Muddy Water

[Trav]

With the lake full of mud thicker than an almost frozen milk shake, you will find the fishing to be extremely difficult on the lower Taney. I for one dont let it discourage me but I also keep realistic expectations. You are not gonna catch alot of fish under these conditions.

The trout bite will almost be non-existant because there is so much for them to feed off of that they dont need to bother with chasing your presentation. In fact, most will be pretty much on the bottom gorging on what ever they can get. Wich will be plentiful. This does benefit the bait fisherman though. Those bright eggs and powerbaits will be the only game. I would suggest that even those who like to bait fish to use marshmallows to keep your bait a few inches off the bottom to seperate your presentation from the rest of the junk on the lakebed. Still, with that said, you trout fisherman have a hard day or so ahead of you on the Lower.

Bass fisherman on the other hand can expect different troubles to pose them issues. You can expect the bass to just stage and be less apt to be in a feeding mode. The bass on lower Taney are well accustomed to these water conditions and have adapted to know that if they wait a day or two it will all pass and then get back to thier normal feeding cycles. This can be both good and bad. The bad thing is your not gonna find them in the normal areas you are used to finding them.

Some will move right up to the shoreline in 6 inches of water, others will cling to cover, and yet others will actually group together in deeper holes where the muddy current runs above the water column they are in. These are the fish you should be looking for. For one, there will be more than one , and two, those will be the most active fish.

Other situations to look for include breaklines between muddy and clear water and weedbeds that can provide a filter from the stained water. This is where you will find bass that are on the move looking to find water that will suit there needs until the lake clears back up.

Like the trout, it wont be easy fishing but unlike the trout, they are not feeding to much on the sediment. So they will be more likely to chase your baits.

Now where the bright colors will be best for trout, it wont be the same with the bass. You need to use dark lures and preferably something with vibration or a rattle to help them find you. If there is alot of sunshine then flashy baits with spinner blades or even chrome finished cranks work well, but only if your fishing shallow enough to utilize the suns reflection.

Like I said, the lake usually clears up in just a couple days if we dont get alot more rain. Especially if they decide to run alot of water out of the dam. You can catch fish if your persistant but if you are willing to wait out the mud, you can expect better fishing. If you are like me, and have to get out anyway, the info I have shared should help you out.