There is no doubt that when you find calm, dead or clear water all combined on the same day on any bass fishing adventure you have found some of the toughest conditions to catch fish. It’s just down right scary when you hit the water and all you can do is sense that there is no movement, everything seems dead and the stillness of the weather works against you. However, there are things you can do, techniques to help you overcome the stillness.
The first thing to do is make sure that your just not hidden from any natural elements by hiding behind areas that have some water movement, search some and make sure you can’t just move locations and find some water movement. Probably one of the biggest changes you can make is color; I have never been a big advocate of color change except during still clear water conditions, this is one time it makes a difference. Natural colors aid you when you have these conditions, dig into your tackle box and try to match the natural bait like green pumpkin or sexy shad these colors are natural and match the forage that the bass are feeding on and become less obtrusive during times of still clear water.
One of the best techniques to implore is to create reaction bites by speeding up your retrieve and burning your baits to cause the bass to react to the movement and force their natural feeding process to take over. Speed kills during this dead water period and it will get you bites that can change your day from fishing to catching. There are many ways to improve speed for example if your flipping the grass you can just go to a heavier weight and the drop rate of your bait speeds up substantially; going to some of newest technology in reels can also help. There are 9:1:1 reels on the market now, these fast reels turn your speed up just by doing the same thing you have always done; as a 9:1:1 reels turn the spool 9 times to every 1 turn of the handle.
Lastly stay a little farther away from your fishing target and be quiet as shadows and noise make bass more skittish during times of calm clear water.
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
www.fishlakeguntersvilleguideservice.com
www.facebook.com/FishGuntersville
Email: bassguide@comcast.net
Call: 256 759 2270
Capt. Mike Gerry