Ultra Clear Water Bassin

[Gregory]

I'm really having trouble locating and catching bass in clean, clear, deep, rocky water. I've had alittle luck dropshoting. I need some help. Can anybody give me a clue or some tips? Gregory

[Jim80]

I would try sticking to you more natural colored baits greens browns and the likes , and maybe try using a fluorocarbon line .

Jim

[bamabassman]

jim is right. also try cranks near or as close to rocks as you can. look for ANY type of cover. most likely they are ther, but they see you coming and run. go DEEP.

[Gregory]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. I'll try floracarbon and deeper water, pluse I'll make longer casts. Do you think I should downsize? Greg

[bamabassman]

if they ain't biting, yeah. try it.

[Rebbasser]

Welcome to the forum!

I'm guessing your waters don't have a lot of cover-grass, lilly pads, etc. I fish similar lakes here in Texas. Dropshotting is a great choice. Small soft plastics and deeper running crankbaits fished shallow also will work. Stick with natural colors-green pumpkin, watermelon, watermelon red and watermelon candy for soft plastics and crawfish, bluegill and shad colors for cranks.

In deep, rocky water bass relate to the rocks due to lack of other cover so bounce crankbaits off differrent size rocks. They will use the rocks as ambush points. Finesse fishing-dropshot, shakey head, and small T-rigs will work in the same areas. Downsizing is always worth doing in conditions like that.

[BassinID]

Are you fishing from a boat, and if so, do you have electronics?

[carolina-rig-01]

the water you are describing sounds exactly like table rock. finesse jigs, shaky heads, and carolina rigs are tough to beat on the rock.

[Mac2]

If you have patience, a 4 inch worm on a light wire hook and 6 or 4 lb test line on an ultra lite outfit works well. Fish it weightless and let it slow fall to the bottom. A black slider worm works well, also a razor worm if you can find them in grasshopper color. 4 inch ringworms with ribbon tails work well too.

[bassthumb32]

find current and depth change. stick with the dropshot

[keithdog]

All the above sounds good. I'd like to add one little tidbit. In water than is gin clear I'd be sure to try to find deeper diving crankbaits that "do not" have any rattles. Quite often, noisy rattling crankbaits in clear water will tend to spook bass more than rattless cranks with a quieter more natural action.

[Bender]

Sounds like some of the lakes up here. Tough to find the fish. I would drop shot most of the time but one technique that hasn't been mentioned is dragging a tube. Link: http://tinyurl.com/mfmpck
Some days they just prefer something on the bottom rather than suspended. I'd rig it with a tube head and exposed hook if there isn't much to get hung up on there.

[hookset on 3]

Originally Posted by keithdog

All the above sounds good. I'd like to add one little tidbit. In water than is gin clear I'd be sure to try to find deeper diving crankbaits that "do not" have any rattles. Quite often, noisy rattling crankbaits in clear water will tend to spook bass more than rattless cranks with a quieter more natural action.

KeithDog has a great point. It's tough to find cranks without rattles nowadays. I like the balsa Rapala Shad Raps,they are tough to cast, but it's very stealthy.
I recommend fishing that clear lake in any low-light conditions,dawn,dusk,cloudy. The fish won't be as leery.

[bonsaibp]

Look for any shade pockets you can find and yes downsizing would probably help.
Either fish small and slow or go for the reaction bite and fish things like cranks, small spinner baits and buzzbaits as fast as you can

[Paul_F]

I have a lake just like this nearby, Its deep and crystal clear.

In past years I found that fishing small jigs with tube worms worked well, but this year I found that Rapala deep divers and sinking shad-raps worked really well. I had good luck Carolina rigging too in spots that permitted for such. If the shorelines at your lake are like mine though, you'll be stuck fishing cranks and weightless worms, My lake has such steep shorelines fishing anything along the bottom is near impossible. Ultimately, all the natural colored stuff I threw worked though.

[swimbaitkid]

If you find the fish and put a lure in there face they'll eat, dont be scared to fish big or standerd size baits, in spring the color doesnt matter as much I used to fish a lake in Hayde, Idaho it was crystal clear like I could see 40ft down, and in the spring I could catch them on junebug and black and blue

[Captmikestarrett]

I would use a Rapala countdown on lite line.

Capt Mike

[MississippiBoy]

Originally Posted by Captmikestarrett

I would use a Rapala countdown on lite line.

Capt Mike

If you only have one of those left, is that the "Final Countdown?"

The song is now stuck in your head. You can't get it out, just accept it.

[TRUMAN BASSER]

get yourself a Pig Sticker Scrawler Football jig and a baby paca chunk and find yourself a windy point around a channelswing and give it a toss. When the bait gets to the bottom start reeling the jig but make sure its ticking the bottom. That retrieve produces explosive strikes from clear water bass. You don't have to fish slow in clear water...that is a myth you don't want the fish to get a good look at the bait. Make sure you go to a little lighter line than you normally fish on darker water. Flourocarbon is great cause it has a lower stretch but mono will get the job done....15lb test flouro and 10-12lb mono.

[Mac2]

I think Keithdog's idea is a very good point also. The hooks and split rings will emit sound, but instead of a noisy rattle, just a subtle light ticking sound...still helpful for the fish to locate as it's being emitted on the move.....

Bender's tube is a good one also.....I'd try rigging weightless with a wide gap hook and clinching on a splitshot for weight underneath the tube on the "belly" of the hook......when hitting the rocks and pebbles it also will emit a rather quiet ticking sound....

[hookset on 3]

Originally Posted by MississippiBoy

If you only have one of those left, is that the "Final Countdown?"

The song is now stuck in your head. You can't get it out, just accept it.

sippi, you dog! I can hear that whiny voice in my melon. what's the band again?

Hook

[nofearengineer]

Europe...they're still around in well, Europe, of course.

[MississippiBoy]

Originally Posted by hookset on 3

sippi, you dog! I can hear that whiny voice in my melon. what's the band again?

Hook

Europe was the band.

You're welcome.