"Scent is what brings them the extra yard. You want to lead them right to where your bait is at," says Casey Kelley of Pautzke's Bait Company. "Those fish in urban lakes are planted trout. That's why a krill scent is so effective. These farm-raised fish have been eating krill from the time they were born. Once they are introduced to these urban waters, the krill is effective because it's a feed response that those fish remember from the time they were hatched."

To them, there's no scent more powerful than krill, and in that cloudy water scent is going to play a huge role in your success, said Kelley.

Ramsey of Berkeley agrees.

"Using scent helps them find it in more turbid water," he said. "And you want everything at your disposal to help give you the edge."

According to Ramsey, another mistake anglers make is fishing too deep. He believes that during the winter and spring, many trout prowl the shoreline searching for food at certain times of the day.

Fishing tight to the bank can yield surprisingly good results during lowlight hours.

"Trout will work the shore edges in morning and evening and during lowlight, especially when the lakes are turbid," he explained. "And as the sun comes up, I may go deeper because the sun may push them down. But if there's cloud cover, they'll stay shallow."

Some anglers believe that spinners, spoons and stickbaits aren't productive in off-colored water. That's not true. Nevertheless, the way you fish those baits can dictate your success. For example, if you are fast-retrieving those baits in urban waters, you'll likely compromise success. A slow retrieve will be more effective.

Another option is to choose a lure that has a rattle in it, or with blades that will bang into each other or stir up the water. These things can draw trout in the same way that flashers and dodgers attract trout when trolling.

"Make it easier for them to find," added Ramsey. "What I'd do if I were casting a lure is I'd use painted patterns and add scent. And I'd retrieve it slower, so I could give the trout a chance to find it and catch up with it. It's going to be much tougher for them to find the bait if the water isn't clear."