What would you do ??

[FryDog62]

The Fall pattern was just starting here in Minnesota and the water temps just got into the upper 50’s.  Stage was set.  Then last night we had a major electrical storm and 3 inches of rain.  

 

I have the chance to go fishing in 2 days and won’t again for quite awhile. The water will be high and stirred up, and the fish could be spooked from the storm.  But it will be a full moon and I do have the opening in my schedule to get out.  

 

What would you choose - a local river that will be high and muddy but usually starts peaking now for big smallmouth - or a local lake that will have high water but is known for big largemouth?

 

Which body of water and what lures/techniques/depths would you choose?

 

[Russ E]

in my own experiences muddy water tends to shut off the Smallmouth bite a lot more than the the largemouth.

around here muddy water usually drives Largemouth shallow.

Smallmouth seem to all but disappear, until water clears back up.

that is on the Kansas lakes I fish. it may be different in Minnesota.

If the water is muddy I would try something that makes noise like a chatterbait, spinnerbait, or crankbait.

good luck

 

[A-Jay]

I'd be headed to that lake hoping to bump into a few of those fat fall green bass. 

Fish should be setting up shallow looking to feed up.

With water temps above 55 I'd be wanting to throwing something moving horizontally; a spinnerbait, swim jig, square bill & perhaps a rattle bait.

However if the unusually dirty water is present as you've described, I'd switch it up and fish low, but not necessarily slow.   Fishing in & around shallow cover could be the deal.  Maybe some wood ?  Jigs almost always play in that scenario.   

Might be all about mid-depth flats with decent deep water close but and  with shallow feeding areas up front.  Could be especially attractive if the weeds are dying off causing the bait to reposition.  Bass will be no doubt be close by.

Lastly, if the water is not as dirty as expected but does have a little color - break out that umbrella rig and have at it !

Good Luck

A-Jay

 

[FryDog62]

My guess is the river is muddy but the lake won’t be ... although a little green and swollen.

[jmcarriere]

2 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

My guess is the river is muddy but the lake won’t be ... although a little green and swollen.

Frydog i may be able to help i was just out on the 30th on a lake known for big largemouths and because of that warm spell we had here in MN the water temp was still in the mid 60s so depending on the lake it will be a tough bite.

[Bluebasser86]

Smallmouth are tough customers in dirty water, I'd be on the lake fishing shallow cover for green fish. 

[Oregon Native]

Go Green

[sully420]

I'd fish the lake the Largemouth bite has been pretty good lately. But I have a lot more experience on lakes than rivers. I fished a lake yesterday and the recent rain did Muddy up the water quite a bit and I think it affected the bite.

[FryDog62]

Well it was a full moon so I decided to go .... 

 

... muskie fishing !!

 

My son and I went for 5 hours until just after sunset last night.  No takers on the usual points, reefs, etc.  Just smaller snot-rockets...

 

Finally trolled around with my Panoptix Live Vu Down on and found a couple VERY large moving objects near the bottom - in 28 feet of water.

 

So since I’m a bass fisherman at heart, I found myself thinking all day about how to drop-shot that far down using a 17 inch sucker minnow ?!?

[geo g]

Dirty water, I would start with a rattletrap, crankbait, or if the wind is blowing a colorado blade spinnerbait until you find some fish.  When you find them try a zoom fluke.

[bigbill]

Fish a few days before the full moon and a few days past the full moon.

[sully420]

21 hours ago, FryDog62 said:

Well it was a full moon so I decided to go .... 

 

... muskie fishing !!

 

My son and I went for 5 hours until just after sunset last night.  No takers on the usual points, reefs, etc.  Just smaller snot-rockets...

 

Finally trolled around with my Panoptix Live Vu Down on and found a couple VERY large moving objects near the bottom - in 28 feet of water.

 

So since I’m a bass fisherman at heart, I found myself thinking all day about how to drop-shot that far down using a 17 inch sucker minnow ?!?

Muskie will take a 10" worm on a drop shot this time of year. Ive been working on a heavy duty musky drop shot set up to try at lake Harriet. Last yeat i got bit off a few time be big musky on a drop shot.

[FryDog62]

4 hours ago, sully420 said:

Muskie will take a 10" worm on a drop shot this time of year. Ive been working on a heavy duty musky drop shot set up to try at lake Harriet. Last yeat i got bit off a few time be big musky on a drop shot.

I’d like to see whatever you end up with... bite-offs are the concern.  Half tongue in cheek, but a big sucker minnow might get the muskies attention and not notice it’s on 75 lb fluorocarbon...  But if you can figure out how to rig a big worm that would be easier to maneuver.

[Bankbeater]

I would have gone to the lake and fished for largemouth. I like to fish around rain run off that flows into the lake. In muddy water I like red or orange rat-l-trap. 

[Further North]

I'm 90 miles due east of the Twin Cities...Water temps here are mid 60s...we had that same storm, pluss an all day rain on Saturday.

 

I went to a lake that's got smallies, largemouth, pike and muskies.

 

Caught one of each in about 4 hours.

 

I can live with that...