
Fishing in clear water presents a very different experience to fishing in bracken and stained or dirty water. When the water is clear, fish feel vulnerable and often are unwilling to hunt, and are a lot more suspicious of every splash and movement pushing the fish into a very alert mode. Fish can be very difficult to catch in crystal clear water, so although you can see the fish, they will be very difficult to catch. Remember if you can see the fish, they can see you so it may be a good idea to wear light colored clothes, even white or light blue so that you blend into the sky. Here we will discuss techniques for fishing in clear water, plus the lures that I recommend for clear water fishing.
Techniques for fishing in Crystal Clear Water
When fishing in crystal clear water, the aim is to not startle the fish and scare them, or put them into a higher alert mode than they already are due to the high visibility in the water. Remember, when we can see the fish, they can see EVERYTHING too. This is an overload for the fish and makes them very hesitant to hunt. The best strategy that I have found for catching fish in this state is to reduce the size and weight of the gear that I am using – I will grab a light rod, with a light line and try to pick from my lightest lures. I will also try to pick a lure with a bright color or a lot of flash, which can be seen easily through the water. Finally, I try to make the cast land past the fish, so that the splash when it lands does not startle the fish at all. I will then retrieve the lure past the fish so that the first encounter is with the lure swimming past the target fish hiding spot. With these very simple techniques in mind, let’s have a look at the best lures available for this technique.
Light Colored Soft Plastics
The ideal soft plastic for fishing in clear water is one that is a natural tone, either soft green, blue, or white, which has a slight motion that resembles prey.
The SundayPro Soft Fishing Lures have a great selection of colors to choose from, for all occasions. When the water is crystal clear though I would be selecting a natural tone like the white one on the bottom row or the blue one on the top. The shape of the tail of this lure gives it its swimming motion and will be irresistible to a hungry fish even in clear water. These lures are also very reasonably priced, with this 100 pack going for $20-$30.
Check them out at the following link; SundayPro Soft Fishing Lures
TRUSCEND Pre-Rigged Jig Head Fishing Lures are a great lure for clear water fishing. The shrimp smokes life-like movements and dances along the bottom. Add a small jiggle to the line when retrieving and they will walk along the bottom just like a real shrimp. These lures can come in different configurations, but the one I chose in the link below gives 6 different options/colors. This will allow you to use this lure when there is crystal clear water, picking a light-colored or bright-colored body, but will also include a couple of darker-bodied lures and bodies that have a bit of luminescence for when you are in low light, dark, or muddy dirty water.
Check them out at the following link; Hulls Hunting
Hard lure options for clear water
The soft plastic lures above are definitely the most effective when the water is crystal clear, however, it is possible to catch fish with hard lures, just need to pick the most subtle.
Top Lure: If you are to choose a top lure or popper, the best option is a small, quiet as possible lure with a small concave shape so that it doesn’t startle the fish and put it on alert. The best sound is more of a spitting sound rather than the chug that big concave shapes can give. Another option is a stickbait, which can be walked through the retrieval. If you are not sure how to walk a stickbait, here is a link to a great video who explains it very well.
Crankbait: If you are to pick a crankbait, the pest option is to pick a light colored one, with a very life like swimming motion.
Spinnerbait: If you are to pick a spinner, chose one with the smallest propellor so that the sound and vibrations are light, however you still want the lure to produce flashes of light to tempt the fish out of its hiding spot. Much as with the plastic lures I would cast past the hiding spots so that the lure does not land near the fish and startle it, and to ensure the lure is swimming properly when it swims past the hiding spot.
Do you have any tip and tricks to help pull in a monster when the water is clear? Please comment below;
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Good luck!