Another technique that McVey relies on in muddy water involves pitching a soft plastic or a jig big enough to move a bunch of water. One of his best muddy-water baits is a dark colored 7/16-ounce Rattling Southpaw Custom Jig with a crawfish trailer in shades of black, blue, red, brown and orange. A big Texas-rigged creature bait is his second choice.

"I'm looking for something that will make a lot of commotion to help the fish find my bait," he noted. "And this is the only situation where I fish a rattle on my jig, because the bass rely more on sound in this situation than they normally do."

McVey pointed to Mill Creek, the Hog Island area, Bossier Slough and the area around State Park No. 2 as excellent muddy-water hotspots.

LAKE D'ARBONNE
Not too many Louisiana lakes get as muddy as does Lake D'Arbonne, in Farmerville, and January -- a month during which the lake looks as if it should be plowed rather than fished -- sees the height of it. The chocolate-milk look to the water doesn't scare away veteran anglers, though. In fact, D'Arbonne veteran Mike Owens likes the mud.

"I look for muddy water fish to be tight to cover and in shallow water," he said. "That's why I typically go up either the Little D'Arbonne arm or the Corny arm when I find muddy conditions. There's lots of cypress trees and buckbrush up both. If I see muddy water at the ramp, I also expect to find current up those two arms."

Faced with an early-morning choice, Owens most often chooses to go up the Little D'Arbonne arm to an area known as the Mixing Hole, or a little farther north to a backwater called Middle Fork. Both areas, loaded with brush and cypresses, have current flowing through them.

"I like to find water pulling around the trees," Owens said. "The bass are already going to be close to the tree because of the muddy water, and the current just solidifies their position. These fish are suckers for a rattling black/blue jig or a black neon tube with a rattle inserted into the cavity. You can also pull out on the brush and sling a spinnerbait around it."

If the upper section of the lake fails to yield results, Owens will try the big lake below the Highway 33 bridge. His most productive tactic involves fishing a Carolina-rigged lizard at the end of small boat ramps. "Muddy water holds its warmth better than clear water," he said, "but a combination of muddy water and concrete makes the surrounding water the warmest in the lake. Bass will often get in the little wash at the ends of the heavily used ramps. Some big bass will lie right in the bottom of that hole."

PEARL RIVER
While most river anglers combat muddy water by leaving it in search of clear water, the Pearl River in southeast Louisiana offers no such luxury: When the Pearl River gets muddy, it's muddy all the way.