What’s the strategy for fishing water that looks like chocolate milk?

[Darth-Baiter]

Happily it’s raining again in my area.  Hard. Things got “biblical” several weeks ago and our local (smaller) lakes filled to capacity dang near overnight.   It hasn’t had a chance to calm down.  Steady rain more often than not. 
 

I just drove by a lake and it’s chocolate milk.    There’s giants in there, but I have no real experience with such muddy looking water.  
 

I think a Neko rigged bkack blue worm or Junebug?  It’s been cold. I suspect bass are deeper in the 50 deg water. 
 

any help on some type of starting point?

[Columbia Craw]

Heat it up and add some little marshmallows.

[MickD]

Go hunting.

 

[OldManLure]

Silver spoon with marshmallow trailer.

[GaryH]

Spinner or chatter baits usually white/chartreuse. Bright color crank with rattle. If soft plastic solid black. 

 

[Glenn]

 

[Bird]

I'm not a fan of those conditions but have had some success TIGHT up against the banks.

Big bladed spinnerbaits also will land a fish or 2 but my vote is up against the bank. Imo

 

[Team9nine]

3 minutes ago, Bird said:

I'm not a fan of those conditions but have had some success TIGHT up against the banks.

Big bladed spinnerbaits also will land a fish or 2 but my vote is up against the bank. Imo

 

 

THIS ^^ for sure, especially if you can find a slightly steeper bank with immediate access to 2-3 ft of water or more (vs. a flatter beach-type sloping bank). The other thing I'd add is to search out any tiny pocket of even marginally clearer water. Lots of little sneaky spots that can fit the bill here, but every little bit of clarity helps in true mud. I'd also go slow and vertical in cover. Tough to beat a jig or large plastic (oversize beaver); something you can put in a small place and keep it there.

[cyclops2]

High fast water jams all the fish to some FEEDING SPOTS.  

[DitchPanda]

I'm with @Bird..go shallow. Rising water in my experience tends to push bass shallow regardless of water temp or time of year. Slow rolled Colorado blade spinner bait or dark colored jig with a good size trailer fished up shallow around any brush or lay downs newly submerged should produce I'd think. Also if you can find any creeks running in there should be bass around.

[LrgmouthShad]

Another vote for a thumping spinnerbait.  In this case, a big single colorado. Slow and tight to something the bass can hold their nose against and keep warm

[Choporoz]

I fish Lake Yoohoo often.  @Bird and @Team9nine and @DitchPanda advice is perfect.  Shallow wood....tight to shallow wood

[scaleface]

The muddier the water the shallower and closer to cover the bass will be . So fish tight to cover . I have had good luck with jigs , texas rigs  , spinnerbats and  cranks .

[Bluebasser86]

Cold, muddy water is one of the few conditions that will keep me at the house. I wouldn't fish deep, that's for sure. Do like others suggested and try shallow with a Colorado bladed spinnerbait or bladed jig in a dark color. 

[thediscochef]

3 hours ago, GaryH said:

Spinner or chatter baits usually white/chartreuse. Bright color crank with rattle. If soft plastic solid black. 

 

This right here is how I do it. Noise and flash. I've also done well with black chatterbaits and silver chatterbaits. Pearl jam trailers of some variety. My go-to for super muddy water is a chartreuse chatterbait with a watermelon pearl jam plastic on it. 

[Hammer 4]

Bass will use their lateral line to locate prey, so any thing that has a good thump to it is the way I would go about fishing in muddy water.

[ATA]

by year 2015 I was going to a city pond with same situation, Visibility ZILCH, Every said bladed/vibrating chartreuse and black color, I would say that they worked but I catch the most bass on two lures:

Dark Blue DD 22 Norman crank bait and Megabass 110+ bluegill color.

[Deleted account]

This time of year? Find something else to do.

[the reel ess]

Jigs, T rigs or spinnerbaits near shallow wood cover. In very muddy water they have a tendency to hang on to a piece of wood. If you can add sound, do so. On the T rig I like a bead between the hook and weight. I have a "nighttime" spinnerbait. It's heavy and black with a big black Colorado blade that works sometimes. You can reel it so slow it's barely moving. Bump it off the wood cover.

 

edit: I just looked at your 10 day forecast. I would find another hobby for a couple weeks. I'm still fishing here in SC, but eagerly awaiting late winter/early spring/prespawn.

[cyclops2]

Shoals & bridge supports in fast dark water. Or way up feeder streams.

[volzfan59]

Usually I'd stay home, but I have had success throwing a dark spinnerbait with the biggest copper Colorado blade I have. Also caught a few on a fire tiger lipless.

 

[BassNJake]

When asked about fishing muddy water ; I remember someone (I think Denny Brauer) saying, what do you do in the dark when you cant see?

You find a wall or some type of landmark(couch) and move down the edge towards your destination

 

A bass does the same thing except their destination is food

So find a break wall, rip rap, creek channel and start there looking for pieces of cover or ambush points with some type of current across it

 

He also said you know how they say an animal has 100X the senses that a human has

They also say that when humans lose the ability of one of the senses the others are increased

So noise and scent became even larger factors when fishing muddy water

 

Seemed to make sense to my pea brain

[Bankc]

Go shallow and get loud.  And stay close to cover.  Also, slow it down and try lots of repeat casts to good cover.  

 

Now, it being winter and muddy probably means you won't have much success.  The bass will likely be more willing to wait this weather out before picking up feeding again.  With slow metabolisms, it might make more sense to conserve the energy right now.  But if there's one thing that I've learned about bass fishing, it's that whatever I think I know is often wrong.  So it's probably worth a try anyway.  

[flyfisher]

cold is fine and muddy is fine but cold and muddy I haven't had much success.  Current breaks and tight to cover are the only places I have found them in moving water.

 

[Darth-Baiter]

There is this book I’ve been meaning to finish. Haha. 
 

thanks you all.