What colours of lures should i use in muddy water?

[sevendustfan#1]

When i use a colour like chatreuse i can't really see it in depths of around 5 feet deep. I am fishing from shore since i have no boat.

[Cancatchbass]

You can't go wrong with basic black, but anything dark works well- I like combos such as black/blue or black/red.

CCB

[grumpy7790]

Also, use fatter, wide body baits, spinnerbaits with a large cup colorado blade. These baits will move more water adding another attractant for stained or muddy water fish. You can also add rattles to baits or use large trailer grubs or porks.

Good luck,
G

[BBRich]

White. Think about it.. when you see baitfish, or catch a bluegill or rock bass in very muddy water - they're not chartruese.. they take on a whitish tinge! All fish do. I find plain old white works best in the mud.

[skooter]

I gotta agree with big Bass Rich
The Grand River is pretty stained(official term) I call it muddy. All of the smallies I've caught out of there are really light, only a faint green tinge to them.
Since alot of the bottom of the river is a white clay, I've always assumed they were trying to blend with the river bottom. You say this whiteness is common in any muddy water?
White grubs have out produced the green ones at least 5 to 1, for me anyway. Actually white works better in the lake too....which is very clear.

[Cancatchbass]

Most fish subject to low-light conditions (stained/muddy water or living under heavy cover for extended periods) will have their skin colours lighten up and lose any distinctive markings. The fish do not do this as a form of camo, though.

Many studies have been done over the years to prove the visibility of colours at different depths, light conditions, etc. They all show dark colours are more easily seen in either stained OR muddy (turbid) conditions, which are not the same thing. Think of stained water as being like tea- still transparent but coloured, with no suspended particles. Muddy water is just that- particles of sand, etc. suspended throughout the water column, reducing visibility.

Fish will also change their colouring depending on stress levels and in reaction to other stimuli- Hey I just said stimuli!!! Been hanging around biologists too much this year.

CCB

[trexellunge]

I'm sure everyone has their own opinions on what colors fish prefer in different water clarities. I have my best luck in dark, muddy or tanic water using bright orange blades with black hair (either bucktails or spinnerbaits). This past year, bright yellow actually produced well in dark water for me (including a 46" musky). White can work well in both dark and clear waters. I also like a double armed spinnerbait in dark water because of the commotion it creates. Black and silver or black and gold seem to work better for me in clear water, along with other more natural colors.....but there is no set pattern for every condition, because sometimes the opposite occurs.

[Seaweed]

I think that I agree a bit with everyone here... one thing that hasn`t been mentioned though is the importance of using a noisy bait too. In my opinion the rattle baits excel in conditions like this and a rattle bait with big old colorado blades also working .... well now that is like putting a Banana Split in front of me .... chomp chomp.... its gone.

[Cancatchbass]

trex- if you'll re-read my post, you'll see I said that studies show that dark colours are more easily seen in stained or muddy water. Not that they are neccessarily more productive.

I fish mostly gin-clear waters, where the "the more natural looking the better" theory has always been the way to go. Here's an example of what colours I caught most of my fish on this year:



Purples, reds, etc., unlike anything that would represent natural forage. And unlike anything the fish have seen before.

CCB

[Moosebunk]

Totally agree with Seaweed on the noise factor.

The waters up here are always tanin or double double. The best colors seem to be chartreuse, yellow and white. Silver and gold finishes on spoons, inlines and minnowbaits seem to work great at different times of the year. Red and orange when the clarity is half decent for the pike.

Anybody knows mud it's Moose.

Later

[Coop]

I'm intersted in seeing any of those studies if you could point out a few for me Cancatchbass. Any new info is good info.

After a few years experience and years of picking friends' brains who work in fishereies and biology I go by the following rules (remembering that rules are meant to be broken.


Clear water - natural colours for most conditions - metal finishes (chrome, brass) in open clear water

Tanic stained to muddy water - chartrueses, oranges, whites and firetiger
(a little rattlin' always helps and baits that put out lower frequency vibrations or a wider wobble also help)

Night time or very low light conditions - black. Black creates the best silohuette, and that is what the fish seem to key in on. All my nightfishing lures are black whether they make noise or not and they all work great.

[Cancatchbass]

Spinner- are you out there?

Can you give some links to help with this topic?

I've read studies by Keith Jones and Ralph Manns on this subject, but REALLY don't want to dig through 20 years of In-Fisherman and Bassmasters...

Oh, Please, O Master-of-the-Links.

CCB

[King Me]

muddy water lure colors for me:
black
gold or copper
flouresecents (green, chart., orange, pink)
anything with a little glow paint or ladderback
also RED - red when viewed from below(in murky water) cast a DARKER silouette than other lures. Hence it stands out to fish.
anything with rattles or alot of vibration.