Fishing Clear Waters: What Lure Do You Need to Catch Bass?

Catching bass in clear waters is not always the most straightforward task and can intimidate many anglers. The increased visibility can make the whole bait-the-bass-thing more challenging.

Fish are wariest in crystal-clear water. Clear water provides predators with ideal seeing conditions and induces caution in all fish species. Because clean water affects fish behavior, obtaining any bites at all can be challenging at times, especially when the weather is calm and bright.

However, fishing in clear water can be easy with the best lures for clear water bass fishing in your tacklebox!

Clear Water Bass Fishing Lures: Why Do You Need Them?

Clear water is described as having visibility of at least 5 feet and up to 20 feet. Clear water allows the bass to move freely across the lake. Deep water contains plenty of oxygen due to low water fertility. 

Since bass are visual predators, the clear water allows them to spot every single movement both inside and outside the lake. That is why picking the right clear water bass fishing lures is crucial for making the most out of your trip.

Natural colors work best in clear water since the fish can concentrate on the lure. Green pumpkin is a natural hue that you may use to simulate bluegill and crawfish. White is an excellent hue for imitating shad and bunker. In clear water, transparent and ghost designs also work nicely.

The Best Lures for Clear Water Bass Fishing

Still don’t know which lure to use? To assist you in making this selection, we’ve developed a list of the best fishing lures for bass in clear water:

Swimbaits

Swimbaits are one of the finest ways to capture bass in clear water. They are flexible baits that enable you to cover more water and, as such, are among the most excellent methods to simulate natural bass forage.

They are available in several designs and sizes, allowing you to replicate the hatch on your lakes easily. If you wish to catch a lot of fish in clear water, a delicate swimbait is the way to go. You should invest in a larger, more costly swimbait to catch a trophy-sized bass.

Drop Shot

The drop shot is an excellent fishing setup for capturing bass in clear water. It may be fished deep, shallow, or everywhere in between. This finesse technique is meant to be fished off the bottom and shines best in clear water or when the biting is harsh. It lets you generate a lot of motion by shaking the rod tip and attracting fish from a long distance. 

The drop-shot rig is hard to top when it comes to clear water bass finesse techniques. It thrives in clear water and difficult fishing situations, scoring both in size and quantity.

Jerkbaits

A jerkbait is another outstanding lure to use while fishing in clear water. This bait is most useful in the early spring and late fall, but you can use it all year. Jerkbaits are fantastic at eliciting sight-induced strikes from any close fish. It excels in cold, clear water and is an excellent technique for capturing baits for largemouth, stripers, and smallmouth fish.

Ned Rig

The Ned Rig has recently taken the bass business by storm for a good reason. This basic rig is a great technique to catch bass almost anywhere in the nation and is especially helpful with catching those summertime bass. 

This fundamental fishing technique can constantly catch you a boatload of bass in clear water. It is arguably among the top three best bass lures for clear water.

The Ned Rig is made of a basic light jig head and soft plastic bait, usually in the form of little worms like Senkos. Although little to it, it attracts fish and shines in clear water. If you haven’t tried the Ned Rig yet, you definitely should after this.

Choosing a Clear Water Bass Lure

You might need to consider a few factors when choosing bass fishing lures for clear water. But, to make it easier for newbies, we will only advise you to concentrate on two factors: fishing in sunny and low-light conditions.

When you fish on a sunny day, bass rely solely on their eyesight, meaning you should pick lures with colors that imitate the food that bass eat. For example, green pumpkin and bluegill patterns will perform well when targeting bass in a pond with a lot of bluegills. However, white patterns will work better in a lake with a lot of shad.

When fishing in poor lighting or at night, choose black, blue, and purple since these are the most noticeable. When fishing in poor light, use baits with a lot of vibration and sound to assist fish in finding them.

The Best Bass Lures for Clear Water: A Few More Words

Finally, remember that feeding habits and environmental factors are continuously changing, so although one hue may work one day, it may not be the next. Don’t be scared to experiment with different colors until you discover one that works for you.

Finally, don’t forget to check out some of the best lures we mentioned above for clear-water bass fishing!

FAQs

How to catch bass in clear water?

When fishing for bass in clear water, you should avoid their visual space since they depend on their sight for feeding. Use a light line and natural colors for fishing lures and baits.

What color can bass see the best?

Their eyesight is sharpest in the medium-red to green range. It degrades quickly when it moves into the blues, purples, and deep reds.

People Also Ask

How to fish clear water?

You’ll need to understand how to take advantage of the sun’s location for clear-water bass fishing. You’ll need to make longer casts than usual, with lighter lines, and you must be aware of the sound your trolling motor produces.

Would a chatter bait lure work in clear water? Yes, color and flash are vital features that can help or hurt the bite!

What color lure to use in clear water?

The primary guideline for picking the color of a lure for fishing in clear water is to select more natural colors, such as white, watermelon, green, pumpkin, brown, and shiny.

Equally, here’s some additional information on how to catch bass in summer, types of bass, different lure types for bass, bass fishing at night, and even how to fish for crappie!