing prey that swims by in the clearer water. Would not a bass therefore move out from cover in off colored water?

[Raul]

Is not the green pumpkin part what is important, it´s the red flake and the bait´s flaps what are important.

The flake works like hundreds of miniature mirrors reflecting whatever available light penetrates through the water, the fish can see it flashing.

The flaps give away vibration the fish can detect it through the lateral line.

You are thinking color, he´s thinking flash and vibration.

When I fish murky water with soft plastics I choose baits with metal flake, preferably large metal flake over small metal flake and baits with flaps ( like the flapping hog, sweet beaver ), baits with flaps and curly tails ( like brush hogs ) worms with U tail, ribbon tail, C or G tail ( like SS Utale, G tail Ringer ).

[DaveW731]

First, I fish a very green/murky lake and caught my 2 best bass of the year (4.75 and 5.15) on green senkos, one wacky rigged and one T-rigged. Go figure.
Also, both fish were TOTALLY tight to cover. Last time out we caught a total of 7 fish, 100% were within 1 ft of either lily pads or downed timber. We also threw cranks, spinnerbaits, worms and buzzbaits into more open water, all without a nibble.
My theory: bass rely on vibration more than sight in heavily colored water. In the clear/color breakline, they can still see into the open water and so can use sight, both to locate prey and avoid becoming prey themselves. By contrast, with being effectively blind, I think the bass feel more comfortable with cover around them for their own protection and/or to keep themselves oriented to where they are. I think they go shallow as well, because it limits the range of their own prey and makes it more likely that forage will be close enough to be detected by the bass' lateral line picking up the vibrations.

[keithdog]

Very good points so far. I think your probably right Dave regarding bass feeling vulnerable in dirty water and thus staying close to cover.

[fishin spro]

as far as the murky water/bass holding tight to cover, i have heard it described like this. when you walk into a dark room that you are not familiar with, whats the first thing you do? you try to find a corner to give your self something to relate to. fish do the same thing...in muddy/off colored water, they hold tight to stuff such as piers, trees, pads, or rocks.

we fish a lot of muddy water down here, and 90% of the time, u have to hit the tree that the fish is holding to, to trigger a strike...if you hit 2 feet away from the tree, that is usually not going to do the trick.

[rodnreel]

I'm with DaveW...I also mainly fish a lake that is very stained and the visibility is not that good. I've had the best success with watermelon candy and plain 'ol green pumpkin YUM Dingers and Zoom Trick Worms and Speed Craws. Most of those fish also have been caught tight around boat docks and submerged timber. In my opinion bass are relating to some type of cover or structure 95% of the time. It keeps them safe and gives them those ambush points.

[Raul]

Btw, forgot to mention, because of the heavy rains my everyday lake has turned into a mudhole, past weekend I went with a couple of pals, what soft plastics did we use ? shakey head rigged Zoom G tail ringer watermelon/red flake, Texas rigged SS U tale worm green pumpkin/red fished on the timber and we massacred them. They weren´t much in the mood to chase stuff so we had to fish right on the cover.

[BassAddict]

2 things come to mind for me with your question Keith. The bait will change color with the water color to be more camoflauged. So green pumpkin in greenish water is probably more normal for the fish. 2nd... a bass can see 3 times better through the water than we can. Just because we loose sight of the bait after 6 " doesn't mean the bass does. He may still see it 2' away. Add the vibration/flash and it all makes since.