Muddy Water…These 3 Tips Will Double Your Success Rate…

Randy Give some tips and advice on how to catch bass all year long on muddy water lakes and rivers…##fishing #fishthemoment #bass #bassmaster #bassmasteropens #mlf #muddywater 

[@catchofthedave8681]

I always considered fishing muddy water a strength of mine. When we'd get hit with storms, id be going to lakes. They were predictable. I would find where current or runoff was pouring into the lake, set up there, and catch them. Even further out on the lake, i knew they were hugging structure tighter and very shallow. I had many good days fishing dirty water... I can just read the water. But last year there was a tourney on a lake in ky, and the week of tourney the lake rose about 8 ft, and it became that chocolate milk water. I thought...good im going to win this tourney, everyone elses patterns are shot. So I put in by the river end of the lake. Then as im going back to a few areas, I notice theres a shad spawn going on too.....right up against the bank. I saw them everywhere, but not once did I see any shad get blown up on. I fished harder than I ever fished in my life that day, I found some waterfalls into the lake, some current breaks....I blanked on the tourney. The water was just too muddy where I was, like chocolate milk. Guys that did well put in other end of the lake by the dam where there was still some clearer water. The river end was blown out. Thats when I realized, water can get too muddy where it shuts everything down, just like you said.

[@BobbyBushae-ow6gg]

Meet in the middle! This was a great read!

[@micheledaugherty275]

Great tips here Randy..Stay away from the muddy water when it is cold. I like running a 1/2 oz . Spinnerbait with a #6 or #7 single Colorado blade either a gold or copper blade

[@rhansen435]

Hi Randy,thank you for the very informative videos! Best of luck this tournament season!

[@davidroberts2476]

Thanks for the tips, Randy. My home lake close to my home is Ross Barnett Res. here in Ridgeland, MS. The lake visibility is always 6-8 inches and if it hasn't been raining, maybe up to 9" visibility on a great day. Coming from living and fishing AZ lakes with 8-10ft visibility, now that I'm living here, the fishing is tough, tough, tough on Ross Barnett Res.

[@america1st827]

Thanks, very helpful.

[@baldesanchez4041]

Thank you Randy 🎣💯

[@johnfriar6423]

Wow this sounds like lake hartwell. Great video

[@keenabee795]

Man any tips for hartwell I fish the broken bridges a lot and around tugaloo

[@kevinwill8542]

Great info. Thanks

[@ronniemitchell9221]

Very good video... definitely a foundation to go off of...

[@colinjames2383]

This will help the California delta guys. Thanks Randy.

[@Jutenas]

Great content! Thanks

[@dclark583]

Great Tip's

[@ScruffyCityFishing]

Very applicable video for the Tennessee river as well.. loudon seems to stay muddy from fall until summer.

[@chundle09]

Thanks Randy. My home lake is beaver lake so I enjoy running way to the white and war eagle rivers to get more color. Or run out to grand lake. Love to power fish in dirty water with my big line and baits

[@danomite359]

Good one.

[@hwk611]

Hey Randy! Love your tips, do you think you could something on casting? Both baitcaster and spinning gear.

[@matthewc9965]

Some good juice right there…thanks

[@emoutdoors5661]

Great information. I was fishing in 46 degree water today with about a foot of visibility. Caught one 5 lber on a slow moving chatter bait, shallow water. Didn’t strike hard, line just got heavy. Very slow otherwise. No luck slow dragging a Carolina either. Should have tried the big Colorado blade spinnerbait.

[@SpookyRedz]

Love the info , down here we have to find clear water and we need a falling tide , but I’ve caught em when the Mississippi River was up to 15 ft in New Orleans water gets very dirty , naturally when the river is lower and clearer you will do better

[@danham3344]

Awesome, Awesome!! Thanks so much Randy. My home lake rarely has more than 8-12” visibility, EVER! Knowing about what temp ranges coincide with wood, grass, etc., is gold! Thanks again.

