Dirty water crank

[Mbirdsley]

I fish the Tittabawassee And Saginaw rivers a lot.  The Tittabawassee merges with the Shiawassee to form the Saginaw river In Saginaw mi.  In past years both rivers have had a light dirty stain to them.  With the recent  dam failures and loosing the two lakes wixom and lake Sanford which, were about 30 and 40 miles up stream on the Tittabawassee.  Both rivers are basically chocolate milk with sediment And on good day might be 1-2 ft.  Probably will be for a long time untill  they either repair ( 5 years at the earliest ) or Until the Former lake bottoms grow vegetation.

 

titbawassee is a shallower but avg 6-7 feet and the holes can be 14 feet deep.  Saginaw averages 8-9 feet deep ( with some 15-20 ft holes)  untill you get to the shipping channel north of the city where it is 30 ft deep.  I havnt ventured up there much. 
 

 Now I still catch fish on blue/black jigs or swim jigs. I can’t catch bass on a crank on these rivers to save my life.  I’d like to get cranks going before the end of the year.  I’m assuming darker colored cranks with loud rattles.  I’m open to suggestions for sunny and cloudy days.  Most of my cranks are natural colored. 

 

both rivers were known for smallies.  I caught 5 large mouths today.  Talk on the street is the large mouths were washed down stream from the lakes and have taken up residence. 

[Dens228]

I'd use something with Chartreuse, and like you said, a good rattle. 

[scaleface]

The Bomber Flat A is what I used on the Mississippi .I dont get out on the big river anymore . It rattles like a lipless . I use the long billed one in chartreuse .

[Spankey]

Chartreuse w/ black back, Black, Dark olive, Browns (muddy river, brown tiger), purples. These are colors/patterns I have ready to tie on in stained conditions. But don't rule out natural and shad colors working. Crankbait colors and success in certain water clarity conditions are not etched in stone. They are reaction strike baits. I guess following the basics.

 

I believe I can catch a bass anywhere in this country, within reason, lake or river in the normal, with water that is fishable with a Bomber Model "A" in Firetiger. THIS SEASON I HAVE NOT caught one bass on a firetiger. It played on my mind a bit. Tried to reason with it and have come up empty. Many other patterns have been working. I'll continue to throw it some, hope for the best but if I go all season and no bass on a firetiger. I will not be able to live by that statement anymore. My confidence will be shattered. Good luck with your Crankbait fishing.

[jimmyjoe]

   I fish the Muddy Mississippi. I'm a shorecaster, so the water I can reach is mostly shallow. I work on contrast; The darker the weather or muddier the water, the lighter the lure color. The brighter the sun or the shallower the presentation, the darker the lure color.

   It's been said that LMB only see green and red as we do; all other colors are in grey scale. So take a bunch of different color cranks, line them up in natural sunlight, and take a black and white photo of them. (Hope you can still find a film camera and B&W film!) Take a sharpie and notate the colors above the lures, so you'll know the original color at a glance. The reason I say this is that when you look at the colored lures in black and white, you may not recognize them at all. They can look that different.

   Then make your decision of which lure to throw based on the grey density of the black and white photo. 

   Hope this helps.      jj

[Angry John]

In muddy water I would grab a 5xd in white chartreuse back.  If that runs to deep shift to a 3xd.

[garroyo130]

Stick to the proven color scheme? 

 

[Mbirdsley]

7 hours ago, garroyo130 said:

Stick to the proven color scheme? 

 

I saw this and I love it.  I just wish it would dive 4-8 feet or deeper.  I think I’ll get it any how 

[jimmyjoe]

9 minutes ago, Mbirdsley said:

I saw this and I love it.  I just wish it would dive 4-8 feet or deeper.

 

   If you have a rod that's powerful enough, a 1/2 to3/4 oz. sinker ahead of the lure will accomplish what you want.   jj

[Mbirdsley]

I just ordered the 6th sense black and blue square bill along with these.  Also, an all black bandit 300.  I do have a lot of white cranks.  It would make sense to throw those on cloudy days and the black on sunny days.  
 

actualy now that I’m thinking about it and looking back the white ones do work better cloudy days 

[Bluebasser86]

On 8/21/2020 at 8:11 PM, Mbirdsley said:

I saw this and I love it.  I just wish it would dive 4-8 feet or deeper.  I think I’ll get it any how 

6th Sense offers their Cloud 9 in the Black Magic color also.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/6th_Sense_Cloud_9_Series_Crankbaits/descpage-6SC10.html

[Mbirdsley]

48 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

6th Sense offers their Cloud 9 in the Black Magic color also.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/6th_Sense_Cloud_9_Series_Crankbaits/descpage-6SC10.html

Darn you the monkey is upset.  I just put the order in like 2 hrs ago.  I’ll see how these work and maybe order that later