Do you ever opt for translucent walking/prop baits when the water is low and clear and when you do is it also necessary to downsize?

[Ohioguy25]

My real question is, if the conditions are such that the fish are finicky or spooky and you have to mask your presentation with a less visible color like an ice, is it a given that you should also downsize or is there a time and place for a full size walking bait or prop bait in a translucent pattern?

 

For example, Teckle Kickknocker vs Pup in a translucent color.

[A-Jay]

Yes.

I fish for SMB with topwater quite a bit in late summer in some pretty skinny, clear water.

Long cast are important.

Strike King Sexy Dawg Walking bait in Sexy Ghost Minnow has been very good to me. 

https://youtu.be/Vsl5A_YmHzs?feature=shared&t=43

A-Jay

 

[webertime]

Yes translucent 

No Downsize 

[Pat Brown]

Yeah I'm a BIG fan of the translucent baitfish Spro frogs!

 

 

And so are the giant bass.

[Jigfishn10]

No down size 

Start-up retrieve upon splash down

Really, bone is the on color I use. I figure that bass are looking up at a top water and the underside if a bait fish is usually white or bone  

[Ohioguy25]

3 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Yes.

I fish for SMB with topwater quite a bit in late summer in some pretty skinny, clear water.

Long cast are important.

Strike King Sexy Dawg Walking bait in Sexy Ghost Minnow has been very good to me. 

https://youtu.be/Vsl5A_YmHzs?feature=shared&t=43

A-Jay

 

And as far as downsizing, not necessary?

[A-Jay]

51 minutes ago, Ohioguy25 said:

And as far as downsizing, not necessary?

I fish what I have confidence in.

I do downsize in some situations but it's a small percentage of the time.

I'm fishing for full grown plus size adult bass.

It's not that they won't take a smaller offering, but by throwing mostly meal size lures that match what they are feeding on at the time,

I get bigger bass, less bites, but that's the trade off IMO.

If I were simply looking for bites, a smaller bait usually does that.

One time a down size bait does pay off for me is when I might have already taken a few fish from an area and I'll go back through it with 'something else'.

A downsized version of what I was catching them on initially will sometimes get few an extra bite.

Fish some baits.  Get some confidence.  Learn what works for you.

Good Luck

A-Jay

[Munkin]

Translucent and silent baits for clear water.  Sometimes I downsize but it usually ends up with small fish. 

 

Allen 

[rangerjockey]

I throw a clear Spook some. Water clarity doesn't matter all that much to me. A walking bait isn't what I would think of as a finesse bait . For me that's a popper.

I use the smaller sizes like the Sammy in slick water the larger like the shower blow 125 with more chop.

white or translucent on sunny days black with clouds or at night is a starting point.

[JodonFishing]

One of my favorite walking baits is a sexy dawg in nude. It’s a completely clear bait. In the fall when the bass are feeding on super tiny shad(1inch) I found I can throw that bait and since it’s completely clear the bass really only see the hooks dancing and the commotion on the surface and it can trick em. A lot of times I will run a front runner as well 15 inches infront of the bait to add another small bait fish appeal to the technique. 

[whitwolf]

This little one here accounted for a lot of fish this year. For whatever reason it passed the look test for me. And the fish..lol

[Jigfishn10]

1 hour ago, whitwolf said:

This little one here accounted for a lot of fish this year. For whatever reason it passed the look test for me. And the fish..lol

Looks like an old saltwater plug

[crypt]

clear spooks are the way to go....no downsizing though.......

[Columbia Craw]

I don’t go clear. The Spook and Super Spook in Okie Shad have been great for years.