[@lao5960]

Lost a 7-10 lb rainbow trout other day in some muddy water was using a white trout magnet , didn't see how big the fish was till it was 1ft offshore, snapped my line with a roll when I was about to pull it in 😅😅 still fun but man!!!! Would of been my PB 😅

[@jamescaspersamanthalintner4767]

Randy I'd like to see a video on a pretty classic winter time fishing pattern fishing b****** what parts of the ditch do you guys Target in the winter time how do you break down a depression in a flat or the river channel going down the lake be very interesting to hear your point of view on it I've been fishing ditches for a while in the winter now but I'd love to have more information on it just an idea for a video with winter coming on. Thanks Randy love the channel

[@arkvidpro]

Another great bit of info. TOPIC SUGGESTION: Differences between brush piles for bass vs crappie. Can you tell the difference?

[@joeyhewitt7724]

1 week from today, I’ll fish a tournament on a tidal river that is normally muddy. Currently, we’re experiencing rare sustained frigid temps for us. Rain, sleet and snow. Water temps have already dropped to a range of 38-45. In this area, it will get down to 15 tonight and multiple nights this week in the 20s. Not much rip rap to fish, mostly wood and flat swampy banks. Some steep banks, but many with strong current. I’ve got the big Colorado blade spinner bait, bright color big squarebills and big jigs. Should be a challenge! Lol!

[@SpookyRedz]

Thanks for the darker jig though in dirty water

[@jerrygirdner2753]

Hey would like to see you do one on cool falling water in the fall. Had a small 20 boat derby on Cherokee Lake here in east Tennessee Sat. And it was tough, I had went down Thursday and fished from safe lite to about 1130 and had some very good fish on Crankbaits and on a jig, water temp was upper 50's both Thursday and Saturday, however the TVA was pulling water hard from Thursday thru Sat, its just a 3 fish limit and time is safe light to 1 pm. It took less than 6.5 lbs to win and they're were 9 boats that didn't catch a keeper. We fished everything and anything, we pulled back to the first drops and only had bites on banks that had the river channel running up to them. Not one too water bite not spinner sit or chatter bait, didn't get anything on a jig all day long, not one bite. Sorry so long was just wondering if you could shead some light on this problem this old man had this weekend, oh and we were fishing the river, it's where our derby took off from thanks again for the great tips. Stay safe out there on and off the water and Semper Fi from an old Marine!

[@johnfriar6423]

As I finished your video Randy, it made me think here at my home lake, lake hartwell bass fishing around rocky bank and water temp rise. Can you expound on how to make crank baits run smoothly in the water Thanks

[@335elkhunter]

So freaking much to remember.

[@slimetime4668]

Blade bait is probably the best cold muddy water bait…gold black back Damiki vault bailed me out so many days last winter…fished it just like a jig slowly lifting it up and down on points as well as pitching it around lay downs and just down the bank in areas I know they are there

[@mathiotoutdoors8464]

Great video Randy! Quick question, would you fish muddy shoreline that was created by light wind and boat traffic? Or would you fish the edge where the clean water meets the muddy water? Thanks! Keep up the awesome content.

[@funkymojo111]

If you are fishing from the bank, start with the closer target so you don't spook the ones farther out. If you're on a watercraft, start with the deeper waters OR, if you can throw down the shore without scaring off all the fish, bring your Lures down the shore starting closest first.

[@jddarby007]

I literally left muddy water a few hours ago with no bite and NOW I see this video 😂

[@dennishodson990]

Randy, On spinnerbaits, you stated #8 willow leaf. Then mentioned #7 or #8 Colorado blades. Is this referencing two separate set-ups?

[@joeys7519]

Our lake came up 70 feet and I cannot find a bite in this muddy highland reservoir

[@Shurmash]

Two words: Z-man Chatterbait. It moves so much water that the fish can't help but track it down. The Willow Vibe will work as well.

[@austincolt3306]

I wish lake Conroe and lake Houston had 15 foot clarity. Lol. I wouldn’t even be able to fish id be swimming.

