Fishing Dirty Water in Summer

[JZpowered]

Plan to fish a small lake that I haven’t done well at before but I know it holds good fish and I think will help me improve. 
 

Normal water vis was approx 2-3’ or less, stained and a little murky. Some coves had a bit clearer water.
 

There is an algae bloom advisory, and we got heavy rains this week and will get more before the weekend. I’m assuming this means dirty water. 
 

Deepest parts are approx 10-12ft by the dam,  and the lake is skinny with one main creek arm, and another shallow cove. Main cover is laydowns with some pads shallow.
 

I can find lots of guides on springtime muddy/dirty water but not summertime.

 

I’m thinking chatterbait, large profile flipping jig, potentially topwater very close up in cover. Bold colors. It might be wise to go up the creek arm if they have moved up there towards colder/fresh water? But I’m not sure about this.

 

How would you guys attack this? 

[scaleface]

 I fish stained to muddy water all the time . Bass are usually found close to cover and shallow . Whatever lure is chosen accurate under-hand cast and pitches are the most important thing . Get the lure right in there  and make it sound like a fleeing baitfish  not a walnut falling. So get the weight of the lure to match your gear  right, to make the cast easier .

[Darth-Baiter]

texas rig worm.  tiny tungsten weight, with a glass bead for some noise.  

 

i had really murky water this past weekend and the glass bead seemed to help.  maybe even just a placebo for me, but i did fairly well. 

[casts_by_fly]

4 hours ago, JZpowered said:

Plan to fish a small lake that I haven’t done well at before but I know it holds good fish and I think will help me improve. 
 

Normal water vis was approx 2-3’ or less, stained and a little murky. Some coves had a bit clearer water.
 

There is an algae bloom advisory, and we got heavy rains this week and will get more before the weekend. I’m assuming this means dirty water. 
 

Deepest parts are approx 10-12ft by the dam,  and the lake is skinny with one main creek arm, and another shallow cove. Main cover is laydowns with some pads shallow.
 

I can find lots of guides on springtime muddy/dirty water but not summertime.

 

I’m thinking chatterbait, large profile flipping jig, potentially topwater very close up in cover. Bold colors. It might be wise to go up the creek arm if they have moved up there towards colder/fresh water? But I’m not sure about this.

 

How would you guys attack this? 

 

I do what you said.  Algal blooms call for black and blue for me, one of the few times I use them here in north jersey since we normally have 4-10' visibility (and I go to GP and equivalents).  The cover determines the lure but a chatterbait or spinnerbait (single colorado!) is a starting point as a search lure.  A plopper if they are feeding on top.  A big bodied jig (swim and pitching both) with a high motion trailer (paddle tail or rage) if they aren't chasing anything.  if its a big creek with a lot of water then that might give you some relief from the bloom, but unlikely this time of year.  The algae moves quick and wind will stir up the water.

 

This was last september up this way.  Visibility less than a foot due to the bloom. 

 

 

[Captain Phil]

The lake where I normally fish is the poster child for murky water.  Algae booms are the norm in summer with visibility less than 2 feet. Like others have said, bass hold shallow and close to cover in those conditions.  It may take a number of casts to get their attention.  That is why so many people fail when fishing here.  They cast with their foot on the trolling motor switch.  They cover a lot of water, but they don't catch fish consistantly.  To do so, you must slow down and fish everything thoroughly. Dark colors like, junebug, all black and black/blue work best.  Paddle tail and vibrator worms help.  There was a time when we glued rattles in our baits.  Today's worm designs make this unnecessary.  Any vibrating lure that you can fish close to clover will work.  My favorites are spinnerbaits.  I don't fish many blade jigs, but I am sure they would do well.  Some of my friends like crankbaits and Rattle Traps.   The best hard bait color in murky water is Chartreuse.  Fire Tiger baits are excellent.  Dirty water is excellent flipping water. Anything that you can drop on a bass's head will work.

 

Top water is clear water fishing.  Unless you can find clear water, you are wasting your time fishing top water in the murk.  

[LrgmouthShad]

I would fish the pads shallow with a spinnerbait or if on a bluebird day, perhaps punching, work the dam area with several bait options anywhere I can find wood, and check out that creek arm with the same

[DaubsNU1]

Most of the lakes I fish here in Nebraska have visibility less than 1-2'

 

I catch bass on all kinds of lures -- spinner baits, jigs, cranks, Senko's, NED, drop shot, chatterbaits, t-rigged plastics, Slug-Go, square-bill, etc.

 

Green pumpkin has been my go-to color for a long time for plastics.

[LrgmouthShad]

3ft ain’t murky. 2ft is getting there. THIS is dirty water

[FrnkNsteen]

Agree with previous suggestions of whopper plopper if overcast, or colorado spinnerbait. Something with a thump. Maybe a buzzbait.

[gim]

I routinely fish a lake about 40 mins away this time of year with water that looks like pea soup. It’s plum full of algae. The fishing has been very good there the past couple years though. Bright colored lures are my best producers. White, neon green, and chartreuse colors have all produced for me in this murky water.

 

@LrgmouthShad that is some seriously soupy water lol

[LrgmouthShad]

36 minutes ago, gimruis said:

 

@LrgmouthShad that is some seriously soupy water lol

Beloved ol muddy pond. I think I didn’t catch anything there my first six times fishing it. Now I’ve caught three over 6lbs in the past two years fishing there. I joined BR shortly after I started catching fish out of there ??

