Best Daytime Topwater Colors for Clear Lakes

[Backlash Picker]

Hello.

I fish a fairly clear lake with little structure except weedlines, some weedy flats and a few docks. I want to improve my topwater fishing. Here is my question: When fishing topwaters on clear water in the day, when do you throw the following colors:

1) Bone or white

2) Chrome

3) Clear or "ghost"

I'm thinking of poppers, walking baits, prop baits or wake baits.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[Heronimo]

clear water and sunlight make for wary fish. Throw natural or subtle colors. Chrome might be too bright. I fish clear water reservoirs, 20+ feet of visibility with little to no cover for fish. I mainly throw ghost shad colors or silver (not chrome). Fishing for smallmouth, largemouth and trout. Bone would also work. Remember, you don't need anything with heavy rattles or loud splashes if water is clear, less is more in my experience.

[smalljaw]

clear water and sunlight make for wary fish. Throw natural or subtle colors. Chrome might be too bright. I fish clear water reservoirs, 20+ feet of visibility with little to no cover for fish. I mainly throw ghost shad colors or silver (not chrome). Fishing for smallmouth, largemouth and trout. Bone would also work. Remember, you don't need anything with heavy rattles or loud splashes if water is clear, less is more in my experience.

You would think a chrome would be too bright but it isn't and is a killer color. I fish a lot of clear water for smallmouth and we used to kill them on a Zara Spook in nickel, but we would have to buy the saltwater spooks because they didn't make the regular ones in that color so we would switch out the hooks. Now they make it in the super spook and more importantly the super spook jr. which is fantastic. Anyway, nickel is great when it was clear and sunny but the thing was it worked when there was a little breeze to create a mild chop on the water, when it was dead calm and it was bright and sunny, it was clear or blue shore minnow which was a ghost type pattern but clear did work best. Bone is a great anytime color but it was better under cloudy skies and the same deal for white.

[dragon1]

Chrome will actually mirror as much, if not more, than actually reflecting sunlight...black chrome, blue chrome are classic colors for high sun and clear water in my book.

[Bassfever]

Chrome will actually mirror as much, if not more, than actually reflecting sunlight...black chrome, blue chrome are classic colors for high sun and clear water in my book.

X2!

I fish a deep Clearwater reservoir. My all time favorite is Black Shiner! Heddon has a discontinued color that was absolute magic! Besides that, I also have the Florida Bass, Foxy mama, and if you have Trout, the "One-Knocker" in Pearl Melon!

When the bite gets tough on Topwater due to no wind, I use a Megabass Giant Dog X (in a Japanese color, I think M-cosmic shad, that's shiny as well) that has produces tons of still-water strikes!

[Backlash Picker]

So do most guys fish a shiny bait in bright sun compared to using clear baits. Good to know because I was about to order a few clear baits. But chrome or ghost might be more versatile.

[Cracker]

Most of the time I fish clear water lakes, with 90% spotted bass population and blueback herring as a predominant forage. I used to think the ghost type colors should be better for topwaters or shallow running jerkbaits in those conditions, now my experience says - flash better attracts spotted bass from deep water up or when they schooling next to the surface.
Largemouths might be different story...

[dragon1]

For clarification, a finish like the American Shad on an LC lure creates a lot more flash, than a flat chrome finish that is found on say a Zara Spook (or even a foil finish like on the OG Rapalas).

[Bassfever]

So do most guys fish a shiny bait in bright sun compared to using clear baits. Good to know because I was about to order a few clear baits. But chrome or ghost might be more versatile.

I only have one Translucent bait (which was the Pearl Melon One Knocker that I mentioned). I feel that no fish looks ever looks clear with the sun out overhead. I believe anything topwater should cast a shadow! I rarely use the translucent bait that I own.

Besides that, as long as the chrome has side scales or something so that it isn't just a torpedo shaped mirror, works for me. On calm days they don't work as well though. That's when the Giant Dog X really "shines"

[Bassfever]

So do most guys fish a shiny bait in bright sun compared to using clear baits. Good to know because I was about to order a few clear baits. But chrome or ghost might be more versatile.

I only have one Translucent bait (which was the Pearl Melon One Knocker that I mentioned). I feel that no bait looks ever looks clear with the sun out overhead. I believe anything topwater should cast a shadow! I rarely use the translucent bait that I own.

Besides that, as long as the chrome has side scales or something so that it isn't just a torpedo shaped mirror, works for me. On calm days they don't work as well though. That's when the Giant Dog X really "shines"

[Backlash Picker]

This is totally valuable info. Thanks for the help.

Backlash