Best 3 Lures For Clear Water Smallmouth 2024

Ersteman reply :

What are your top 3 lures for clear water smallies and/or color/weight/size?

Mine would have to be:

Jerkbait - chartruese and purple

Grub - clear smoke with black flakes

*don't have a 3rd, which is why I'm asking you guys. Looking for some suggestings. : )

Thanks!

BasshunterJGH reply :

I would definitely add dropshot. Tubes and senkos are also good. Anything finesse on light line is ideal for clear water smallies.

FunkJishing reply :

spinnerbait

crankbait

jerkbait

if I could have a 4th it'd be drop shot. but honestly i have best luck on those three.

A-Jay reply :

Once the water temps dip below 55 here ~

It's all about the Blades Baits.

They all seem to work ~ Sliver dominates in the sun and gold rules when it's cloudy.

A-Jay

JeziHogg reply :

Dropshot with a minnow color, a perch jerk bait, 3/8 oz football jig and trailer with a green pumpkin and brown combo.

Felix77 reply :

1 - Tube

2 - Drop Shot

3 - Spinnerbait

jbw252 reply :

I've been reading that blade baits are great. Seems like A-Jay feels the same way. I gotta get some Silver Buddys & Heddon Sonars.

Siebert Outdoors reply :

american shad pointer 78-100

3/8 chart spinnerbait

4" green pumpkin tube

Bluebasser86 reply :

Jerkbait

spook

grub

Ersteman reply :

On 10/28/2014 at 2:43 PM, Bluebasser86 said:

Jerkbait

spook

grub

Hey Blue, What colors/sizes work best for you?

I like working all of those.

Bluebasser86 reply :

On 10/28/2014 at 7:29 PM, Ersteman said:

Hey Blue, What colors/sizes work best for you?

I like working all of those.

Jerkbait-RC Stix in French Pearl or Lucky Craft Slender Pointer 97MR in Gun Metal Shad

spook-Super Spook Jr in bone

When I said grub I meant a Ned rig-3/32oz 1/2 a PB&J Zinker

tholmes reply :

Blade bait 1/4 oz. - 1/2 oz. in silver or gold

Jerk bait - ^ same as above + bone w/orange belly

Bucktail jig - 1/8 - 1/4 oz. in black, brown, dark olive or combinations of these colors.

Tom

EvanT123 reply :

Fluke

Tube

Gunfish

roadwarrior reply :

Jerkbait Megabass Ito Vision 110 (Walkin Ayu) http://www.megabassusa.com/products/vision-110

Rage Tail Baby Craw (Watermelon/ Red Flakes) http://www.ragetail.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/babycrawtest22.jpg

BPS 3 1/2" Tender Tube (#71)

OkobojiEagle reply :

~15' clear water, boulders with sparse weed smallmouth fishing, 50+ degree water temp, above the Mason-Dixon line... Lunker City 4" Swimmin' Ribster (ayu); Pointer 78 (ghost sunfish/ghost bluegill); Gunfish 95 (ghost bluegill)

Ersteman reply :

On 10/29/2014 at 3:46 AM, roadwarrior said:

Jerkbait Megabass Ito Vision 110 (Walkin Ayu) http://www.megabassusa.com/products/vision-110

Rage Tail Baby Craw (Watermelon/ Red Flakes) http://www.ragetail.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/babycrawtest22.jpg

BPS 3 1/2" Tender Tube (#71)

Hey RW!

I have the baby craw and the tender tube. Going to try them out for the 1st time this weekend on a clear lake in East TN! Wish me luck!

mrmacwvu1 reply :

Agree with what was said but a tiny torpedo in clear can be deadly

SwimJiggin reply :

No surprise here:

1.)swimjig in bluegill 5/16 with Kalin 3" watermelon grub. (only if there'ssome grass)

2.) 5/8 1 knocker in royal shad. I use 7'11" H mod. With 17# fc. 6:3 ratio reel.

3.) Wiggle Warts in ghost colors. 7' MH Mod on 12# fc. 6:3 reeled faster.

4.) If any cover I always throw an older w/blue Terminator tandem. 6'6" MH on 17# fc.

I don't slow down much and sometimes I live and die by this habit success wise.

Bassun reply :

This is in creeks and rivers - in lakes I have much less success with the broken back rapala for some reason, but small cranks pick up. If it's really clear I think line becomes a huge part of the equation and a 4-6lb clear floro can really make the difference over my standard 10lb green Ande.

J7-J9 Rapala in Silver and Black

4" Ribbon tail worm in Tequila Sunrise by Riverside (what few I have left) - fished on the drop or swam. I've used some roboworms in a similar color but not nearly as effective.

