I know it seems counterintuitive to be happy about muddy blown out conditions, but I don’t care. Bring on the mud! No more 2 oz spoons, tiny drop shot rigs, and dragging 1 oz football head jigs on light flouro-carbon in crystal clear water that’s over 50’ deep. No more swimming jigs and grubs through suspended fish that are holding 30’ down and are so lethargic you wonder if they are really there and not just an Oasis on your electronics.

As far as I’m concerned Spring in Northern California starts when we get a good week of rain and water levels start to rise a foot or two. In places like Lake Sonoma this means fish will come up from the deep main lake points and main lake areas off of the tree lines where they suspend and invade the 30-15’ range. They get tight to the wood and actively feed on forage fish that are being activated by the influx of run off which is warmer and muddier. Jigs and spinnerbaits begin to dominate along with speed traps and Senkos.

Now in our local backyard lakes, like Nicasio, Soulejule, and Stafford, the mud can be more of a challenge, however it will kick things off in these lakes as well. Baits like dark colored brush hogs rigged Texas style with brass and glass fished slowly and deliberately through muddy flats and the tulle edges around them, or Chartreuse and White chatterbaits and tandem blade spinnerbaits slow rolled through the same areas. Year after year I’ve seen pigs caught and stuck my own pigs doing just these things under the same muddy conditions.

So don’t complain or worry about “chocolate milk water”. Think of it as the beginning of Spring and throw big baits that push a lot of water. I promise that if you do these things, you put your head down and keep on throwing, it’s a numbers game. You will stick fish. Even if you find a tough bite out there, who cares? I mean at least it’s a tough bite on big tackle as opposed to a tough bite on 4 or 5 lb spinning tackle. Good luck.