How do you catch bass in high cold muddy rivers?

Brother, that's one of the worst conditions you can fish!!

Rising, cold, muddy, water !!!!

Is this a big river,(one you can navigate with a boat)?? OR a stream?

If it's a navigable river, I would try to find cleaner water somewhere, (you may have to travel pretty FAR up or down river!).

Other options: Dam control areas can be awesome when water rises. Culverts around bridges can also be excellent.

Lures?? (Like I even NEED to tell you!!! lol)

Rattletraps, (1/8 OZ Cordell Spots or Bagleys new rattle bait)- You know what colors.

Cranks- DT 4. CC Shad. Strike King Sexy Shad.- You know the colors to get.

Spinnerbaits- 1/8-1/4 OZ. Bigger 3/8-1/2 OZ would work better in normal muddy conditions. White sparkle/Blue skirt, Red sparkle/Chartruese Skirt, Etc.

Around culverts & bridge abutments- Jig & pig, (use a Black/Green "Gulp" 5" Leech as a trailer or a YUM Crawpappy or Crawbug.) In these culvert/abutment situations Bass will "stack-up" facing the current waiting for a juicy morsel to get pulled through. Find the "sweet spot" where they are waiting, (usually just out of the current). A "swimming Jig" retrieve might be the way to go.

The only other good idea's I can think of is to find a flooded area that has structure or bushes/logs. Look for bait-fish in these flooded swampy areas. If you see no baitfish- go to another.

Super-small creek-mouths that NEVER have water flowing through them(but do NOW because of the rising water) would be an excellent choice.

Thats what I would do.

Gosh! I hope your not fishing a T in that!

Good luck!

PS- One word- Fiber optic Eyes! 'nuff said!

High COLD MUDDY Water.....I would stay home and have a cold one.

Other than that SMS pretty well covered it!

Only thing I might add would be a Net Paca Craw....chunk on the back of a jig, baby Paca Craw or Paca craw texas rigged.

Black/Blue....might try Black/Chartreuse jig as well.

Big tubes with a rattle inserted might be worth a shot as well.

Look for current breaks, down trees, logs, etc. anything that will break the current and DON'T over look rip rap.

You already new all this anyway, but maybe you are getting like me and forgetful :))

I have caught lots of White Bass below the spillway of John Redman Reservoir. On Quarter oz. Black Jigs. You will also catch Flatheads and Chanel cats which is what I was fishing for.

The water is very swift and turbulent and Brown (Kansas Lake) Neosho river. The Wolf Creek Nuclear power plant gets its cooling water from where I used to fish. They cut a big trench through my fishin hole. reel in fast enough to keep the jig in say the top 2ft. of water. The bass had to be running at the time.

Good luck

Happy Caving Carroll

SMS covered the gambit pretty well. I personally liked your spinner bait idea pretty well, but I would switch to metal flake chartreuse or white with the same flakes. What I am surprised with is that nobody said anything about slowing your presentation way way down. The conditions you describe are terrible to fish, but if you do get bit they are likely to be very light and on the fall after repeated casts. In colder muddy water like this the presentation should be very slow and "right down their throat" so to speak. Good luck and the condition can only go up from there!

Exert, my man, that's not an easy question. First thing that comes to my mind is to fish behind points opposite the current of the river. Look for structure and flooded grass spots near the shore line behind the points for cleaner water. Jig and pig the entire place. Other than that, I'm going with Stops answer on this. Are you sure you just don't want to wait a couple of days till things clean up a bit? Yeah, I know the answer to that already. Just asking. ; ) Good luck catchin'.

The only time I have been successful under these conditions is to find a feeder stream going into it and with a little current going in or out of it and fish the points on both sides or find an oxbow and fish the clearer waters in it.To be honest if these locations do not exit on the river you are fishing, I think it's a waste of time to fish it. I'm a die hard fisherman, but that is one condition that is almost impossible to overcome for me. Good luck.

My gut tells me right off to use a 3/8th oz. black and blue jig with a # 11 Uncle Josh pork rind trailer. If the water was warmer, I would go with a Zoom blue fleck, super chunk trailer. In cold water I always use real pork rind. Be sure to watch you line, the bite may be barley felt in cold water.

Good luck.

Try a Rapala Rattlin Rap or a Rapala Jointed Lure would work well because they get the attention of sometimes uninterested fish.

The best thing that I have found is a spinner of some sort. Eerie deeries work well, but you have to watch for snags because they are heavy. Rooster tales are nice also. Choose one that is dark in color, and and weighs 1/8oz. Anything that is shiny(spoons) will draw their attention, these are just my favs.Good luck.

something that gives off a viberation, smell, and sounds

there are many lures you already have that do this , if your using a corolina rig or texas rig, sented baits along with a clacker bead. or rattles can also spay your baits, such as bang, yum, real craw and so on.