8 Year Old Catches GIANT Smallmouth In Crystal CLEAR Water!

Today we've got JD on the boat with us and he's ready to catch BIG Smallmouth! We're on Lake Michigan and the bass have moved up on shallow rock reefs and sand flats where you can see them in the clear water. Some of them are shallow, others are in 9-12 feet of water but it doesn't matter, you can see them as if the water wasn't there at all. The fish are BIG and they're aggressive, let's go fishing!

Fishing clear water like this requires a finesse touch. Tim and JD focus on a combination of finesse swimbaits and dropshot to catch these bass. In addition to the small baits, light line is critical to consistently fooling these fish. Lines that would be no issue in typical lakes will scare these fish before the bait even reaches the bottom. The bass can see both the line and the shadow of the line as it sinks, and both are enough to scare them off. 

Below is a breakdown of the baits and equipment the guys were using to catch these fish. If you want to to target big smallmouth (or any other bass) in crystal clear water, finesse tackle is a great place to start. The baits listed below are our confidence baits for this style of fishing and work around the country. The links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item. 

Swimbaits... 

-Dark Sleeper 3" (Wakasagi): http://bit.ly/2TyR1GT

Other Great Colors... Hanahaze, Donko

-Spark Shad 3" (Purple Haze): http://bit.ly/2XcLZk4

Other Great Colors... Neon Pepper, Real, Royal Gill

-Megabass Okashira Head 1/16 oz (For Spark Shad): http://bit.ly/2EpluSA

Dropshot... 

-Big Bite Baits Smallie Smasher Worm (Light Watermelon Red): http://bit.ly/2ZpCOCY

Other Great Colors... Chick Magnet, Green Pumpkin Purple

-Owner Mosquito Light (Size 1) Hook: http://bit.ly/2zQVKx3

-Tungsten 1/4 oz Casting (Tie On) Dropshot Weight: http://bit.ly/37AVcrx

Jig... 

-Bass Patrol Round Rubber 3/8 oz Football (Brown Purple): http://bit.ly/2Hbyf5x

-Yamamoto Double Tail 4" Grub (Smoke Blk and Purple): http://bit.ly/2db9w1p

Tim's Combo...

Rod- Shimano Expride 6'10" Medium: http://bit.ly/2nTq9FL

Reel- Shimano Bantam MGL 150: http://bit.ly/2H44yjG

Line- Sunline Sniper 10 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

Spinning Combo... 

Rod- St. Croix Legend Xtreme Spinning 7' Medium: https://bit.ly/37UhrKR

Reel- Daiwa Certate LT 3000: http://bit.ly/35Kclij

Line- Sunline SX1 High Vis Yellow Braid 16 lb: http://bit.ly/2FngUkQ

Leader- Sunline Sniper 7 lb Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2p7fxju

"Bang For The Buck" Finesse Spinning Combo... 

Rod- Dobyns Fury 7' Med light: http://bit.ly/2e7HZPF

Reel- Shimano NASCI 3000: http://bit.ly/2g278cC

Line- Power Pro Braid 15 lb: http://bit.ly/2aFg46b

Leader- Maxima Ultragreen 8 lb: http://bit.ly/2ae97J9

NEW Tactical Bassin Apparel... 

TacticalBassin Reaper Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2TwBWs7

TacticalBassin Shadow Hoodie: http://bit.ly/2FVD9Rs

TacticalBassin Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/2TvFMBD

TacticalBassin Hooded Sun Shirt: http://bit.ly/38cVi9G