My earlier article talked about mud lines that are easy to spot. These are vertical boundaries between areas of clear and muddy water. What you may not realize is that mud lines can be horizontal as well as horizontal, with a layer of warm, muddy water above cooler, clearer water. Experienced anglers use this fact to find more fish
The sun's radiant heat warms land faster than it does the water in lakes. In spring and fall months, there fore, the land is often warmer than lake water. Run-off from rain that falls on the land is relatively warmer than the lake or pond into which it flows. And since warmer water is less dense than cold water, the run-off tends to spread out in a layer across the surface.
If that run-off is carrying a lot of mud, then the top layer of water will be muddy while the cooler, denser water below remains fairly clear -- at least for a while until currents mix the layers. An angler looking at the muddy surface water might not even be aware that a horizontal mud line exists.
Right at the inlet, the water may be muddy from bottom to top. As you move away, the thermal layers sort themselves out. However, at some distance away from the creek mouth or ditch, the layers will start mixing. The mud particles sink, and wind-driven waves and boat traffic mix the layers. The horizontal mud line exists in a zone between there and the inlet.
If all you can see is the surface, how do you find these horizontal mud lines? Use a thermometer with a temperature probe at the end of a cable. Drop it down and watch the gauge. When the needle drops, mark the depth. That's your mud line.
Fish relate to the horizontal mud line just like they do to a vertical one. They hide right at the edge or just within the mud line in order to ambush prey passing by. Where that mud line meets structure or cover, you have an excellent area to find big bass in muddy water. So if the temperature gauge tells you warm, muddy water extends down four feet, figure the bass will position themselves about four feet down, too. If you can locate lay-downs, stumps, or rock piles at that depth, consider it a high-probability area.
Hope these few more tips help you become a better fisherman in muddy conditions.
