question for all you pros

[mb4850]

If you have to fish a tourney and it has just rained and it's muddy is there any method that you can catch a few fish?

[RCC]

In my professional opinion, No. Fish do not eat at all until the water clears.

[olduckhunter]

yes, dynamite. rcc is wrong as usual.

[Barnacle Bill]

Work your bait shallower than you normally would. They gotta eat regardless how muddy the water is.

[Eagle 1]

far from being a pro but my experience ,check the creeks in hope that the rain came fast enough to push clear water back up the creek(jigging) , if not head to ward the dam as more water will dilute the stain .jmo if it's all muddy go slow with double colors with black and chartruce,pink,ect .

[Inkdabber]

The upper parts of the lake will always be the muddiest. So, unless you already have fish found in these areas, I would spend all my prefishing time on the lower end, near the dam. Muddy water will do one of two things to the fish depending on water temps, and weather conditions. Sunny skies during spring will bring the fish up in the water column, making them suspend over open water. Cloudy gloomy days, with cooler water temps, will send the fish to the bottom. Tight lining live bait will be the best technique, experiment tipping jigs, along with straight hooks to see what the fish prefer. If the red minnows are available in your location, use them. They shine during stained water conditions. Fish slower to give the fish a chance to find the bait. Keep in mind if your struggling, most everyone else is also. The winning weight may be much lower than what is typical on your favored body of water. Good luck!

[satdoc1]

Also use bright colors or glow bodies in really stained or muddy water.

[skiptomylu]

I have used Hot Orange marabou tails when the water here was pretty stained, like after a big rain or something. I have done well on that. PH and the jig had either a FL Red Head or Chart head and the body was black and chart.

Color was just like this except was on a Roadrunner.....
DSC01434.JPG

[Danny W]

It rained really hard here in MO last year and no one could find the fish so we started experimenting with spider rigging and found limits four feet down under the boat scattered out just off of a point. They ate fine you just had to spider rig to catch a bunch it seemed. Hope the tourney allows for it.

[river scum]

fish shallow with rattling or scented or live baits. sloooooooooooooowwwwwwwww