[@academicmailbox7798]

On the movement of baits and things.

[@academicmailbox7798]

There are two basic kinds of water. That anglers are required to content with. In fishing. One is still water. The other type. Is moving water. As one gets to working. In slower water conditions. One is looking for ways. To make the bait lure 'do' something. In other words. Move. Have some action. Generate some noise. Or any combination of all of those. I've played around. A lot with techniques in muddy warm water (that was moving rapidly, and sometimes extremely rapidly). To an extent even. That when you look at it. You see very little distance in the water. And there could be a lot of water. Racing down through a channel. And you'd ask yourself. How is any fish supposed to respond to a bait? In that condition.

[@academicmailbox7798]

My experience of using the lightweight lures. As soon as you try to increase size of your lures. In any type of fishing. Conventional gear, fly fishing or anything. You automatically have problems. Because you need something. That will be lightweight enough to 'cast' (even though it is large in profile). In the first place. And at the same time. Is not so lightweight. That when it lands in the water. It somehow wants to swim, and get down in the water column. The gear tackle anglers. Have come up with those clever ways. Of adding all kinds of lips and bills. To the front of their baits. As a way to get around that. It gives you a lightweight lure. That is fun to throw. Fun to fish with. Works well in the water. And one can adjust things. Such as weights of hooks. In order to achieve a right balance. There is something that might be worth adding to that though. As some bass anglers. It seems that when they get to moving water. On the larger rivers. And species such as small mouth bass (that is a totally different environment to the one of still water conditions). It's daunting as a challenge. To make that adjustment. And in addition. Moving water at times. Can be colored water.

[@academicmailbox7798]

One of the things. With the conventional tackle lures. The plastic made variety. Which are really good to use in still water conditions. I think the reason. There could be this trend more and more. To oversize and overweight treble hooks on those. Is that anglers recognize. That to obtain 'speed' of the bait. In the water. Without that bait having to fight you a lot (a lightweight piece of plastic is going to act like an hydraulic break in the water). If you try to move it. Beyond a certain rate of retrieve. When you add heavier hooks to the plastic bait. It's going to start to operate. Less and less like a plastic retrieved lure. And more and more. Like a solid metal one. And metal lures. Whatever profile they come in. Can be worked through the water. At colossal speeds. Compared to lightweight ones. There are some occasions. Where you do just need. That faster speed of retrieve.

[@academicmailbox7798]

Similarly, the lightweight plastic lure. With the over weighted treble hooks (three over sized treble hooks are going to add a considerable weight on a small-ish plastic bait). If retrieved more slowly. In cold water conditions for example. Is going to just fish. At a deeper level in the water column. And that is something the angler might desire. In the colder temperature too. So in both cases. You can see. How these plastic lightweight baits. Equipped with these heavy treble hook components. Are going to cater to the angler's needs. In more than one temperature condition. And more than one speed of retrieve. That's why I think. They have become popular. That's not all though. I only wanted to add a final note. About 'heavy' metal (as in the really heavy metals like tungsten). That have arrived into lure designs.

[@academicmailbox7798]

In the same way. As some of those professional anglers. Might add heavier weight hooks. To their baits. And carry out a more aggressive stance. To their retrieval of that bait in the water. For instance. For warmer water conditions. In moving water current conditions. We can add some weight. For a totally different purpose. To enable us. To suspend the bait more. In the water and for longer. One of the things that one can experiment with. Using pieces of tungsten of different sizes. In moving water conditions. Is you'd think automatically. That something like tungsten (it could be the piece you use for a system like a drop shot). Would just hit the bottom of the river channel. Like you'd throw a rock into a hole in the ground. That was filled with air. And the thing about moving water. Is it plays havoc with what you think. Your weight fishing lures or bait systems. Are really doing. It's one of these things. That Kyle Welcher explained a little. About using his 'Livescope' systems. It offers one a way. To see what the bait is actually doing. Versus what you think it is.