# Bass fishing dirty water



## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

Today I am going to my local reservoir, and am going to be facing what many of us dread..Stained water.
Dirty water this time of year will scatter the bass, but will keep them shallow, because the low visibility water acts like a "security blanket", making them feel safer.
Some baits work better under these conditions, and proper color selection is a must.
Flat sided cranks, or square bills, in chartreuse or red will draw strikes, because these baits displace a lot of water. Also, Rat L Traps or Red Eye Shads are good choices because the rattle noise will grab the bass's attention. Chatterbaits also work very well, for the same reasons noted above.
Some guys like blue/black jigs for stained water, but it's been my experience that this set up works best in cooler water conditions. But remember, slow down your presentation to allow the fish time to locate your bait no matter what you use.
But today, my choice is the spinnerbait. Tandem willow leaf blades. This rig kicks up a lot of vibration, and works well when fish are starting into the fall feeding blast.
As a first choice, we are going to be throwing Strike King's Banshee, with a Zoom UV Speedcraw as a trailer.
Our area has had rain off and on for several days, and today is supposed to be cloudy early, with some light showers by afternoon, and a light breeze. Temps around 74F.
Apart from the stained water, conditions should be about perfect. Last year, we found bass schooling shad back where the river comes in, and wore them out on a day like today.
Hoping for the same results...Will let you know how we did..


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## Bassthumb (Aug 22, 2008)

I'm in the big black and blue jig corner for those conditions. Big, slow, rattle and dark for contrast helps I think. Surprisingly I have done well on a darker senko in those conditions too. You wouldn't think so because the senko is silent but results are results and I've done pretty good in stained water with them.


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## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

Got a few dinks on the spinnerbaits, then I got a four + on a floating worm. We got three keepers on the floaters, for a seven fish day. Water was only slightly stained (amazing), but high, scattering the fish.
View attachment 1


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## Dave_E (Apr 6, 2004)

Thanks, love your posts.

Isn't red one of the first colors to be filtered out under water? Would it be highly visible in a stained environment?

I like using noisy baits under those conditions too. Also something that displaces a good amount of water.


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## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

Dave_E said:


> Thanks, love your posts.
> 
> Isn't red one of the first colors to be filtered out under water? Would it be highly visible in a stained environment?
> 
> I like using noisy baits under those conditions too. Also something that displaces a good amount of water.


Red is a good stained water color, especially cold stained water. One of my best late winter early spring baits is a red Cordell Hot Spot I've had for ten years. Similar to a Rat L Trap.


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## kapposgd (Apr 10, 2012)

Dave_E said:


> Thanks, love your posts.
> 
> Isn't red one of the first colors to be filtered out under water? Would it be highly visible in a stained environment?
> 
> I like using noisy baits under those conditions too. Also something that displaces a good amount of water.


Red is a short wavelength color, it is the first color filtered out of clear water but the last to be filtered out of muddy water.


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## kapposgd (Apr 10, 2012)

Source: What fish see by Dr. Colin kayegama (or something like that). You can pick up a used one for 5 bucks on amazon, its a must read for steelhead fisherman but a lot of the concepts are applicable to bass fishing as well


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## laynhardwood (Dec 27, 2009)

I agree red is killer in cold water or water that is in the mid 40's up into the 50's in early spring and late fall. It is hard to think bass will chase baits when it's cold but they do. Every spring and fall I catch a bunch of fish on cranks.


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