Should I just stick to dark, big, and loud for brown water?

[Riazuli]

Hey everyone, the Potomac is chocolate brown right now.  Should I just stick to dark colors, big lures, and loud/lots of vibration for lures?   Also going to add scent to whatever takes it...I don't even think a fish could see firetiger from a foot away in this water right now.  

[Sam]

Sure. No problem.

 

Then try a chartreuse color.

 

Followed by Firetiger.

 

If there are crabs where you are fishing, which may not happen due to all the freshwater that has entered the Potomac, go with a Moccasin Blue or a "blue base" plastic or crab imitation.

 

White spinnerbaits may be the answer. Black spinnerbaits or crankbaits may be the answer. Black painted lipless baits may be the answer. Sexy Shad may be the color. What about buzzbaits in white o black? Or dark blue?

 

Remember how bass search for prey: First, by feeling the vibrations in the water; second, by hearing the prey; and third, by seeing the prey.

 

Pick baits that you can mimic how a bass can feel their vibrations and then the presentations they are seeking.

 

However, you have to remember that the Potomac is a "different" type of river with all of its grass. Sometimes a silent presentation, like a Senko or shaky head or drop shot, can work wonders in the grass. I have caught the bass on a pink three-inch Senko on a drop shot rig in between clumps of grass on the Potomac. You have to experiment.

 

Also, learn how to punch through the grass with a heavy weight on the Potomac.

 

Experiment. The fun of bass fishing.

[Bluebasser86]

Baitfish, craws, and other prey items don't suddenly become bright/dark colored and make a lot of noise in dirty water and bass manage to find them just fine. Sure, those baits might work, but don't discount natural and silent baits just because the water is dirty. 

[Riazuli]

 

12 minutes ago, Sam said:

Sure. No problem.

 

Then try a chartreuse color.

 

Followed by Firetiger.

 

If there are crabs where you are fishing, which may not happen due to all the freshwater that has entered the Potomac, go with a Moccasin Blue or a "blue base" plastic or crab imitation.

 

White spinnerbaits may be the answer. Black spinnerbaits or crankbaits may be the answer. Black painted lipless baits may be the answer. Sexy Shad may be the color. What about buzzbaits in white o black? Or dark blue?

 

Remember how bass search for prey: First, by feeling the vibrations in the water; second, by hearing the prey; and third, by seeing the prey.

 

Pick baits that you can mimic how a bass can feel their vibrations and then the presentations they are seeking.

 

However, you have to remember that the Potomac is a "different" type of river with all of its grass. Sometimes a silent presentation, like a Senko or shaky head or drop shot, can work wonders in the grass. I have caught the bass on a pink three-inch Senko on a drop shot rig in between clumps of grass on the Potomac. You have to experiment.

 

Also, learn how to punch through the grass with a heavy weight on the Potomac.

 

Experiment. The fun of bass fishing.

Thanks a lot for your thought out comment.  I am eager to try to a lot of different techniques and have been stockpiling tackle over the winter for that purpose.  I just "full on" got back into bass fishin last summer after moving near the Potomac, while being a bass fisherman since I was little.  The river opened up a whole new world for me in terms of fishing, not to mention the abundance of lakes and ponds around here.  I'll end up trying just about everything before the summer is over, if not the spring! 

 

Edit: @Sam, where does scent rank on the order of how bass locate a lure/prey? 

3 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Baitfish, craws, and other prey items don't suddenly become bright/dark colored and make a lot of noise in dirty water and bass manage to find them just fine. Sure, those baits might work, but don't discount natural and silent baits just because the water is dirty. 

Would you go with bigger baits that are natural colored?  I plan to step up to 3/4 oz for a lot of stuff this wkd where I mainly fish 1/2 oz. 

[Bluebasser86]

12 minutes ago, Riazuli said:

Would you go with bigger baits that are natural colored?  I plan to step up to 3/4 oz for a lot of stuff this wkd where I mainly fish 1/2 oz. 

I'll usually go with a little larger baits yes. 

[Team9nine]

Sometimes it depends on the specific waterbody. Those that are naturally stained and just become more stained or muddy, big and loud seems to work fine. But in some normally very clear waters that suddenly become muddy, big and loud can sometimes be a turnoff, seeming to scare the fish more than attract them.

 

Whatever you choose to fish, slow and steady often wins out in muddy water.

[scaleface]

One of my favorite baits for "mud" is a jig n pig fished tight in downed trees and brush . Black and orange , or black and chartreuse . The Denny Brauer rattling jigs are an excellent choice .

[Choporoz]

You might also find that you don't have to go too far to find comparatively clearer water.  Tides plus currents plus the big winds we'll be getting today will all conspire to make things 'dynamic' this weekend.  I haven't been close to main stem yet this year, but grass is pretty sparse yet, from what I've seen. 

Conventional wisdom says they hold tight to laydowns when it is like this.  They may be, but I have found that often it is after a very slow drag away from the wood that I get bit.  Dunno if they follow it or or sitting off a bit.  So flip into the wood, but be patient dragging your lure away for the first 4-5 feet.  I haven't had a lot of action on cranks and chatterbaits yet, but I'm certain that is about to change.

[thinkingredneck]

Where I fish is always muddy.  Sometimes after a rain when it is really muddy, they like a topwater.

[Sam]

Edit: @Sam, where does scent rank on the order of how bass locate a lure/prey? 

 

Scent is also taste and it can cause the bass to hold onto your plastics a little longer, giving you more time to feel the bite and then set the hook.

 

Scent also is supposed to cover any other chemicals on the plastics, including any from your hands or while in storage.

 

Some scents claim they can be smelled by the bass. Scientific studies have said that the molecules from scents are too large to fit into the bass' nostrils, thereby making them a mute issue.

 

Lots of discussions on scents on this forum so please search for them and see what everyone says.

 

Check out MegaStrike on the Internet for information on what it does and how it works.

 

Using scent boils down to confidence. If you have confidence in it, then use it.

 

 

[Riazuli]

8 hours ago, Sam said:

Edit: @Sam, where does scent rank on the order of how bass locate a lure/prey? 

 

Scent is also taste and it can cause the bass to hold onto your plastics a little longer, giving you more time to feel the bite and then set the hook.

 

Scent also is supposed to cover any other chemicals on the plastics, including any from your hands or while in storage.

 

Some scents claim they can be smelled by the bass. Scientific studies have said that the molecules from scents are too large to fit into the bass' nostrils, thereby making them a mute issue.

 

Lots of discussions on scents on this forum so please search for them and see what everyone says.

 

Check out MegaStrike on the Internet for information on what it does and how it works.

 

Using scent boils down to confidence. If you have confidence in it, then use it.

 

 

Defintiely a confidence thing for me - seems like it's only increasing my odds, whatever those odds may be.