Article by: Mike Bucca

Clearwater fishing for the elusive Spotted bass in deep clear reservoirs can be an intimidating task for those not familiar with the habits of spotted bass and clear water applications. Being a part time guide, the most consistent thing I am seeing from my out of state clients is that they are absolutely terrified of that clear water, especially if they are from a stained water environment. Clear water is not an easy situation to overcome for the average angler. The vast majority of the bass fishermen are more comfortable fishing off colored and shallow water. Typically, clear water strategies usually revolve around fishing deep water, which is a whole different ballgame for them. A lot of clear water misconceptions are normally “We gotta fish deep and with small baits”. All I have to say is that it’s the equivalent of reading Shakespeare or listening to Chopin before going to bed. BORING!!! I tend to fall asleep on the front deck after about an hour of doodling. But, while fishing deep with small baits will most definitely work if your a small bait/deep water kind of angler. I tend to stick with trying to find active fish which adapts more readily to my fishing style which is Power Fishing. Don’t get me wrong but there are certainly times when things are not happening and I have to become more versatile by fishing slower and smaller baits to get the bites I need.

Clear water equipment: Fishing clear water can be a nightmare for anglers who haven’t experienced it and often results in fishless disasters for experienced and inexperienced anglers alike. Yes I tend to use lighter line primarily for the reason that I don’t have near as much structure to worry about hanging a fish on as compared to most Southern lakes. I use 14lb Green Excel for the majority of my reaction bait fishing mainly because we catch the occasional Striper and I don’t like donating my expensive Lucky Craft jerkbaits to the Striper Lure fund. I may bump down to 8lb line in the heat of the summer when the water is clearest and on my Curado 100’s I usually use 8lb test. As for reels, any brand will work but I tend to favor faster gear ratio’s and you must absolutely make sure they are capable of slinging a lightweight bait in the 40yds ++ as I will explain why later. As for baits, most scientific studies that I have read have shown that clear water bass depend more on sight than any other sense, much more than fish living in stained or even muddy water, which use a combination of senses, most notably those that detect vibration and sound. I generally use the same sized baits that I use for Largemouth. I like to throw Pointer 78’s, 100’s and even the monster 125, Flashminnow 110 and TR95, Staysees 90, HEAVY compact Spinnerbaits, 4 and 5 inch Senkos, Bandits, Lucky Craft Cranks, Bass Stalker Jigs ¼ to 3/8oz, Sammy 100’s, Alabama Rig, jigheads tipped with a Yamamoto Cuttail worms etc. Sounds like who’s who fishing for largemouth doesn’t it?? Notice how for the most part the baits I have listed above are jerkbaits which are a huge mainstay in my clear water arsenal. Not that I don’t know how to throw a Carolina rig, Texas rig, or a split shot rig, but they are just not my primary confidence baits in clear water. Try to remain open minded and versatile, they most definitely have their time and place.

One of the most common mistakes that I see people do is they fish too close to the shore and they don’t make long enough cast in clear water or they do not have the right equipment to make those long casts. The last thing you want is to happen is to have a “wolfpack” (school) of several 3-5lb spots rise on your reaction bait out of 50ft of water and the lure is right at the boat and the fish get spooked. I feel that longer casts have a greater calling range in clear water and it gives the spots more time to come out of 30ft + of water to nail your bait zooming over head. Not to mention that Spots are already notorious as “bait followers”, so by making the longer cast it gives the fish a little more distance to fool around and commit to crashing into your offerings. Let me make a point by saying that spots are the only fish I know of that can pocket pick a jerkbait full of hooks and escape death! How they do it is beyond me, but I have had some HUGE spots crash my jerkbaits up to 4 times on one cast and still not connect. Unfortunately this is normal and the only known cure I have found is to come back in an hour or two with a different color and try again. For the reasons I stated above while fishing spinnerbaits don’t be foolish and fish them without a trailer hook. There are a lot of days where I can easily catch 50% of my fish on the back stinger hook alone.

In closing, all of the tactics above have been tried and tested on various lakes in Georgia including Allatoona, Lanier, Blue Ridge, Carters and also in Keowee, SC, Guntersville, Wheeler and Wilson in Alabama and they have been effective for both Spots and Smallmouth. So next time your out on the lake give these Wolfpack catching techniques a try when things get tough. Concentrate on those points and humps as they hold fish 365 days a year and remember WARP SPEED retrieve and LONGGGGG casts!