I Love That Dirty Water.  You probably remember that song written by Ed Cobb and
performed by the Standells.  The song, written in reference to the author's love
for the Charles River that runs through the Boston area, was more about the author's
fondness for his home town, than actual water  conditions, but for today's touring
bass pros, the lyrics bring on an entirely different meaning.

Everyone comes from somewhere and because of that, we cut our bass fishing teeth
fishing the waters that are closest to where we live.  If you live in the Bay area
of Northern California, or the Mississippi River Basin of Southern Louisiana then
you grow up fishing tidal influenced systems.  If your home waters are Lake Sinclair
in Michigan or Lake Mead in Southern Nevada, than you become a clear water expert.
If you learn your bass fishing in Florida, you will become an aquatic vegetation
expert, because grass is what matters in Florida.

Of course, tour pros, must learn to adapt to all the conditions and they must be
able to do it within a very short time period.

Dirty water, as in stained or even muddy water can be some of the most intimidating
conditions that a an angler can face.  After all, if you drop a bait in the water
and lose sight of it within six inches, doesn't that remove a basic sense from
the bass' ability to locate our lures?  The sense of sight?

Lack of visibility is only a deterrent to anglers, who often, wrongly place themselves
in the position of the fish, and assume that the fish must see its food in order
to eat.  Dirty water actually provides several advantages that if you are paying
attention, can pay off big time for you.

Bass that live in dirty water tend to live much shallower than those that live in
ultra clear water.  The darkness and lack of visibility provide the bass with a 
sense of security.  Many anglers would rather fish shallow than deep, because its
easier, you can visually see the casting targets like logs, rocks or points.  

Bass that live in dirty, shallow water tend to be less inhibited.  This means they
will act more like what most anglers expect a bass to be.  Aggressive, mean and 
nasty.

Finally, dirty water tends to hold heat better than clear water.  This is especially
crucial early in the Spring, when the season's first warming trend sets in.  The
microscopic particles that are responsible for making the water appear dirty absorb
heat from the sun and in turn, cause dirty water to warm faster than clear water.
The same can be said about dirty water, late in the Fall.  Those same particles 
will hold the water temperature a little higher as the cold of Winter approaches,
allowing us a few more weeks of good fishing.

OK, so now you at least understand some of the advantages that dirty water offers.
What techniques work best?

Before making your first cast to dirty water lets rule out the obvious:  The bass'
sense of sight will be somewhat eliminated.  How do bass eat if they can't see.
They feel, and since they don't have hands, that means they put things in their
mouths and spit out what doesn't "feel right."

In attacking dirty water we need to address the bass' sense of feel.  The bass
has a lateral line which makes the bass keenly aware of changes in its environment.
We must play to the bass' sense of feel when we fish dirty water.

When zeroing in on a bass' sense of feel, it is important to key in on lures that
produce water displacement.  Spinner baits, lipless crank baits, wobbling crank 
baits, and heavier jigs.  These are baits that displace a lot of water, and are 
baits that will get a bass' attention.

Just as important to note is which lures do not work as well in dirty water.  Finesse
presentations are not effective because they do not produce a tracking water displacement.
Jerk baits, when fished the traditional way with a start-stop action are also not
as effective. These are sight oriented presentations.

When fishing dirty water key in on lures that produce a constant tracking.  Consider
how a bass will find your lure in dirty water.  They will tune into the movement
of the lure and position themselves to intercept it.  Timing is important which 
is why the start-stop action of some lures make them poor choices for dirty water
as a bass will have trouble tracking it.

Bright reds, fluorescent oranges and chartreuse are excellent colors for dirty water
because as the bass gets close, they will define the target the best.  Stay away
from natural colors again, because they don't stand out well in dirty water. 

I'm a Southern California boy born and raised.  My bass fishing education consisted
of tiny little worms, ultra light fishing line and spinning tackle. In So Cal, you
fish deep clear water.  But when I can find it, I break out the heavy artillery.
I've learned the lessons, I know what lives there.  I understand.  Find out for
yourself and then you'll now why .....I love that dirty water.