Who has success fishing offshore in dirty water?? Ive tried and tried but it seems like if the water dirties up on me at all I just completely lose the bite although most of my offshore fishing involves dragging a big jig... so are they still there and possibly suspended and Im fishing under the fish??
For me it all depends if any current. If there is current I'll drag a c-rig with an 8" worm that puts off a lot of pressure waves. Id rather throw a football if they are tight to the bottom. . If there is not current they will suspend up and then it gets tough fishing. If its cold water call it a day offshore.
We fish in completely different areas, but to whatever extent "a bass is a bass" holds true, maybe this is helpful: In my experience, bass in dirty water like to get up next to something. Whether that's wood, weeds, a big boulder, etc I don't think it matters, but it seems they'll be tight to something if the water is dirty. This seems doubly true if the water was clearer and has become dirty, especially for the first day or two after it gets dirty. Around here that usually means the offshore fish end up either buried in the weeds or at least right on the weed edge (keeping in mind that those weeds have the added benefit of filtering and clearing up the water). Those fish that might have been roaming around on a cobble hump or something seem to vanish. Maybe they're just suspended and difficult to catch, but I've always believed that they left to find better cover.
Of course the other universal thing seems to be that, all else equal, fish get shallower in dirty water than in clear water. You might have fish that are just outright leaving their offshore haunts and moving up on the bank. I don't think all of them do this by any stretch, but it would make sense that a fair number of them move back and forth.
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I've had no problem catching bass in dirty water out deep. A lot of the lakes I fish have less than 1ft of water clarity and I routinely catch them in 10-15ft of water. I have not experienced them being suspended in deep dirty water unless they are in standing timber. The bass prefer to be tight to cover when in dirty water. Try throwing a deep crank to find the bass that are hanging out in deep water and then comb over the area with a big worm or jig
I would agree that fish will seem to be tighter to cover of some sort. Ledge, laydowns, stumps, weeds, etc.
I said it may seem...and that's because their strike zone will be smaller, the dirtier the water is. You simply won't have fishing chasing down a bait 15ft away like they may in clear water.
For me, wind and dirty water go hand in hand. I have noticed, as Drew said, that fish will likely be more shallow and orienting to some type of structure. Right now, when the water dirties up from rain or wind the fish are moving up to the first level drop. If I can bring the lure from shallow water to the first ledge they’re sitting there looking into the wind. I’m guessing this is because of the bait being blown in.
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If you fish fairly clear water normally and it dirties up, most likely the fish are still there. Here's what I'd do.
If you want to drag a jig, go bigger. Normally fish a 1/2oz, go 3/4. Add rattles. Make some noise.
Otherwise, set down the jig and get a big, bright, rattling crank and bang it off everything down there.
They need to be able to find your bait. If you're slowly hopping a jig along making very little noise, they can't find your bait. You need sight, vibration or sound (or some combination).
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Are you fishing rivers or reservoirs? I fish rivers and never really notice a difference in offshore bite unless the current is really rolling or its absolutely chocolate milk. Both of which mean the water has risen a bunch and the fish followed it up. The waters I fish the water clears up below 12-15'.
reservoirsOriginally Posted by Wackyjig
I look at dirty water pretty much the same way, regardless of water depth. The brighter it gets, the better the bite gets. The deeper the water, the brighter I want it.
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