2 1/2 - 3" Tubes in Browns / Pumpkinseed (Especially effective in the River)

Bonus -- If I am fishing shallow rapids with the sun shining I have great success using any small (less then 3") minnow bait in chrome. I had a ribbed Yo-Zuri knock off that worked great.

bushnaq94@gmail.com reply :

top three for me would be

1.) Drop shot. 6lb test with a jackall crosstail shad (green pumpkin candy. )

2.) 3 or 4 inch Tube 6-10 lb test (Green Pumpkin)

3.) Jerkbait with 10-12 lb test i like the rapala (moss back shiner) and Luck-E-strike RC STX Jerkbait (Purple Green Apple)

For the most part the DS and the tube should be tied on at all times if your fishing for Smallies, you can adjust them both easily for any depth and are great for clear water fishing and tough conditions. Jerkbait fishing is very effective when then bite is on which can be any time of the year. Jerkbait fishing is an extremely fun way to fish for smallmouth bass here in Lake Erie in the spring. Just twitch twitch Pause and hang on!!

Ozark_Basser reply :

Jerkbait, reapers, hair jigs

cyclops2 reply :

I have caught large smallies only when I find them. Anything will then get a couple. I have switched off of my preferred lures to totally different ones & still caught them consistently. I catch fish that are catch & release ones. The school WILL take off quickly if a couple are hooked . If I catch & release in the same spot ??

1 fish & they are moving AWAY from my low profile boat. I laugh about their ability to move away from my approaching boat sounds.

They DO learn from experience & that is passed on in their Daytime Genes. I have to range out farther in a different boat if I want a bunch of them.

I do some odd ball stuff to catch the " caught & released " fish. Very odd.

All the above applies ONLY to lures.

Amarley reply :

Whatever you do, don't try a blade bait. They absolutely do not ever work.

ww2farmer reply :

I don't know if they are the "best" but what works best for me when the water here is clear are: 4" finesse worms wacky rigged on a 1/16th or 1/8th oz. wacky jig, 3" and 4" Gulp products nose hooked on a drop shot, and small creature baits on a shakey, football, or biffle type head.

FunkJishing reply :

1. TUBES

2. DROP SHOT (WACKY RIGGED)

3. CRANKBAITS

4. JIGS

BigSkyBasser reply :

People often overlook Texas rigging when they think of Smallmouth because It's generally associated with largemouths and bank beating. However if you just up the gear (weights and a light wire hook for deep water reel sets,) It's just as effective as jigging and allows you to cover lots of water really quickly. I prefer a Hula Grub or a Strike King Ocho. We fish mainly for clear, deep water smallies in Montana. But a drop shot is always a healthy contender.

fisherrw reply :

Dropshot, senko and probably a lucky craft Stacey 90 deep diver

*Hank reply :

1.Dropshot

2.Tube

3.Lucky craft pointer.....

Felix77 reply :

Tube

Drop Shot

fluke

Seay Dawg

fisherrw reply :

1. Gitzit brown craw salt and pepper green sparkle 3.5 in with 1/4 bite me weight.

2. Margarita or morning dawn roboworms 4/1/2 inch wih a 1/4 or 1/8 ounce weight.

3. A lucky craft pointer chart shad

cyclops2 reply :

I live & die by the small floaters by Rapala & Rebel.

stepchild reply :

All I fish is clear (15ft+) water smallies. I've had great success with various types of baits, but if I had to chose 3 for reasonably warm water (65+), they would be:

Strike King Denny Brauer Structure Jig, 1/2oz. in green pumpkin/peanut butter bug - with a Baby Rage Craw (which I also use as a swim jig at times)
Drop Shot using various baits, such as Gulp Minnows, 4" Havoc finesse worms, Strike King Gobies, etc.
LIVETARGET Blueback Herring swimbait - fast-sinking - in silver blue

fish365 reply :

On 10/28/2014 at 2:38 AM, jbw252 said:
I've been reading that blade baits are great. Seems like A-Jay feels the same way. I gotta get some Silver Buddys & Heddon Sonars.

Try the Damiki Vault

jbw252 reply :

Thanks, fish365...I'll give the Damiki Vault a try. What color(s) do you favor?

Mothercanucker reply :

Smoke colored grubs with black flake are great as you said. Yamamoto shad shape worms on a drop shot are mandatory in clear water smallie situations for me.

wuchr20 reply :

1.Jerkbait

2. Drop shot

3.Live target lures

Hurricane reply :

On 10/27/2014 at 10:50 PM, A-Jay said:

Once the water temps dip below 55 here ~

It's all about the Blades Baits.

They all seem to work ~ Sliver dominates in the sun and gold rules when it's cloudy.

A-Jay

Blades are Good.jpg

Absolutely. . Sliver Buddy and the Sonar..

Brian Brazier reply :

Livetarget Smallmouth Jerkbait

Xcalibur XCS100 Smallmouth

X-Rap Pop Yellow Perch

I also had excellent results with the Little John Lineup, as well as DT-6-14

I will be honest I have never been much of a plastics fisher, and I have never caught a Bass on a dropshot, I only recently caught my first wacky rig Bass, maybe caught a dozen texas rigged or deadstick rigged, and I have never caught a Bass on a jig. I admit I dont fish any of them very much, probably because I mostly bank fish and I like to cover as much water as fast as I can, and with such limited success with plastics, it doesent inspire much confidence.

*Hank reply :

1.LC pointer 100 size-

2.Roboworm straight tail worm on a Drop shot rig w/ an 1/8oz weight-

3.Heddon super spook jr.-

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