Slow fishing last night

With storms in the forecast for this afternoon, I loaded up yesterday after work for a short trip. Judging from the driveways washed out in to the road, this area got some serious downpours in the last few days. I pushed off just after 5 in very hazy, muggy, still air at 83 and very muddy, brown water at 77 degrees. I have never seen this pond this high nor this muddy. I put a jig about 18" from the tip of my rod and dropped it down in to the water; couldn't see it once my rod tip hit the water.
I put on the RR, a paddle tail and a BG Stroll'r minnow, figuring I'd need the vibrations for them to home in on as there was no way they were going to see them from any distance. Took about 30 minutes for the first bluegill to come in to the boat, hardly any color to him and smaller than average. Another followed 15 minutes later, same thing. I trolled a usually productive stretch of water with just those 2 as my reward. I switched out colors and turned back for another pass. A few minutes in to this run, I had a good hit on the Cajun Cricket BG baby shad. After a good fight, I netted the big fish of the night, a surprise brown bullhead!



Not quite as good as the other one I got last year but close; was actually in the same general area. That lure would add in a couple more 'gills and the first crappie of the night, about a 6"er. I completed that run and changed out lures again and made a pass out in some deeper water to see if they might be out there rather than in close. I had a quick strike and landed this skinny 13" bass but otherwise came up dry in the deep water.



I changed back to the the smaller, brighter lures and decided one last pass in closer to the weeds and then I'd head for home. This last pass, about 7:30 produced a few more bluegill and the 2 best crappie of the night, at roughly 10" and 11". Cajun Cricket got them both.





I called in a night just shy of 8 and headed for the shore. Totals for the night would be about 8 bluegill, 3 crappie and 1 each of the bullhead and the bass. No doubt the heavy rain and stained water will force me to change tactics for my next few trips on the waters I fish.