How to fish our brown rivers.

MbBass · Post by **MbBass** » Mon Jun 16, 2008 9:35 pm

Hello all. I am goin to start fishing on our many rivers here soon. Most of our rivers here are brown to black water. I was woundering what all baits will work and color. The water is warm here 83 last time i checked. Let me know how you would attack it and what lures you would use. Let me know what you look for when you decide that a place looks good for a bass. Oh yeah i will not have a fish finder so please help. Thanx

carl · Post by **carl** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:11 pm

MB. I'm afraid I've never fished waters as you describe, but a couple of givens for heavily stained waters include, noisey baits like spinnerbaits, crank baits w/tight wobble. Johnnie will give you more details on what cranks to use. Colors in soft plastics would run from chartruse to black. I like a black tube or worm with a chartruse tail. And don't forget to add scent.

With streams and rivers I would fish structure, ie. laydowns, and esp eddies. Cast your baits upcurrent to the spot you pick.
Bass will sit in the eddy looking to ambush prey that are moving with the current.

Remember bass will use their lateral line, and scent. Vision only comes into play when the fish is close enough.

Hope this helps. Carl

brendanc · Post by **brendanc** » Tue Jun 17, 2008 6:24 pm

Hey MB,

Great question... I'm sure you get plenty of help on this topic.

I would like to share one observation related to dark, stained or muddy water... whenever I have been faced with these conditions, I have always done well when I focused on specific pieces of cover. The more dirty the water, the tighter bass hold to objects. I like to flip a big jig-n-pig combo (something that will push a lot of water). Black & Chartreuse or even black/blue are my colors of choice... there is nothing darker than "BLACK". It stands out against any color.

One tip for flipping under these conditions is to make sure that your lure falls directly alongside the cover you are fishing. When I flip a jig at a stump, I make sure that it actually slides down the side of the stump. Making contact with the cover is critical and can make all the difference in the world when it comes to getting bass to strike. Whenever a lure comes in contact with an object, it creates sound and vibrations which the bass can detect through their lateral line. This helps the bass locate the lure in the murky water. "SHAKING" is also very productive in murky water. When "shaking" a jig (or any jig type lure) you want the lure to shake in place. You are not trying to move the lure along the bottom, you just want it to wiggle and sit in one spot. This also puts of sound/vibrations into the water and helps bass key in on the location of your presentation.

Also, here are a few previous topics that discuss dark/dingy water. Let me know if this helps at all?

Thread #282

Post #349

Post #3260

Post #2020

johnnie crain outdoors · Fri Jun 20, 2008 9:00 am

I'd try dark brown rattling cranks, maybe a brown/black back Bomber 7A. Also it's entirely possible that a black buzz baits with gold blade-s might work. As stated, use fish formula on every bait. A number 7 spinnerblade on a 1/2 ounce spinner in black with a black trailer works well too. If ther are any shorel;ines with grass, weeds or pads try those as well, the growth helps clean the water. Dark color topwaters may work too, make a lot of fuss on the surface. A half ounce Rat-L-Trap in chartreuse is very good too. Johnnie

BTwizy · Post by **BTwizy** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 7:44 pm

One thing I have noticed in fishing rivers is the fish will really stack up. It seems where u find 1 fish there are more sitting. The proverbial "honey hole". One time I pulled maybe 17 bass next to a [censored] in 3 foot of water. These fish had to be litearly laying on each other..Taking a break from the current and letting the food come to them. So if u catch one keep hammering the same area and see what happens!

One time I was lucky enough to put a boat out on the ohio river. Now in the middle of this thing it was like a dead zone(love a fish finder) they like to stack up on the edges. So dont give up on your presentation untill the very end!

It censored what a beaver would build across a river lol!
I also hope u guys dont mind me posting even though im a newbie.Its a slow day at work!

brendanc · Post by **brendanc** » Fri Jun 20, 2008 8:05 pm

Hey, everyone that has something positive to contribute is welcome to post here... Did you spell it as "D A M N" Dam (No "N") in the correct context is fine... We have had a few members names "Richard" that like to go by the shorter nickname associated with Richard, but the system censors their name... oh well, better safe than sorry I guess...

BC

MbBass · Post by **MbBass** » Sun Aug 03, 2008 2:52 am

Well i tried everything that that you guyz told me . And i caught huge Bluegill and i threw spinners , Buzzbaits and worms . And everything worked the only problem was they were all mud fish . Kinda like a bass and catfish with teeth . That makes the second trip that i hit the river and no bass . I am thinking that ponds and lakes are where its at . I seem to have no problem catching LMB any pond or lake i go to and was hopeing that that would cary over to river fishing .

I was gitting lilly pads and fallen trees and structure that was under water as well . I stopped by docks and little points . I asked a few people and they say that locateing LMB is real hard and only luck seems to be spring and fall . I wounder where else they could be hideing ????????? Oh well it wasnt for a lack of trying . I'll check back in the next time i try the river out , stay safe and good fishing to every1