Favorite bait in clear water

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

I have been fishing a clear water Northwest WI lake. I have been getting some follows and had a upper 30" fish strike but I don't know if I am using the right bait. The lake has about 10ft clarity with lots of good cabbage beds where the fish hold almost year round so I will need something that doesn't dive to deep and get into the cabbage.

Thanks,

Ryan

[JRedig]

I'd do a black and orange curly sue, medium sized with a #7 blade put into it's back ala heli-dawg style.(except that it won't fall apart from just casting it 5 times....) That blade will keep it high in the water, all black would be good too, IMO.

Other than that, the sparkle blue/silver or rainbow double showgirls do well in clear water IMO.

HTH

JR

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

Thanks for the advice JR, I have one of those blue/ silver showgirls so I will give that a try again. Do those curly sues and bull dawgs and stuff like that really work well for casting? Never had mush faith in them I think just because of the size..

Thanks,

Ryan

[HuntBigFish]

I would use sucker or walleye shallow invaders and spinnerbaits like CJ's and cycoes. Also consider phantoms in white and maybe a hellhound too. I don't have a curly sue, but I do like bulldawgs a lot. I don't think size deters them a whole lot, especially when you see a 25 inch pike take down a mag bulld. But if it's 10 ft and weedy, I would go with the shallow versions. Good Luck!

[cjac]

Funny....before reading a reply I was thinking silver/blue.

Maybe a Lily Tail? They have a unique wobble with the longer wire shaft. They were born on Leech, clear lake with some decent weeds, few fish caught out of there..... Might be an option.

[MUSKY18]

I fish a lake that has very clear water, you can see bout 15 feet down and my favorite bait to use is a Suick. You can work them through the weeds with little to no hangups, as when you feel the bait hit the weeds, just stop and the lure will back up out of trouble and you can continue on. If the cabbage is really thick, then I will switch to a Pearson Grinder and work that through the weeds deeper. Either bait is a great choice.

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

What color spinnerbaits or bucktails do you all prefer in clear water? I really like the rad dog after catching 3 muskies on it in 4 days on lotw. Up there the water is stained but black and orange is the color they say is best. What do you all think for clear water?

Thanks,

Ryan

[MUSKY18]

Black/silver or firetiger

[DHanson]

silver blades/ black hair

[cRaPpiEMaN8265]

thanks guys. I think I am going to try some cranks as well. A guy told me to fish some cranks on the weedline which is 8-10 feet. What do you think the best one would be? I was going to try a Jake but I dont feel very confident in how I work them. Any tips?

thanks,

Ryan

[JRedig]

I'd get a 10 inch jake in perch, black/silver, or firetiger and twitch that thing fast. Let it hit the water, give it a crank or two to get down a little, then twitch it in.

[mskyfshntchr]

My experience on clear water is a lake in Canada with a 20-25' clarity and it has told me this:

1. Use fluro leaders. 130# is good. HUGE difference.

2. Use natural colors- For bucktails use black and brown tails with silver or copper blades. Red works with a copper blade on that lake also. Blue and purple can be good too. So experiement until you hit the right combo for that lake.

3. Top water at dusk- jackpot or another smaller one.

4. Smaller is better, especially in bucktails. #5 mepps or smaller.

5. Fast or faster is usually better.

6. Storms coming in help.

7. The wind is your friend.

These are my experiences on one lake in Canada, but clear water lakes tend to run similar. Every lake is different though, but I hope these tips help you out a little...