Smallmouth baits for extremely clear water ?

[hawgwalker]

Watermelon zoom lizard six or eight inch, zoom centipede, 4'' venom tube watermelon copper flake

[lineman711]

Bronzer...

  I fish all around Smyth County,  mostly around Saltville in the Holston.  I occasionally make it up to the New River.  I try to fish South Holston lake every now and then, but never do that good there.  Hungry Mother is another one that I've had little success on.  Laurel Bed Lake is pretty good certain times of the year,  if you have a boat or canoe.

[Tuckman]

In clear water I like to use a technique I call senko bombing, I make a really high, really long cast with a wacky rigged junebug dinger and let it make a big splash...in clear water the fish can see the disturbance from a long ways off and will often swim over to investigate, and anytime that bass and senko meet the potential for a strike is there

[S Hovanec]

I've been doing quite well on my local deep/clear reservoir dropshotting Jackall Cross Tail Shads in the Ayu color.

Primary forage there is alewife, crayfish and some rainbow smelt.

[Scorpio]

I have had real good luck with the 4-inch clear Kalin grubs in clear water.

[MALTESE FALCON]

This season my biggest producers have been, XCalibur Xr50 lipless crankbaits in Blue Chrome/Orange, or Pearl Melon, and spinnerbaits white, or translucent.

Falcon

[CWeb Canada]

Perhaps some of you can provide me with some ideas on how to rig the Fluke as well as how you would present it?

Thanks in advance,

CWeb

[dinkman]

I haven't seen anyone mention the Yum Crawbug yet, that thing is an all time producer for me when I fish for smallies and there are crawdads present.  Bitsy Bug jigs with zoom trailers, 6" pumpkin/ chartreuse tail lizards and any type of rapala minnow imitator are always ready to go when smallmouth fishing.

[hotrod]

whacky rigging a 4" senko, casting upstream in a very clear/shallow Shenendoah River has been producing well for me lately

[whittler]

Have to admit, I'm not a big match the hatch person. Usually when the bite is tough I will go to something wild, Flo. pink or purple glitter, something that jumps out at them.

I equate smallies with cats. If you roll a chartruse ball in front of a cat they will take a swat at it, no plan at all to eat it, just a feflex. I think smallies are much the same.

[fishn hard]

The best bait Hands down for Big smallmouth in clear water is the cotton cordell Blue striper its a old salt water bait that was designed for top water use.But the old timers up here in Pa figured out if you drill them and take out the rattle balls and fill with #8 bird shot it will swim under the water about 2 foot.The bait works great when the water has a little chop and its over cast make long cast and just reel it back it has its own action built in and hold on when they hit they rock it hard.If any one wants to know how and where to drill them just let me know

[Hobie1Kanobe]

Rapala Xrap 10 in hothead and Parrot. 

GYCB 4" Shad shape worm in shad color demeki or drop shot. Black maribou hairjigs, or a Ned rig with green pumpkin. 

[A-Jay]

@StrikeKing76 ~ Dove pretty deep into the achieve pool for this one did ya ? 

 

A-Jay

[DropShotHotShot]

I have done well with a 4" natural shad senko dropshot on Mille Lacs, its clear water, but not as clear as you are saying.

[Hobie1Kanobe]

On 12/5/2017 at 9:07 PM, A-Jay said:

@StrikeKing76 ~ Dove pretty deep into the achieve pool for this one did ya ? 

 

A-Jay

achieve greatness.

On 12/6/2017 at 1:58 AM, DropShotHotShot said:

I have done well with a 4" natural shad senko dropshot on Mille Lacs, its clear water, but not as clear as you are saying.

Mille lacs is about the same clarity. I'll also throw VMC moon eye jig 1/8 with Berkley Gulp 4" Minnow and that does very well. 

[Hobie1Kanobe]

On 12/5/2017 at 9:07 PM, A-Jay said:

@StrikeKing76 ~ Dove pretty deep into the achieve pool for this one did ya ? 

 

A-Jay

 

On 8/10/2009 at 11:09 AM, S Hovanec said:

I've been doing quite well on my local deep/clear reservoir dropshotting Jackall Cross Tail Shads in the Ayu color.

Primary forage there is alewife, crayfish and some rainbow smelt.

Have you ever tried lucky craft LV500 in Ghost?

[S Hovanec]

7 minutes ago, StrikeKing76 said:

 

Have you ever tried lucky craft LV500 in Ghost?

No.  I only fish soft plastics there.

[Hobie1Kanobe]

Just now, S Hovanec said:

No.  I only fish soft plastics there.

Oh OK.