Need Help

[Hunter Drake]

Ive lived and fished bass my entire life in upstate ny. All of our lakes are crystal clear so my tackle box is all geared towards clear water. Recently i moved to northern VA and ive noticed most if not all lakes in my area are muddy and im having a lot of trouble catching fish and im thinking it has a lot to do with lures/color selection. I was wondering if anyone has any tips on lures, colors, and presentations for these types of lakes, anything would help. Thanks.

[papajoe222]

Welcome to the board.

You'll likely get many replies recommending going to bigger lures that give off more vibration and sound to 'get the bass' attention.' That is sound advice, but I'd like to add that even in murkier water, bass will still use their sight when attacking prey the majority of time.  Reguardless of the style of lure, or the vibration/noise it gives off it needs to be close enough to attract the fish to it's location.  In clear water a fish can see your presentation from a distance and that is often all it takes to get their attention.  Many anglers have difficulty making the transition from clear to colored or murky water and these same anglers also have difficulty catching fish in clear water under cold front conditions. The obsticle to their success is not presenting their offering close enough to the fish under those conditions.

Any conditions that causes fish to reduce their strike zone, be it murky/muddy water, bright sunlight, cold front conditions, etc. need to be addressed with presentations within that zone. Even a big Colorado bladded spinnerbait run three feet away from a stick-up won't draw a bass out if it isn't willing to go more than a foot or so. I'm sure you've had smallies explode on a topwater from 30ft. in those clear lakes you left in NY. They may not travel 10ft. in stained or murky water to do so.  Work on getting your offering as close to the cover as possible and I'm sure you'll see improvement. Do it with a bright colored/noisy bait and you'll up your odds.

[fisherrw]

Use chart and sexy shad colors. Can't go wrong with those colors in muddy water

[Bluebasser86]

I fish mostly stained to muddy water and I do really well with black and blue or sapphire blue jigs or a few different colors of bladed jigs. 

 

Fish tend to be shallower and hold closer to cover in dirty water, making them easier to catch IMO. I've found it helps to slow down a bit since they have to locate your bait by feel rather than sight. 

[fayegarnett]

I'm the opposite. the ponds i fish in here in st. louis are all pretty stained and muddy. i do very well with water melon and green pumpkin plastics, but i also catch fish on white flukes and spinner. so sometimes i feel like the color is not necessarily the most important factor. could be wrong though. what type of baits are you using and what colors? 

[smallieking]

put alil chartuese on ur cranks and spinnerbaits and start flipping black soft plastics and a black and blue jig and youll be golden. a black chatter bait is deadly in northern VA for me

[Sam]

Hunter, welcome to Virginia.

 

Watch those state police and the Town of Warrenton's two motorcycle cops when you drive on 29 and 17.

 

As for fishing in your area, please mark your 2015 calendar to attend the Richmond Fishing Expo at the Fairgrounds of Virginia, exit 104 off Interstate 95 on January 16, 17 and 18.

 

Here is the link to the event:  http://richmondfishingexpo.com/

 

You can see the baits that are used; pick up a copy of the Game and Inland Fisheries 2015 Freshwater Fishing in Virginia booklet; talk to the guides; and attend some seminars.

 

The 2015 Freshwater Fishing booklet has lists of places to fish in your area and throughout the state.

 

Hit the John Crews Missile Baits section and see John's baits and talk to John if he is there are some of his helpers about fishing in Virginia.

 

If you want to learn more about bass fishing in the Commonwealth may I suggest contacting a bass club in your area.  I don't know if there are any bass clubs left in the Culpeper area but there are some towards Lake Anna that you may find will welcome you.  You can also check out the B.A.S.S. Federation table at the Richmond Fishing Expo and ask them about local clubs or fishing in the Culpeper area.

 

And speak with the various guides. They love to give you suggestions on fishing the local waters.

 

You can also go to the top of this Forum's pages and look at "Links" and then follow the prompts until you find the Virginia Bass Clubs list.

 

And on the way to and from the Expo you can stop at Green Top and Bass Pro Shops and speak to the bass fishermen at both stores.  Just be sure the guys you speak with fish  for bass.  Check out both locations on the Internet for their locations (along (-95) and put their addresses in your GPS.

 

Good luck and welcome to the land where when it snows everyone runs to the grocery store and then drives into a ditch!!!!!

 

Merry Christmas!

[Sam]

Hunter, I messed up.

 

The exit off I-95 is the one before exit 104, Exit 98, the Kings Dominion exit.

 

Hit Route 3 to Fredericksburg and then head south on I-95.

 

Just look for the Kings Dominion sign on I-95 and the park is about a mile east of the PKD entrance.

 

Green Top and BPS are south of PKD. Look up their addresses and hit them, too.

 

You will enjoy the show and learn a lot about Virginia's waters.

 

Now go out and do what the guys have told you to do on fishing stained and dirty water.

[WRB]

Bass have no problem finding you lures, if the baitfish are similar colors. Location and bass feeding activity is more important than color, as long as the colors have some contrast with faster moving lures.

Tom

[HoosierHawgs]

In muddy water, go black and never go back. That silhouette is a lot easier to see. I like big thumper Colorado spinnerbaits for muddy water. I also like loud rattling chartreuse crankbaits. A big black and blue jig with a large chunk is a big profile that also is easy to locate.