Spring staining
I am not going to complain! I am not going to complain! I am not going to complain! I am not going to complain! I am not going to complain!
I am not going to complain!
I am not going to complain about the rain!
I know we all really, really needed the raIn. And, yes, the Good Lord has blessed us with all the liquid sunshine. I can’t even imagine what a fourth year of a drought would look like…Definitely, the glass is over 1/2 full. Yup, we are all blessed!
With all the wonderful rain we have recieved, our local lakes are now full! All the lakes! With that, comes what I call “Spring Staining”. The lakes water are lookin’ like chocolate milk. It is far for the course. All of us anglers will be fishing in “Willie Wonka’s” chocolate milk for quite a while. It’s not gonna be easy. Adjustments to our approach will need to happen if you are gonna catch bass. Remember,
when your favorite lake appears to be chocolate milk, don’t turn around and head back home. At first, it might seem intimidating to fish for bass in muddy water. However, muddy water that is rising indicates more food, and more food indicates aggressive bass.
The bass can relax a little when they move into water that is significantly dirtier than it was previously because they know that predators can’t see them as easily. Read the article and learn how to fish more bass in muddy water.
Where to fish for bass in muddy water
* Bass frequently suspend off the bottom and cruise around in clear water while visually pursuing bait. When the water is muddy, the bass become cover-oriented, which is the main difference you’ll notice. That implies that they might lock onto the bottom and prod around while their noses are buried in a gravelly area. Or they might just relax next to a stump in two feet of water, waiting to surprise passing prey. If you stop to think about it, bass essentially fish for a living every single day. It’s as simple as that: if they don’t eat, they die. Yes, because they have cold blood, there are some seasons of the year when their metabolism slows and they don’t eat as much.
However, being a predator and wanting to hunt and eat is typically what drives them the most.
Bass concentrate on using their lateral lines to sense vibration in murky water. This sense of movement compensates for their poor vision in murky water and enables them to hunt even when their vision is poor. Muddy water makes this obvious, but you can also see it when night fishing. Many of the same baits that work well in mud also work well at night.
Bass will look for the clearest water they can find in normally clear fisheries as long as there is baitfish present. After a rain, the creek’s mouth will have the dirtiest water because all of the muddy water is coming in from upstream.
The side of the lake opposite where the murky water hasn’t quite reached will be the best for bass fishing. The feeder stream mouth will have the cleanest water in a few days when the rest of the lake is muddy because it is currently flowing clear. In this clearer water, bass will gorge themselves. This can be thought of as a general guideline. But the availability of food is absolutely necessary. In crystal clear water, there won’t be many basses if the baitfish aren’t cooperative.
Heavy gear, heavy line, heavy hook
* Upsize the equipment for muddy water. A straight braid is preferable because the bass won’t detect the braided line. This enables a power fishing technique that can rip bass out of the denser cover. Normally, when visibility is good, I advise braid to the leader. A straight braid is a good choice because there is little chance that the bass will see the line. Crankbait fishing would be the sole exception. Use fluorocarbon or mono to make baits run deeper. Particularly mono provides better stretch to keep bass pinned on those tiny treble hooks. It is excellent for absorbing shocks as well.
Best lures to catch Muddy Water Bass
* We are reminded that spring rains bring muddy water, which reduces visibility and makes bass fishing even more difficult as rivers, streams, and creeks across the nation start to flood.Turbid inflows are especially disruptive in fish spawning lakes because the dirty, typically colder water will knock fish off their beds.After the bedding season, anglers trying to trick bass with artificials must pay attention and make adjustments in any murky water situation. It all comes down to making your bait more visible to fish.
Switch to bigger lures
* Large-profile baits offer a significant visual cue and move more water than smaller baits, enabling fish to “feel” something coming through the murk. Choose a bigger worm for your Texas rig, enlarge your jig trailers, or attach a full-size topwater plug.
Reach for louder baits
* Whatever the type of bait—crackles, jigs, top waters, or frogs—with an internal rattle, fish have an audible guide to follow. Strikes can also be triggered by ramming Texasrigged baits into the cover or bumping rocks or stumps with square bills.
Choose baits with vibration
* Each spring, lipless crankbaits make a profit because bass responds to their tremor-like motion created by the shuddering motion of these lures. The “thump” that draws fish to your spinnerbait is also produced by Colorado blades.
Brighten up your lure color choices
* When the water is murky, don’t be afraid to get creative with colors. Adding a little chartreuse or orange dye to baits will increase contrast.
For instance, Texas angler Dustin Grice alters his spinnerbaits by adding chartreuse and white willow-leaf blades with a complementary chartreuse/ white skirt. For brown bass, that’s nothing new, but according to Grice, the tactic also draws in green bass.
Best baits to catch muddy Water Bass
* To put it simply, you should use lures that vibrate or flash to attract attention. Effective alternatives include:
Spinnerbait
* Water is moved quickly by a large, flashy profile. You should make sure that at least one of the blades is a Colorado.
Crankbaits
* Squarebills and other shallow divers shimmy through the murky water. Make sure to deflect off any cover you come across.
Bladed Swim Jigs
* Strong on the visuals and vibes, this one works best with a big swimming tail like a Gamble Big EZ or a Yamamoto Heart Tail Worm.
Jigs
* When you find a promising spot (logs, a laydown, etc.) with the “moving” baits, pick it apart with a dark-colored flipping jig. In muddy water, jigs with rattles work best, and a large, active trailer is the way to go.
Texas Rigs
* Anything with substantial mass and water-moving appendages, such as large worms or wide-bodied creatures, will work as bait. Similar to jig rattles, adding a bead to these rigs’ accents creates clicking sounds that attract fish.
What else you need to know about fishing for bass In muddy water
* In the mud, the bass still actively bites. Look for them to relate to the bottom or to a tight covering. Color, sound, and vibration should all be considered when choosing your baits. Choose solid colors that either catch a lot of light and reflect it or help a bait stand out against the plain, muddy background.