Clear Water Tackle

[Dixon]

Got my first ever bass tournament tomorrow and I am freakin jacked up about it.  Should be a blast.  My buddy is prefishing today with only 2 keepers and the biggest is 1.6.  That wont cut it.  Fishing a lake thats clear for most of the lake.  What colors would you guys be throwing for the following?

Popper

Buzzbait

Spinnerbait

Would you try a rage shad or frog in the morning?  I have never had to much success at the big lakes.   Any help would be great.

[DINK WHISPERER]

I would use all natural colors like silver/white, watermelon, pumpkin etc. I would definitely use the Rage Tails too. Remember that in clear water you may need to stay back from potential spots and make longer casts to avoid spooking fish. Consider a Shakey head jig, finesse worm(in natural color) and some fluorocarbon line.  GOOD LUCK

[bigtimfish]

I will try this one.POPPERS=clear or shad,      BUZZBAITS I don't know I don't like them.   SPINNERBAITS= white, bluegill,white/chart, or shad

[Raul]

Got my first ever bass tournament tomorrow and I am freakin jacked up about it. Should be a blast. My buddy is prefishing today with only 2 keepers and the biggest is 1.6. That wont cut it. Fishing a lake thats clear for most of the lake. What colors would you guys be throwing for the following?

Popper

Buzzbait

Spinnerbait

Would you try a rage shad or frog in the morning? I have never had to much success at the big lakes. Any help would be great.

Most of the lakes I fish and all the ponds I fish are crystal clear, catching fish from them is more a matter of approach than bait color selection. You see them they see you and start from there.

[Bass Junkie]

Make LONG casts, use 8lb or so mono, use a realistic color based on availible forage, and come in First!!!!! Also, consider replacing your spinnerbait with a swimbait, preferably a soft one in a smaller size. Its usually better than a spinnerbait in clear water.

[Josh Bassman]

I fish large clear lakes all the time. My best producer is the tube. I like green and white/gray.

[RobE]

The clear water of Lake Norfork (AR) is where I do 90% of my fishing so I felt I might be able to offer a suggestion or two.

However, knowing more about the lake other than "it's clear" would help us narrow things down.

First tip has already been mentioned. Don't motor into a spot and shut the engine down and begin fishing. Slowly approach until you're at 100 yrds or so, kill it and go in with the TM, casting as you approach (this assumes that you've already found a spot).

Norfork is a reservoir that is clear, deep and rock is the predominate structure. Many major creek arms, where depth can easily exceed 40 ft, enter the main channel. This is where you'll find brush-piles.

If this sounds anything like the lake you're fishing, these are my recommendations for the 3 options you listed.

Popper. Early morning. Before the Sun breaks the horizon. Natural forage color for the particular lake, worked slow. After sunrise, in this heat, it's pretty useless unless you've had good rains and surface temps have dropped. Again use natural but larger baits worked faster in creek channels that lead to a primary point with easy acsess to deeper water.

Buzzbait. Pretty much same as above. I use white/silver most of the time, Black often, and Chartruese when it's cloudy and a wind that just barely produces a ripple. Not much surface or shallow cover here other than boulders.

Spinnerbait. The fish will be at your mercy if you know what they are feeding on and at what depth. On Norfork right now, the shad are 3 to 6 inches in size. I'd use a 1/4 oz white with dbl willows or a 3/8 with a single willow, nickle blades in calm water. With any wind at all, 3/8 to 5/8 with willow front / colorado follower, with the CO in nickle.

Nothing over 12 lb in clear mono for those three.

I'm currently catching them on dark green or brown, 4 to 5" crawjigs  on steep, rock-littered banks and by stepping down bluffs (slowly).

Get to bed. Breakfast is served early!      

[BASS K]

clear popper, white buzz bait, and a white spinnerbait

[MALTESE FALCON]

Lake St.Clair is a VERY clear lake. For the baits you mentioned:

Popper- Frog, or Chrome Blue.

Spinnerbait- White, or Translucent

Buzzbait- Recently, Black has been producing, or White.

Falcon

[CWB]

Colors for Poppers and Buzzbaits doesn't matter too much. With Poppers stay with natural colors. For spinnerbaits, I prefer Gold Blades

with shad colored or White, White/Chartreuse, or Sexy Shad skirts.

Reel it in fast so fish reacts and doesn't have a chance to think about it.

Use the lightest test Flourocarbon line you can get away with - 10 or 12 lb. should be fine. For me clear water is where a Green Pumpkin 5" Senko type bait on 10lb Flouro line shines.

[Jeff H]

Got my first ever bass tournament tomorrow and I am freakin jacked up about it. Should be a blast. My buddy is prefishing today with only 2 keepers and the biggest is 1.6. That wont cut it. Fishing a lake thats clear for most of the lake. What colors would you guys be throwing for the following?

Popper

Buzzbait

Spinnerbait

Would you try a rage shad or frog in the morning? I have never had to much success at the big lakes. Any help would be great.

You state "clear water" but the only presentations asked about pertain to shallows. If there are any good hooks in that tourney and you fish only shallow you stand a good chance of getting your *** handed to you by deep fish. Without knowing weather conditions I'd never bet but in general I'd bet the house against "shallow" winning this event.