How to Catch Fish in Ultra Clear Water

Most fisherman tend to stay away from ultra clear water due to how difficult it can be. In this article we will be discussing baits, techniques and even how to cast in these situations.

Baits

Ultra clear water fishing is all about color and profile, and this varies between species of bass. Baits can be split into two categories which are reaction baits and finesse gear.

Finesse Fishing

For finesse fishing use a drop shot, tube, ned rig, finesse swimbait, or weightless senko. When fishing a dropshot a good worm option is the 4.5 inch Roboworm Straight Tail Worm. It has great hand poured colors, and an incredible tail wiggle. For tube fishing use the Z-Man TRD Tubez. Most tube baits have the same action, but the TRD Tubez has the durable ElazTech material. Two baits to consider when fishing the ned rig is the Roboworm ned worm and the Z-Man Finesse TRD. The Roboworm ned worm offers hand poured colors that were not previously available when fishing a ned rig. The Roboworm also has a short, fat profile that makes it ideal for using on a shroom head. It also has a flat bottom which allows it to glide with a subtle action as it falls to the bottom. The TRD has ElazTech which is the most durable soft plastic material ever made. You can catch multiple fish on this bait and never have to replace it. It also comes in a variety of colors that work great, and has a good, subtle action that entices most finicky fish. For fishing the senko use an EWG hook for it’s ability to be weedless, or a wacky hook for great slow fall action. My favorite finesse swimbait is the Keitech Swing Impact FAT Swimbait rigged on a guppy head or an owner weedless darter head. When using these finesse techniques go through all of them and see which one works best. Then start to dial in on the color they are attacking.

Reaction Baits

When fishing Reaction baits use them fast, unless you are using a swimbait. Fish do not see your line as well if you are ripping a jerkbait fast. All the fish see is the bait and it activates a core response to feed. My favorite Jerkbait is the Rapala RipStop because of it’s ability to stop after every rip. This causes the bait only to rip and not swim during the retrieve. The same thing applies with topwater baits. Use walking baits and fish them a little faster. A good walking bait is the Rapala Skitter V. It has a bottom shaped like the hull of a boat for better walking action. It allows the bait to walk without digging into the water. When fishing glide baits I use a variety of retrieves, and it is good to find the retrieve that best suites the fish. I may use a slow reel, twitch and glide, or I may walk the bait for a reaction bite. The best glide bait to use is the River2Sea S-Waver. It has one of the best actions of any glide bait on the market, and is budget friendly unlike most other glide baits. When fishing a soft swimbait I slow fish them. Slowly crawl them on the bottom and wait for a tick on the line. When you feel the tick set the hook because bass do not aggressively attack swimbaits as they do with topwater baits and jerkbaits. My favorite baits are the Little Trash Fish and the Osprey Tournament Talon. The Trash Fish has amazing action and the ability to be weedless, but the Osprey is more durable and still has good action. Either rig the trash fish on a jig hook if you are fishing where there are few snags, or a beast hook if there are a lot of snags.

Boat Position

Boat position is key for not scaring fish. Position your boat where your shadow is facing away from the fish. If your shadow falls over the fish it gives away your presence and spooks the fish. Also position your boat farther away from the fish and cast over the fish. Do not drop a bait right in front of them, but instead cast it twenty to thirty feet behind them and work it to them.

Color

Color varies between species. Spotted bass and largemouth bass respond better to natural colors, while smallmouth are aggressive towards brighter colors. For soft plastics use green pumpkin, smelt, and other colors that have a natural look to them. When fishing for smallmouth use colors such as pink, morning dawn, and other bright shad colors. For both spotted, largemouth, and smallmouth bass use bright colors when using a Keitech swimbait. If they do not work start using the more natural colors. Another thing to consider when fishing soft plastics is flake. When the sun is out use a bait with flake in it, but when fishing cloudy days use plastics without flake. When fishing jerkbaits and topwater baits use ghost colors. Stay away from the brighter colors even when fishing for smallmouth. The same thing applies for swimbaits. Use a ghost color that looks natural in clear water.

Gear

Jerkbait

Rod- Abu Garcia IKE Delay Casting Rod 6’8″ Medium

Reel- Abu Garcia REVO X Gen 4 Casting Reel 6:6:1

Line- Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon 10lb

Topwater

Rod- Abu Garcia IKE Delay Casting Rod 7’3″ Medium

Reel- Abu Garcia REVO X Gen 4 Casting Reel 6:6:1

Main Line- PowerPro Spectra Moss Green 20lb

Leader- Maxima Ultragreen Line 12lb

Glide Baits and Swimbaits

Rod- Duckett Silverado Series Casting Rod 7’3″ Heavy

Reel- Abu Garcia Maxtoro Casting Reel

Main Line- PowerPro Spectra Moss Green 65lb

Leader- Maxima Ultragreen Line 20lb

Finesse

Rod- Abu Garcia IKE Finesse Spinning Rod 7′ Medium

Reel- Abu Garcia REVO2X20

Main Line- PowerPro Spectra Moss Green 10lb

Leader- Maxima Ultragreen Line 6lb

Lures

Finesse

1. Roboworm Ned Worm (Aarons Green Pumpkin, Aarons Magic, Prism Shad, Peoples Worm, Margarita Mutilator)
2. Z-Man Finesse TRD (Smelt, Green Pumpkin, Twilight)
3. Roboworm 4.5″ Fat Straight Tail Worm (Aarons Green Pumpkin, Aarons Magic, Prism Shad, Peoples Worm, Margarita Mutilator)
4. Z-Man TRD Tubez (Green Pumpkin, Canada Craw, The Deal)
5. Keitech Swing Impact FAT Swimbait 2.8″ (Electric Blue & Chartreuse, Ghost Rainbow Trout, Electric Shad, Sight Flash)
6. Gary Yamamoto 5” Senko (Baby Bass, Green Pumpkin, Natural Shad)

Swimbaits

1. River2Sea S-Waver (Lite Trout, Party Crasher)
2. Osprey Tournament Talon Top Hook Swimbait (Shad 087, TW Shad)
3. Little Creeper All American Trash Fish (Tucked Out Ghost Natural Hitch, Tucked Out Ghost LC Hitch)

Reaction

1. Rapala RipStop Jerkbait (Albino Shiner, Herring, Silver)
2. Rapala Skitter V (Glass Ghost, Silver)

Terminal Tackle

Finesse

1. Z-Man Pro Shroomz Ned Rig Jighead
2. Dirty Jigs Matt Stefan Guppy Swimbait Jig Head
3. VMC Sureset Drop Shot Hook
4. VMC Tungsten Teardrop Drop Shot Weight
5. VMC Ike Tungsten Drop Shot Weights Cylinder
6. Gamakatsu SuperLine Offset EWG Hook (4/0 or 3/0)
7. Gamakatsu Finesse Wide Gap Hook (Size 1 or 2)

Upgraded Hooks

1. Owner Stinger Treble Hook 3X ST-56 Size 2 (S-Waver 168)
2. Owner Stinger Treble Hook Black Chrome ST-36 Size 1/0 (S-Waver 200)
3. Owner Stinger Treble Hook 3X ST-56 Size 4 (S-Waver 120)
4. Owner Hyper Wire Split Rings Black Size 4 and 5