Steep banks, ultra clear water, bass holding in long laydowns an brush in 8-12 ft deep off the banks, slight wind pushing a moderate current, sunny, blue bird skies.....   Got any ideas? 

 

 

Wood, wind, and this time of year all imply spinnerbait as a starting point.  Ultra clear water would put me with small willows and moving it pretty quick.  If no love there, then I'm bouncing a jig and a texas rig down through it until the fish tell me what they want.  I'm sure someone will say a wacky rigged senko and they are probably right.  Just not my cup of tea.

Usually start with a spinnerbait - 1/4 or 3/8 oz, if that isn’t working go to a straight tail T-rigged, and have the dropshot warmed up and ready.

In clear water I like a weightless finesse worm with sparkle/flake in it. Let it go down ultra slow thru the tree branches 

1/8 oz jig head with a 3" smoke colored curly tail grub.

 

Couple options I would try are shaky head on a light head and a small Texas rigged bait with a heavy weight. Let it rocket down to the brush. Clear water sometimes I like a heavy weight 

 

If it is bluebird with light winds and clear water, moving baits aren’t usually in the discussion for me unless we are talking topwater

Some sort of finessey green bait. Green pump shakey head, maybe a top water to try and call them up. You would just have to try a number of things. Keep it subtle and natural at all costs.

Flick shake is what I have the most luck with. Weight depends on depth but 1/16 to 3/16oz is what I normally use. Jackal flick shake 4.8" worms in Cola seem to work best but others work.

 

Allen

Cast past the brush/ structure and reel a balsa crankbait through there hitting every piece of cover that you can. My other approach would be throwing a 3/4 oz chatterbait cfl with a rage craw trailer in there and slow rolling it on flourocarbon line. So slow that you can just barely feel the vibration in your rod.

Clear water and blue bird sky's usually equals light line, light gear, finesse baits and long casts. I go with anything that I can put in front of them and keep still.... jerkbaits, wacky senkos, shaky head, drop shot, or maybe a BFS crank or minnow.

I we had the same conditions last time on the upper White River on Table Rock Lake.  I used a Jewel Pee Wee jig in 7/16 oz with a Yamoto 4” twin tail trailer.  I cast to the log portion of the lay down and let the jig fall.  At the end of the fall I lifted the rod feeling for a limb.  When the jig came up to the limb I jiggled it up and over.  I let it fall again and repeated until I was clear of the limbs.  When I got a bite it was normally on the fall after going over a limb.

1/2oz spinnerbait and soft plastics, jigs and ned rigs have been my best producers in a similar sounding area. Sometimes I get a few on crankbaits too.