By : Mark Hicks
The first thing veteran bass pro Todd Faircloth does when he gets to an unfamiliar body of water is to check the water clarity. Whether the water is muddy, murky, stained or clear will dictate which lures he ties on and what colors are most likely to generate bites.
His basic rule of thumb is to go with more natural colors in clear water. In dirtier water, he opts for dark colors in soft plastics baits and bold colors in hard baits.
“The exception is with smallmouth,” Faircloth said. “Sometimes something like a bright chartreuse spinnerbait with chartreuse blades will draw them from a long ways.”
Because Faircloth didn’t grow up fishing light-line finesse tactics, he prefers fishing stained water where he can employ baitcasting tackle. If he’s dealing with a crystalline lake, he will often run upriver looking for water that has some color to it.
“The ideal water visibility for me is a foot to a foot and a half,” Faircloth said. “Dirty water warms faster in the spring and fall. Generally speaking, the fish will be a little more aggressive and not as spooky as they are in clear water.”
A 5-inch Strike King Ocho in the watermelon red flake color is hard to beat when fishing stained water in springtime, Faircloth avowed. He Texas rigs the Ocho with a 4/0 offset round bend hook and fishes it weightless or with a 1/8-ounce Strike King Tour Grade Tungsten Weight.
“I also love to throw Strike King’s Thunder Cricket in stained water, particularly during the prespawn,” Faircloth said. “I usually start with chartreuse and white. If the water is a little dirtier, I go to straight white. The Strike King Blade Minnow is my favorite trailer.”
