Fishin' in the poo...

[grinandbearit30]

With all the rain my local fishing holes (Ottawa and South Nation rivers) are a little murkier/muddier than usual..I think my lack of experience with bait selection (or in general) is making things much harder than they should be. I have been trying with a white Booyah spinnerbait as it seemed to make the most sense; disturbing the water and mixing things up...should I continue to try with this bait, or do others have tips or recommendations to help me hook my first big one of the year.

[SBCregal]

i tend to go bigger, brighter and louder in muddy/murky water...but i dont catch a helluvalot of fish so that may not be the right tactic

 

ryan

[MCTFisher9120]

I'm not a expert on murky water but try a buzzbait bite, perhaps early morning or evening...White, black, orange color should not matter as it's the noise and vibration that brings them up. Another would be a crankbait, try something silver or chartreuse.

 

MTBF

[steve barrett]

Throw in a fat dew worm.The fish know it's there.A natural food source they will find it. Steve

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

noise/disturbance in the water, high vis colour patterns, and/or scent can help your chances.

 

also, look for variations in the water colouration. fish along the edge of these variations in water clarity- things like where tribs flow into the river, backwater eddies where the water is even dirtier etc... in the st. mary's river one of my best nights of fishing i've had was on the edge of a VERY dirty floodway after a rain. the walleye stacked up right on the edge of where the dirtiest water met the main flow of the river... fish in a barrel man, fish in a barrel...

[MCTFisher9120]

Throw in a fat dew worm.The fish know it's there.A natural food source they will find it. Steve

 

not saying they don't work but are they natural? maybe due to us fisherman...

[grinandbearit30]

I'm not a expert on murky water but try a buzzbait bite, perhaps early morning or evening...White, black, orange color should not matter as it's the noise and vibration that brings them up. Another would be a crankbait, try something silver or chartreuse.

 

MTBF

 

I had to look up what chartreuse was..only to realize its bright yellow in man speak.

[SBCregal]

its chartreuse in FISHERMANS speak

[grinandbearit30]

its chartreuse in FISHERMANS speak

lol..my colour wheel is pretty small I guess.

[Leecher]

I would try a 5" Gulp sinking minnow black tipped onto a #4 Octopus hook wacky style or a 7" minnow worm pumpkinseed.... locate structure like fallen trees, humps and stomps and work them hard

Leechman

[splashhopper]

Top-water..... splish splash... make some noise... let them find YOU,, instead of the other way around

[spinnerbaitking]

bigger colorado blades Black or Red Spinnerbaits or shallow diving fat bright crankbait with rattles

Richard

[Rich]

What color do fish turn in muddy water?

 

WHITE.

 

Do they increase in size?

 

NO.

 

Do they stop eating because they can't see?

 

NO.

 

Get as close to the cover you are fishing as possible.. that is the trick to muddy water. Whatever lure you're throwing will probably work. Being white doesn't hurt.

[smally21]

fishing in really dark water is tough on my confidence. its especially difficult if you are used to clear northern lakes where i cansee my lure most of the time. somehow i get this idea that if i cant see how could the fish? i imagine a bunch of bass with dark glasses feeling their way along the bottom with sticks to avoid collisions with stationary objects. of course the fish have 50 million years of hunting skills and they live in that water every day,relying on senses like smell and sensing vibration. as always Rich you have a great way of putting things

[grinandbearit30]

From the information in the replies on this post I believe my method is sound..maybe there were just no fish around.

[JohnF]

What color do fish turn in muddy water?

 

WHITE.

 

Do they increase in size?

 

NO.

 

Do they stop eating because they can't see?

 

NO.

 

Get as close to the cover you are fishing as possible.. that is the trick to muddy water. Whatever lure you're throwing will probably work. Being white doesn't hurt.

 

Stop being logical. Soon you'll be saying things like "A man really only needs one rod and reel." Sheesh!

 

JF

[Diltsy]

I have been working on spinnerbaits a lot this year and this is what I have come up with, for those murky water conditions you want to use a darker color skirt. I came about this for the same reason as you... lots of rain and muddy water. I simply tied a white spinner on and a black each on a small piece of fishing line and dropped them in to see which one stayed more visible the furthest down. So that is why I choose black. Then for blades you will want a gold colorado blade if it is sunny out, and a brightly painted (chartreuse) in cloudier conditions. The colorado blade with send off a lot more vibration as well as slow the presentation down a bit for the fish. Been working great for me, I fish mostly for bass and catch the odd pike here and there. Hope this helps!