Knapp: How to fish through the muddy waters after heavy rains muck things up
During the half-hour drive to the river, Dave and I chatted, among other things, about what the state of the river would be.
A series of thunderstorms in the northwestern part of the state had elevated the flow level over 2 feet. Would it be too muddy, too much floating debris cluttering the surface? How would the bass respond to the sudden change, especially considering the fact they would have recently completed spawning activities, typically a slow period.
Dropping the boat into the river, we were pleasantly surprised at the clarity. Murky for sure, but not coffee-with-cream muddy. And the shoreline areas, where I expected bass to have been pushed due to the strong river flow, seemed to be mostly floating surface junk.
After a short run, I stopped the boat along a section of shoreline loaded with flooded grass and scattered “soft current” pockets where bass could rest out of the harder flow.
Dave opted for a Fluke-style jerkbait while I picked up rod rigged with a spinnerbait. Fifteen minutes later, having floated and fished 200 yards of shoreline, the score was spinnerbait 3, fluke 0. The pattern for the day was set.
While there are those who experience success with spinnerbaits in clear water situations, I’m not one of them. Rather, spinnerbaits fill a specific niche, one where water conditions are dirty, yet not so extreme to significantly reduce any chance of catching fish, most commonly bass in my case.
So how muddy is too muddy? Considering the Allegheny River, I’d say if there’s at least 6 inches of visibility, there’s a pretty good chance smallmouth bass will respond to a spinnerbait.
Over the years, I’ve developed somewhat of a system for spinnerbait use on the flowing waters such as the Allegheny. When the water is quite dirty, 6 to 12 inches of visibility, I opt for a single blade spinnerbait with a large Colorado blade. The skirt color is dark, usually black or some other dark hue like purple. Blade size is No. 5 in a copper or brass finish.
Colorado blades are roundish and give off a lot of thump. The dark skirt provides contrast in the dirty water. Brass or copper blades tend to be visible in stained water. All of this combines to make it easier for bass to locate the lure. They can’t eat it if they can’t find it.
Casting accuracy and retrieve methods are also factors. Under higher water conditions, which are common when things are dirty, it’s typical for bass to be holding tight to shore, often in flooded cover. Many times fish will be reluctant to chase after a lure, meaning casts that land within inches of the bank will catch more fish than ones that land 2 feet shy.
Also, I’ve found slow, steady retrieves get the best response. Again, the idea is to make it easy for the bass to locate and intercept the lure. During our recent trip, Dave quickly switched to a spinnerbait when it was clear that was the best lure choice. Still, he wasn’t getting as many hits as I was. Noticing his retrieve speed was a bit faster, I suggested he slow down a bit, after which our catch ratio began to match.
Thumping, Colorado-style single spins excel in heavily stained water. But when things begin to clear, when the tops of rocks in foot to a foot-and-a-half of water begin to appear, I’ve found tandem spins with small willow leaf blades begin to become more effective. Willow leaf blades rely more on flash than thump and serve as a more “finesse-y” presentation smallmouth bass often respond to better.
Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle
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