Clear water fishing

"Phone Man" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have a suggestion for catching bass in clear water? I have
been to this old rock quarry for many years and see tons of bass and
have not found any lure or bait they will strike.
Also does anyone know of any good fishing ponds or lakes around
Anson or Union county North Carolina?
Thanks


There are many different lures and methods that will trigger a strike from
clearwater bass. The trick is to realize what mood they're in and give them
what they want. First of all, what is the primary forage for these bass?
Is it shiner minnows, chubs, bluegills, yellow perch, crawfish? Use lures
that imitate their primary forage first of all.

While I don't subscribe to the theory that line visibility can turn off a
fish, some do. You can use lighter pound test line in a clear mono or
fluorocarbon is you think that will help.

I've found that finesse lures like 4" Senko style stick baits in natural
colors work well, especially wacky rigged. Hook one on and simply let it
fall. If the line doesn't jump, twitch or begin moving off in another
direction, and the line is totally slack, indicating the lure has reached
bottom, then I'll give the rod a pop, jerking the lure off the bottom and
let it fall again. I'll do this three or four times, and if no fish are
caught, I'll cast to a different likely looking fish holding spot.

Another favored clear water bait for me, especially if I know the bass are
eating minnows and other small fish is a soft plastic jerk bait. I've done
very well on clear water lakes and rivers with jerk shads in watermelon
green and pearl white.

If the forage base is crawfish, then a Texas Rigged soft plastic craw or
tube jig can be a deadly lure. Again, natural colors seem to work best.

Don't overlook dropshotting as a tactic to finesse clear water bass.

If that doesn't work, or the fish seen active, then a reaction lure will
allow you to cover a lot of water in a hurry and pick off the active fish.
Rattletrap type lures (again natural colors) will draw strikes, as will
suspending minnow imitating crankbaits. Probably my favorite clear water
reaction lure is a Secret Weapon spinnerbait, bleeding shad in color with
two willow leaf chrome blades.

So you see, you have a lot of choices, it's just a matter of listening to
the fish and letting them tell you what they want. I'm sure others will
chime in with other choices.
--
Steve @ OutdoorFrontiers
http://www.outdoorfrontiers.com
G & S Guide Service and Custom Rods
http://www.herefishyfishy.com