Stained water - I’ve got some learning to do

[The Baron]

We have a lot of clear lakes up here.  The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence are the most extreme examples - 20+ ft. of visibility, at times can see the colour on the bottom in 30ft. of water.  Several back lakes I’ve been fishing are also fairly clear.  Well, we hit a new lake yesterday that we now know is very fertile and the water is quite stained - almost like watered down chocolate milk.  We caught a few on frogs in the pads/heat then over to dropshot but we really weren’t geared up for it.  We were fishing a step bank - from 1ft to 16-18ft. of water in a hurry and a clean bottom at depth.  Most of our fish came within 10ft. of the shore.  Now the challenge is on and I’ll be back in the school of YouTube in the evenings to get it sorted out.  lol
 

Anyone have any favorite presentations/baits they’d recommend?

[Deleted account]

I find a bit of stain makes the fishing better. Probably more a function of it being a different type of lake than the vis itself. There is different kinds of "stain", brown, green, black, tanic, to name a few. Unless we are talking a couple of inches of vis, not a lot changes. YMMVBIW.

[A-Jay]

I'd stick to presentations that were made very close to or on the bottom.

Texas rigged plastics & jigs. 

As well as focusing on shallow water cover (Hard & Soft).

Fishing super close to or right in it.

Always felt like bass living in those conditions use cover for a point of reference.

Rarely much going on in open water for me in that stuff. 

Perhaps watch @Bluebasser86 recent video.

Seems he's doing OK is similar conditions.

https://youtu.be/765T5RQZFa4?t=108

A-Jay

 

 

[Captain Phil]

Very little bass water in Florida is clear.  3-4 foot visibility is common with some waters less than 18".  In conditions like that, bass will be shallow and hold close to cover.  Visual presentations like top water lures don't work as well.  Lures that vibrate or flash work much better.  Fishing down a bank on 24 volt high is not the most productive way to go.  Slow down and make multiple casts from different directions.  Spinnersbaits are tailor made for this type of fishing. Not all lakes are good for flipping and pitching. If you can find heavy cover in deeper water, you can catch bass in the heat of summer.  Pads are bass condos. Knock on their door and they will answer.  ☺️

[scaleface]

To me stained water is much easier to fish than clear .I mostly use   Baitcasting gear with 12 lb test minimum and concentrate on  visible cover with spinnerbaits , buzzbaits , texas rigs , jigs... Casting accuracy is often  the difference between a few bass and a few dozen .Low trajectory precision casting and pitching is better than overhand lobs . There are no right of wrong ways to cast but there are better ways .

[casts_by_fly]

2 hours ago, The Baron said:

We have a lot of clear lakes up here.  The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence are the most extreme examples - 20+ ft. of visibility, at times can see the colour on the bottom in 30ft. of water.  Several back lakes I’ve been fishing are also fairly clear.  Well, we hit a new lake yesterday that we now know is very fertile and the water is quite stained - almost like watered down chocolate milk.  We caught a few on frogs in the pads/heat then over to dropshot but we really weren’t geared up for it.  We were fishing a step bank - from 1ft to 16-18ft. of water in a hurry and a clean bottom at depth.  Most of our fish came within 10ft. of the shore.  Now the challenge is on and I’ll be back in the school of YouTube in the evenings to get it sorted out.  lol
 

Anyone have any favorite presentations/baits they’d recommend?

 

What they've all said already.  I prefer stained water with 1-2' of visibility vs all of the clear water that we have here.  Stained water opens up a lot more options for lures.  I love a chatterbait in stained water (less so in clear water).  Similar for noisy topwaters (buzzbaits, ploppers).

 

I find that the type of staining will held drive color choices.  Tannic staining (where the water is clear but just looks like tea) is different to mud staining.  I bet you have some tannic water as its common in northern natural lakes.  In tannic water gold blades, copper colored crankbaits, and plastics with red/orange flash in them (canada craw) are better for me.  In muddy water chartreuse is a better highlight color.  If it is an algae bloom and green staining then black and blue for me.

[TnRiver46]

Purple worm 

[king fisher]

      It depends on three variables.  What is the visibility the bass are accustomed to, the degree of stain and what is the main forage.  If the bass are used to 20 foot visibility, and now it is four than they will react differently than if  the vis. is always 4 foot. If the bass are used to feeding on open water bait schools and the visibility drops to 2 foot, than they may have to change their diet, which in turn makes the bass change their location.  If the vis. is always the same, than the forage will remain the same.                                                                                                                                             My best big bass lake has 1.5 foot of visibility October - mid July.  The water temp. only varies a few degrees during this time, and all lures are on the table.  Top water works best, until the water level drops and the bass are forced it to deeper water, and crankbaits take over the top spot.

      When the rain comes the water visibility goes to less than a foot.  The first couple weeks with this poor visibility the fish move close to cover, and all moving baits quit working.  I have to pitch jigs, and plastics right in their face and work slowly.  Not my strength, but my only other choice is to stay home.  Once the fish get used to the poor visibility the top water bite starts to work again, especially buzz baits, and popping frogs, as well as spinnerbaits, square bills, and swimbaits.  This pattern works for the remainder of rainy season.

     Another lake I fish the visibility is always less than a foot, and the bass there are caught all year everywhere with everything.  From rocks, to punching mats, and even out in the open chasing bait.

     I prefer two to 6 foot of vis for bass fishing.  This visibility gives me the most options with location and gear.  Less than two foot, and I may have to slow down, more than 6 foot, and I may have to lean toward finesse techniques.                                                                                                       That is only what I prefer.  The bass don't have a preference, and will manage to find something to eat in 2 inch vis, to 30 foot visibility without any problems.

      

[Bankbeater]

In muddy water I like some kind of firetiger, or something with orange or red in it.  In stained water I look for the vegetation.  Depending on what is causing the stain the plant life will filter it.

[Basser2021]

On 8/8/2022 at 10:09 AM, The Baron said:

 

Anyone have any favorite presentations/baits they’d recommend?

I don't know what kind of cover is in there besides the pads you mentioned, but I would go with a white moving bait of some sort.

On 8/8/2022 at 1:06 PM, TnRiver46 said:

Purple worm 

Also a good option

[txchaser]

When you figure out how deep they are, put the boat shallower and smash a crankbait into the dropoff at that depth. Might need straight on, maybe 45 degrees, maybe parallel. Sometimes casting shallow cranking to deep works too, but I'd start with the opposite.

Also if there are weeds or some sort of shoreline cover that would give shade, pitching into that may yield results. 

 

[Jmilburn76]

I havent been able to figure out clear water enough to fish it. The lake I usually fish normally is a little murky. It has been crystal clear back in some creeks from time to time and the fish saw me way before I seen them.

[casts_by_fly]

57 minutes ago, Jmilburn76 said:

I havent been able to figure out clear water enough to fish it. The lake I usually fish normally is a little murky. It has been crystal clear back in some creeks from time to time and the fish saw me way before I seen them.

 

very clear water has its own set of problems.  Downsizing is the first port of call.  'quiet' baits also.  Long casts, and find some cover they can hide in.

[Mike L]

I hate deep clear water!

Here in Florida your equipment, bait choices, locations and presentations are more defined. 
 

If you know where and how to look for the “best” areas to fish relatively shallow stained water, the ability to target shoot your presentations while covering water can greatly increase your chances of success. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike