Gin clear water

[spoon2610]

Im down here in So. Cal. and the reservoirs are SUPER clear. At high noon you can seen 15 feet or more. My question is
how can I catch the LMB that are up on the rocks in about 1ft to 5ft of water. The water temp now is about 57 to 59

degrees. Im casting between 10 to 20 feet away from them and they don't seem to want anything. I caught a dink on a
3in green pumpkin senko on 5lb Sniper FC. I've tried DS, Multiple size of Senkos(thin and thick), 3.5in Kietech

swimbaits, soft jerk baits(multiple colors and size), and 1/4oz jigs.The lake also rises and

lowers about 25ft weekly. I can see the the huge Donkey's just sun bathing around the rocks and I cant get them

fired up. Im not a Tournament

fisherman so your secret is safe with me. I just want to catch fish. My Senko set up is a Dobyns 703SF with 5lb sniper

FC, size 1 Robo Worm hook and my DS set up is Dobyns 702sf with 4lb FC and size 1 Gama split shot hook.

Thanks
Ricky

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

nightcrawlers

[Hogsticker2]

Have you tried throwing something fast and flashy with some darting action to it. Something like an Xrap 08 with a feathered rear treble? I've fished these in 15 foot gin clear water with fair results.

[Cracker]

We have here several lakes with similar clarity though they are not so clear.
And it been really frustrating to fish those lakes, especially when you can see bass swimming around and they are not biting.
I would try to fish your lake at night or in low light conditions.
Try to make long casts. If you can see fish it means the fish definitely can see you, and it becomes almost impossible to catch them, unless they are guarding nests.

[Teal101]

Lipless. Get that reaction bite.

[GOOD YEAR 71]

If you can see fish it means the fish definitely can see you.

Agreed. On a side note, why bother with them? If they're not hitting then go find some that are; it's not as if you're looking at the only catch in the lake. I don't fish ultra clear much, but when I do I seek to present options at or near Secchi Depth. That's probably where most others are hiding.

[QUAKEnSHAKE]

We have here several lakes with similar clarity though they are not so clear.
And it been really frustrating to fish those lakes, especially when you can see bass swimming around and they are not biting.
I would try to fish your lake at night or in low light conditions.
Try to make long casts. If you can see fish it means the fish definitely can see you, and it becomes almost impossible to catch them, unless they are guarding nests.

I hope most think your way, that leaves them to me. I fish a few very clear water lakes and catch many many cruiser bass 20' or so from me 1'-5' deep sight targeting them from bank. One way I do is walk up ahead of them toss in an ika so it settles to the bottom before the fish gets there then when they are right up to it twitch it to get their attention and bam fish on. Ive caught them literally pole length away nearly straight down from me.
And doing this with a nightcrawler, no weight added, is basically an unfair advantage.
I look at it as, if I can see the bass its to my advantage not theirs.

[Teal101]

We have here several lakes with similar clarity though they are not so clear.
And it been really frustrating to fish those lakes, especially when you can see bass swimming around and they are not biting.
I would try to fish your lake at night or in low light conditions.
Try to make long casts. If you can see fish it means the fish definitely can see you, and it becomes almost impossible to catch them, unless they are guarding nests.

I hope most think your way, that leaves them to me. I fish a few very clear water lakes and catch many many cruiser bass 20' or so from me 1'-5' deep sight targeting them from bank. One way I do is walk up ahead of them toss in an ika so it settles to the bottom before the fish gets there then when they are right up to it twitch it to get their attention and bam fish on. Ive caught them literally pole length away nearly straight down from me.
And doing this with a nightcrawler, no weight added, is basically an unfair advantage.
I look at it as, if I can see the bass its to my advantage not theirs.

Yeah no kidding. I fish one lake routinely which has 35ft or so of visibility. We can generally see the fish we catch unless they've blended in real well. I do the same technique with a dropshot, money.

[Cracker]

We have here several lakes with similar clarity though they are not so clear.
And it been really frustrating to fish those lakes, especially when you can see bass swimming around and they are not biting.
I would try to fish your lake at night or in low light conditions.
Try to make long casts. If you can see fish it means the fish definitely can see you, and it becomes almost impossible to catch them, unless they are guarding nests.

I hope most think your way, that leaves them to me. I fish a few very clear water lakes and catch many many cruiser bass 20' or so from me 1'-5' deep sight targeting them from bank. One way I do is walk up ahead of them toss in an ika so it settles to the bottom before the fish gets there then when they are right up to it twitch it to get their attention and bam fish on. Ive caught them literally pole length away nearly straight down from me.
And doing this with a nightcrawler, no weight added, is basically an unfair advantage.
I look at it as, if I can see the bass its to my advantage not theirs.

The situation I mentioned above - when we fished on a bass boat. All bass we saw we couldn't catch, distance 10-25' proximity from the boat, the only fish I caught came on jerkbaits and topwater baits early in the morning, it was blind casting around the boat (points, flats), or some schooling activity, fish bites happened at least 50ft.
I don't go to those lakes anymore, because it really tough fishing, though they are beautiful mountain lakes.
You can only fish there from the boat, because all banks built up with half million and higher real estate.
Locals who live there told us they usually catch a few big ones during spawn on a nest or at night time on a spinnerbait.

[uljersey]

Similar situation here in New Jersey - relatively clear sand pit, very little cover, structure is sand bars and deep ledges/dropoffs. It can be a very difficult/frustrating place to fish but there are some very nice fish in there. It's taken me years, and I'm still learning, but I'm slowly cracking the code.

I've all but given up fishing there during bright sunny days - almost guaranteed to skunk. Overcast/rainy days, now we're talking. Night time - it's on.

Primary forage is sunfish. The bass there are unlike most bass in other lakes here. Here they're extremely strong and fast - my theory is due to the lack of cover, they have to chase their meals down as opposed to ambushing them, and sunnies are fast. Top water presentations never really worked well here for me. To be honest, tubes here are a must. Maybe it's because they see nothing but Senkos all day, I don't know, but a few years back when I started throwing tubes, it started to open up for me. Hardly anyone out here throws tubes, and I like it that way. Flukes are another good producer, and at times spinnerbaits & lipless cranks excel when the water is choppy. And last but not least, my ultralight rig has saved my bacon there more times than I can count. Big bass will take a 1 1/2" - 2" bait in a heartbeat.

Don't obsess with what you think you should be throwing, just go with something you have faith in and don't be afraid to throw the occasional oddball. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

[saoulons]

This is similar to my home lake. I catch most of my fish on docks and a sunken island. Not a ton of cover so fish are relatively easy to locate.

Slooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwww... is the game for me. Drop Shot, Shakey Heads, Senkos and topwater in low light.

[toddmc]

Are you fishing DVL, Perris, or something else? I'm in your neck of the woods. DVL is my home lake (when it's open to private boating ). The 5" Slim Senko on 4-5lb. flouro is probably the most popular bait for the shallow fish in the rocks on these lakes when there isn't much wind. It's tedious fishing, but it has to be done when its calm. This technique accounts for a lot of weighed fish in tournaments at both lakes. I've caught a lot of 30lb. plus bags targeting these shallow fish you describe with fast moving reaction baits when you have plenty of wind and algae later in the spring. I'm not going to be specific on what I use because I don't enjoy donating my entry fees, but there are several fast moving baits that will catch them.
The fishing at Perris is just brutal right now because the fish have been feeding heavily on shad for the last several months. They are so tuned in on the small bait that they are very difficult to catch. There have been birds everywhere on Perris because there has been so much bait this year. A few of the recent winter tournaments at Perris have been won on ice jigs in 25-40 feet of water. The fish at Perris have been moving shallow with the warm weather and one of my team partners said that he got a donkey shallow at Perris last week. I know the surface temp is close to 60 degrees and the shallow fish will break wide open if the weather stays this warm. It may be an especially early spawn.

[toddmc]

I realize my last post may not have been real useful Ricky if you don't know how to fish the slim senko. You are not likely to catch those fish if they see you first. Also, the big females aren't usually up there shallow to feed this time of year unless there is trout nearby and they have them pinned in a cut. They are mostly sunning themselves getting their eggs ready for the spawn. Feel free to send me a P.M. if you have any questions.

[spoon2610]

Thanks to everyone who chimed in.