[thediscochef]

34 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Beloved ol muddy pond. I think I didn’t catch anything there my first six times fishing it. Now I’ve caught three over 6lbs in the past two years fishing there. I joined BR shortly after I started catching fish out of there ??

We aren't so different, you and I. Lol. I started really catching bass last summer at a city pond that gets trout stocked in the winter, cats in the summer. So many people out there fishing, all of them using big creatures or swimbaits or crankbaits. Visibility in most spots is maaaaybe a foot. I started posting here and also fishing Lake Ray Roberts with seriousness about the time they started stocking trout and I was getting bored with constant 1-2lb bass. The only thing I DO miss was fishing with an audience lol
for that muddy water I go "flash and crash", for pressured muddy water I go "tiny flash and crash". DFW public waters are heavily pressured, so it's usually the latter. I'd suggest a chatterbait micro or a chatterbait minimax 1/4oz.  Almost always catches me something if there's something to be had. I usually go white and chartreuse but I've done well with black too.

[DitchPanda]

Don't ask me how to catch summer bass..apparently in the past 2 weeks I've completely forgotten.

[thediscochef]

2 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

Don't ask me how to catch summer bass..apparently in the past 2 weeks I've completely forgotten.

naw they just forgot how to eat

[king fisher]

The rainy season starts in July here.  By August the visibility is less than a foot, and some days less than 6 inches.  The bass move to the flooded flats, buzz baits and frogs is what works best. 

[DitchPanda]

18 minutes ago, thediscochef said:

naw they just forgot how to eat

Thanks buddy

[LrgmouthShad]

22 minutes ago, thediscochef said:

for that muddy water I go "flash and crash"

That is where I started on that pond, seems to work most places but not there. Those bass do not like anything aggressive. They like plastics and little else. Took me longer than it should have to figure out.

[thediscochef]

2 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

That is where I started on that pond, seems to work most places but not there. Those bass do not like anything aggressive. They like plastics and little else. Took me longer than it should have to figure out.

See the pond I was at only liked tiny flash and crash...you get over a 2/0 hook and it'll never have anything on it. Lipless crank? forget about it. The only lure I've ever actually seen work there is the chatterbait micro now that I think about it. everyone else is either using larger lures or actual baits

[scaleface]

15 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

3ft ain’t murky. 2ft is getting there. THIS is dirty water

...and I catch bass in water like that . A  good lure is a black spinnerbait with copper blades . Even in muddy water I prefer a main willow over a Colorado most days . The bass will know its there . I think the copper works well because the flash is muted , so when the bass is close enough to see it , the black skirt is a better target .

[LrgmouthShad]

19 minutes ago, scaleface said:

...and I catch bass in water like that

Of course you do! I’ve seen pics from just this year of you doing that ?

8 hours ago, thediscochef said:

The only lure I've ever actually seen work there is the chatterbait micro now that I think about it

That’s wild actually

[scaleface]

27 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Of course you do! I’ve seen pics from just this year of you doing that ?

Your profile pic is in water like that .

[Cbump]

For me, a green pumpkin creature bait such as a rage bug, half oz weight, pitching around lay downs. 

[casts_by_fly]

45 minutes ago, Cbump said:

For me, a green pumpkin creature bait such as a rage bug, half oz weight, pitching around lay downs. 

 

In water that is dirtied from mud I would agree with you, but in these algal blooms I've not seen GP or variants produce.  That color just disappears in the water.  

[Cbump]

2 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

 

In water that is dirtied from mud I would agree with you, but in these algal blooms I've not seen GP or variants produce.  That color just disappears in the water.  

? I haven’t encountered that on the big reservoirs I fish down south. Typically in muddy water this time of year, if you want to fish shallow, you’re looking at pitching a creature around. In my experience, the fish seem to get lazy up shallow and you have to put It right in their face.  So moving baits like spinnerbaits and such don’t work as well for me right now. 

[casts_by_fly]

On 7/26/2022 at 12:09 PM, JZpowered said:

Plan to fish a small lake that I haven’t done well at before but I know it holds good fish and I think will help me improve. 
 

Normal water vis was approx 2-3’ or less, stained and a little murky. Some coves had a bit clearer water.
 

There is an algae bloom advisory, and we got heavy rains this week and will get more before the weekend. I’m assuming this means dirty water. 
 

Deepest parts are approx 10-12ft by the dam,  and the lake is skinny with one main creek arm, and another shallow cove. Main cover is laydowns with some pads shallow.
 

I can find lots of guides on springtime muddy/dirty water but not summertime.

 

I’m thinking chatterbait, large profile flipping jig, potentially topwater very close up in cover. Bold colors. It might be wise to go up the creek arm if they have moved up there towards colder/fresh water? But I’m not sure about this.

 

How would you guys attack this? 

 

 

I went out this morning to one of my locals up here that did NOT have a HAB advisory.  I launched at 4 and the visibility was <12" with a flashlight which was odd.  After the sun came up it was clear that it was algal bloom.  I swapped colors and got into a couple.  Black and blue chatterbait like I said above.

 

Biggest 18.5" and 3-09.

 

which lake were you looking at?