Clear water

[Marc41]

This is my first post so , I am going to Maine this summer to a really clear lake and I was wondering what they would eat soft plastic wise I caught a few on cranks and if they would eat a 55t koppers livetarget frog thanks 

[Bluebasser86]

Welcome!

 

In most cases with really clear water, I like to stick to small plastics in natural colors with very little action. Something like a watermelon/purple flake tube or finesse worm, or a smoke grub. 

[WillBass24]

I don't normally fish clear water, but the times that I have I like to use translucent baits, with very little little color. Because the water is so clear you don't want to overwhelm the fish with a bright flashy color

[OkobojiEagle]

small jig head dressed with a 3 1/2" light colored swimbait.

 

 

oe

[Steveo-1969]

8 minutes ago, OkobojiEagle said:

small jig head dressed with a 3 1/2" light colored swimbait.

 

 

oe

 

^^^^This^^^^

[RoLo]

 

Gamakatsu 3/16oz Round Jighead <> Kalin 5" Lunker Grub - smoke hologram

 

Roger

 

[stepchild]

It's hard to tell what to suggest without more information. I'm guessing it's a deep lake with some rock given the clear water, but it all depends on the forage and type of structure and cover available. I fish lakes that sometimes have 20+ft of visibility and you'd be surprised at how shallow you can find bass during the summer. I'd suggest the following baits to at least have your bases covered:

• Topwater: popper or prop bait for dawn/dusk and overcast days
• Search bait: crankbaits , 4'' swimbaits or gurbs and spinnerbaits - you might also need to slow down and use jerk baits depending on the mood of the fish
• Drop shot: once you find fish, I find this technique to be productive in the broadest scope of conditions. A 1/8 or 1/4oz. weight while using some kind of 3.5-4'' finesse worm is a good place to start
• Tubes: sometimes fish want something on the bottom, so a neutral-colored tube like smoke/black flake or watermelon/purple flake are my favorites

All depending on the type of lake though, they might be sitting in the weeds where a frog will outproduce anything I listed above. Just be sure to be flexible and have an open mind!

[Scott F]

I fish clear water smallmouth almost all the time. Bright colors like clown work very well. I would not be overly concerned about color. The biggest challenge is always finding the fish. Northern lakes are typically less fertile, have shorter feeding seasons and have less forage than southern lakes. That being the case, the fish are usually not as picky. They can't afford to pass up too many easy meals. Once you find them, catching isn't usually too difficult. Clear water will usually send fish deeper than you might find them in off color water. Be prepared by having baits that will be able to run deep.

[tbone1993]

Smoke colors work well and anything goby colored.  KVD magic has worked really well and so haw ox blood

[BigSkyBasser]

I fish gin clear lakes and rivers almost exclusively. The natural bite will be whatever matches the bottom color (which is usually oxblood, green pumpkin, or watermelon.) I always recommend fishing a new lake with a do nothing finesse bait such as a wacky rigged senko or drop shot with a roboworm.

 

If that isn't working I usually have a few confidence colors such as Morning Dawn that seem to work really well regardless of conditions, but you can also make this determination yourself if you can identify bait fish present in that lake.

[Eli-R]

Fishing clear water can often be a challenge. A proven technique for clear water bass is the drop shot. With a drop shot, you can present a soft plastic lure up off the bottom in a subtle way to get bites from those finicky clear water fish.

 

As for trying a frog in clear water, it might work. The success of frog fishing in clear water depends on if there is enough aquatic vegetation and if there is a significant population of largemouth bass. Give the frog a shot if the lake you will be fishing has a good amount of grass and lily pads. If the lake lacks vegetation, try a spook or a popper for the early morning top water bite.

 

Good luck and tight lines!