Why don't bass like the mud?

[Caiden24]

I have heard that bass don't like the muddy ground. Why is this? Thanks!

[Columbia Craw]

Bass may not utilize soft bottom areas during the spawn.  Hard bottoms or surfaces prevent the eggs for being silted over and generally provide clearer water for light penetration to aid in the incubation of the eggs.  
 

After the spawn soft bottoms can become feeding areas if crayfish that burrow are present. Bass adapt.  Smallmouth will be less inclined to frequent soft bottoms because wind or current surges or rapid tidal changes can stir the mud or silt and reduce visibility. Smallmouth are more of a sight feeder than large mouth.

These are generalities and not absolute.  There are also periods in the fall when baitfish get ultra shallow on flats that have “ mud” bottoms and running those flats can be really productive.

 

i fish tidal affected sloughs with what is considered a muddy bottom.  Those areas can be great.  So can transition ares where mud abuts rocky edges.  I target those edges.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

[Susky River Rat]

Something that stuck with me was why eat off the grass when you can eat off a a plate.  When they feed it’s easier to pin or eat something off the bottom on a hard surface over a muddy one

[Pat Brown]

Ain't been my experience at all.  I have caught my biggest fish this winter in muddy water.

 

I think all things being equal, bass prefer stained water but bass won't turn down warm muddy water in the winter if it's brought on by a warm rain and activates the food chain.

 

Baitfish is more important than water clarity.  I catch fish on frogs in 3 feet of water with 2" of visibility.

[Susky River Rat]

@Pat Brown he doesn’t meant water clarity from what I gather. He is talking about the bottom. I do love fishing muddy water as well. I do not like fishing mud bottoms

[Pat Brown]

3 minutes ago, Susky River Rat said:

@Pat Brown he doesn’t meant water clarity from what I gather. He is talking about the bottom. I do love fishing muddy water as well. I do not like fishing mud bottoms

 

 

I have found big fish on all types of bottom composition and it really depends on what debate fish are doing in my experience.  Muddy bottom requires adjustments just like heavy vegetation or anything.  It's not my favorite way to fish either but if that's where they are I'm going to try to get bit in that water.

 

When I'm fishing a muddy bottom, I like lighter weights or weightless plastics lighter jigs very shallow diving crankbaits (like pretty much wake baits), top waters and suspending hard baits.  This is also one scenario where I would lean heavily on the drop shot.

[TnRiver46]

When it’s cold they lay their bellies in the mud , you can see it still stuck on there when you reel them in. Mother Earth is warm 

[Susky River Rat]

@TnRiver46 i have heard that. I’ve also heard bluegills hang around mud bottoms because of insects. I personally stay away from mud bottoms if I can.

[steves191145]

I have good luck In spring on mudflats on the river. Those spots warm up faster and attract the baitfish.  The smallies usually follow.

[MIbassyaker]

It's relative, not ablsolute. Ask yourself, what choices do bass have in this body of water? What are they most likely eating, and where does it live? What cover or shelter options are provided? 

 

In the places I fish, most of the bass (largemouth at least) are sunfish eaters and tend to avoid both the hardest- and softest-bottomed areas because preferred vegetation, that supports most of the food chain and provides concealment opportunity, cannot get a foothold in these areas.

[Born 2 fish]

Don’t overlook mud bottoms sometimes the bass get on a mud bottom to the point that have muddy belly’s when you get them to the boat.  

[scaleface]

Largemouths thrive in the mud. During spawn they will seek out stumps , logs or other hard materials to nest. Like others have already stated, I caught them with muddy bellies.

[TOXIC]

Something I have always wondered is how muddy or heavily suspended silt in the water affects a bass ability to “breathe” since they pull oxygen out of the water through their gills. It’s like we pull oxygen out of the air with our lungs.  Would heavily silted water be like us in a smoke filled room?  Do they get less oxygen because of the heavy particulate?  🤔

[Team9nine]

1 hour ago, TOXIC said:

Something I have always wondered is how muddy or heavily suspended silt in the water affects a bass ability to “breathe” since they pull oxygen out of the water through their gills. It’s like we pull oxygen out of the air with our lungs.  Would heavily silted water be like us in a smoke filled room?  Do they get less oxygen because of the heavy particulate?  🤔

 

Studies suggest that if there is a quick influx of heavily silted water (very muddy), there is a short term stress response that depending on species, could last from a few minutes to a few hours. They basically increase their breathing rate to compensate for the increased silt load in order to maintain a steady flow of oxygen. Once adjusted, they go back to normal breathing rates. The more fish are exposed to such events in their normal environments, the faster they return to normal. For example, most river fish adjust quicker than lake fish, because high muddy water is a common occurrence. 

[Bird]

For largemouth in lakes, I avoid shallow mud flats as that's where the carp hang out.

During the warmer months when the fish spread out then structure and cover Trump's bottom composite. IMO

Our water is gin clear and during the spawn you can physically see the fish on beds, never see them in mud.

 

[thediscochef]

The main thing that comes to mind is that I don't like wondering around in the dark either 

Reading back, we're talking bottom composition. I'd think that mud doesn't offer a lot in the way of cover unless there's grass or something, which is essential to a larger ambush predator's success.

[Catt]

Bass live where they're born!

 

I fish a lot of tidal marshes & freshwater marshes. They all have soft to mud bottoms. 

 

Bass that were born there adapt to that environment. 

[Caiden24]

On 3/16/2024 at 11:35 PM, Columbia Craw said:

Bass may not utilize soft bottom areas during the spawn.  Hard bottoms or surfaces prevent the eggs for being silted over and generally provide clearer water for light penetration to aid in the incubation of the eggs.  
 

After the spawn soft bottoms can become feeding areas if crayfish that burrow are present. Bass adapt.  Smallmouth will be less inclined to frequent soft bottoms because wind or current surges or rapid tidal changes can stir the mud or silt and reduce visibility. Smallmouth are more of a sight feeder than large mouth.

These are generalities and not absolute.  There are also periods in the fall when baitfish get ultra shallow on flats that have “ mud” bottoms and running those flats can be really productive.

 

i fish tidal affected sloughs with what is considered a muddy bottom.  Those areas can be great.  So can transition ares where mud abuts rocky edges.  I target those edges.

 

Hope this helps.

 

 

Why do bass like those transition areas? Thanks for the help!

[Catt]

4 hours ago, Caiden24 said:

Why do bass like those transition areas? Thanks for the help!

 

Break line 😉