Hey PWF brothers –  I’m from central Texas so I fish mostly the clearer lakes near San Antonio and Austin, but recently I traveled up to Canton and fished the new Jordan.  Boy, was it muddy!  9” visibility!  

How have any of you had success in muddy water like that?  Topwater?  Chartreuse cranks?  Chatterbaits?  I tried all three but struck out on those last two baits.

Up to two weeks ago never had much success in muddy water at Jer Mar.  I would usually end up going to Long John Silver’s.   Then my son in law gave me a zoom ultra vibe speed worm in black with red flecks. I would just throw it and do a steady reel through the muddy water. Bang five bass in an hour ranging from 3 to 5 pounds.  We were fishing a ranch in Hempstead and they had a 5” rain the day before.Those speed worms are hard to find besides zoom I think Gambler makes a worm that is close to the zoom.  

It is called a Burner worm from Gambler. Funny how when you get old things just pop into your mind.

Originally Posted by Robert Lundin

Up to two weeks ago never had much success in muddy water at Jer Mar.  I would usually end up going to Long John Silver’s.   Then my son in law gave me a zoom ultra vibe speed worm in black with red flecks. I would just throw it and do a steady reel through the muddy water. Bang five bass in an hour ranging from 3 to 5 pounds.  We were fishing a ranch in Hempstead and they had a 5” rain the day before.Those speed worms are hard to find besides zoom I think Gambler makes a worm that is close to the zoom.  

Good info Bob. I have not tried this.

Excellent.  Thanks, Robert.

I fish Lake Ray Hubbard a lot and don't think there has been a time where the north end of the lake isn't muddy.  I tend to fish by the mouth of the creeks, which naturally move sediment, and do pretty well with low vis. On low vis days (6”) I found the fish are shallower than normal and have success with loud, flashy lures that displace a good amount of water or have a large silhouette.   For example, I like to throw either a chartreuse or dark spinner with a Colorado blade. I can retrieve it slowly and the Colorado blade moves alot of water. Chatterbait and square bill are also effective and the vibration and rattle provide a target for the bass to hone in on. If that doesn't work, I move to your classic jig (darker color) with a trailer. Super chunk or paca craw trailers work well as they both have a lot of movement and pushing a lot of water. The dark jig, and large profile from the skirt and trailer help provide another target and usually works when the faster moving baits just aren't working.  I also look for structure as the fish are holding pretty tight. 

Robert, I have been catching on the Epic Baits Quick Craw that is doing great on the bass by doing the same, slow reel through structure.

Those Epic Baits look like Zoom Ultravibe Speed Craws.

When I fish muddy or stained water, I throw dark colors.  You can’t go wrong with a weighless senko (black/blue fleck), 10” worm in a black/blue color, colorado blade with a golden blade, big blade chatterbait in a black/blue, black and blue jig or you can throw a dark colored crankbait, the smaller the better.

Was the Zoom worm texas rigged? 

Yes I rigged it Texas style with a 1/8 oz. Bullet weight.  Since that outing I've used them at Tear Drop site with success.  My grand daughter threw them too but she put a little pause in her retrieve. That worked too.

Originally Posted by Eric Carr

Fishing muddy water

Hey PWF brothers –  I’m from central Texas so I fish mostly the clearer lakes near San Antonio and Austin, but recently I traveled up to Canton and fished the new Jordan.  Boy, was it muddy!  9” visibility!  

How have any of you had success in muddy water like that?  Topwater?  Chartreuse cranks?  Chatterbaits?  I tried all three but struck out on those last two baits.

 

I fish a very muddy to stained property in PFW called “Backside of the Moon” and the only thing I throw is a black saphire creature bat. Occasionally they will hit a watermellon looking senko, but black/blue is the color. I was looking for a study I found about a year ago and they demonstrated with underwater cameras which baits were easier to see in muddy water. Blacks were the winner. Regardless here is an article with a very helpful Lure Color Selection chart. Fishing Lure Color Selection Chart https://tacklevillage.com/fishing-lure-color-selection-chart

Tactical Bassin is your friend! They have the best tutorials on Bass fishing available. Here is the latest video on muddy water, and dissecting the different types/conditions of muddy water. Use the search feature for more relevant videos.
https://youtu.be/8ONmqIPdw-s 

Another good worm you might look at is the Zoom G Tail. I fish it in black in muddy or dingy water. It’s a take off on the old Gator Tail worms. Displaces a lot of water.

One thing to also do is to have electronics to help locate fish. Ever since I got a DEEPER CHIRP, I have been able to find fish faster. This has made my fishing trips easier. Plus it records your trips. You can use it for bank fishing, or take a 3 foot long piece of line and tie it to the boat. This things has made fishing easier.

Deeper CHIRP Smart Sonar: Castable Echolot for Professional Fishing (deepersonar.com)

Those speed worms are great baits. They catch pretty good in clear water too. I swim them instead of fishing them on the bottom. Normally a black chatterbait is my go to for muddy water and cold days. I once caught an 8, a 10, and several 5+ pound fish on a muddy lake in January fishing one. I remember I had on two hoodies and I was so cold I would have left if I hadn’t been catching those bass. The Pit Boss plastics from Walmart make a good trailer that flails around a lot.