the lake I fish most is REALLY clear...up to 10 ft visibility....What would you guys think would be the best colors/lures?

a jerkbait, senko or craw    if it is very hot out a finess worm

If the conditions are good for it, a topwater. Otherwise a finesse worm or senko.

what would the conditions be that would let me know it's a good time to use a topwater lure?

what would the conditions be that would let me know it's a good time to use a topwater lure?

i like topwater when its overcast and a slight wind

and to the other question. i'll throw a wtr melon red finesse or trick worm weightless and maybe a shakey head 1/16 -1/8 oz

Obviously in ultra clear water, the best colors are natural ones, as far as lures, I would throw topwater (rebel pop-r, Rapala Skitter Pops, Zara Spooks).

Once the sun gets higher then I would then switch to crankbaits, jerkbaits, and jigs.

JMO...

Drop-shots and small texas rigged baits in grass, find some rocks and drag a football jig, or run up a creek with some dirty water and pitch some laydowns or brush.

I hardly ever fish anything but clear water.  I start with 2 baits a brown jig and a melon/pepper tube no matter what time of the year.

Water clarity is only one variable, so by itself it usually doesn't decide my lure.

In clear water, if I were fishing shallow I might go with a Zoom Fluke (jerkbait),

but if I wanted more depth I might try a Tiki Stick (trick stick, senko or other stick worm).

A Strike King 3x Finesse Worm is another good choice in gin-clear water.

Roger

The lakes I fish in are also extremely clear with 10' visibility.  I use watermelon seed  craws or lizards.  I also use a white beetle spin which the bass seem to LOVE but won't touch the same color spinner bait or worm.

I fish a couple lakes that get up to 20ft vis sometimes.

If I am not throwing a swimbait, dropshot, or brown jig, i'm probably not fishing.

Jigs and t-rigged craw type baits in dark colors.

4" dropshot on 4lb line on deeper structure, shakey heads on 8lb line in light grass/weeds  10lb flouro (/8lb) small jigsand t-rigs in brown or green colors.

Light line is your key, fishing heavy cover in clear water is hard due to line viisbilty issues, but open water you can get away with really light line.

I agree with the other posts about going "lite" but don't forget to use your favorite fast moving reaction bait such as spinnerbaits and lipless cranks.

I agree with the other posts about going "lite" but don't forget to use your favorite fast moving reaction bait such as spinnerbaits and lipless cranks.

You may want to down size to 1/4 oz baits in transparent color patterens when using reaction baits.

I think my technique sucks    lol          first off I'm bank fishing   not sure if I mentioned that in my original post or not...Everytime I throw a shakey head or jig I get hung up on SOMETHING so I'm figuring since I can't get em back into the bank they're not doin me much good not to mention how expensive it's gettin....I lost 3 senko's today...and ALMOST lost a suspending shadrap....that woulda really ticked me off...Lost a few pig n jigs saturday morning   it's drivin me INSANE    lol

I slowly jig the biggest curly tail red/black worm i can find, and it catches fish every time. In my lakes the hard plastics dont work that well, and you cant beat jigging a softy from medium to deep water.

Good Luck!

Soft plastics, such as Trick Worms and Senkos in Green Pumpkin.  Also I will throw crankbaits in Tennessee Shad or other natural colors.  I will also throw smaller jigs such a Strike King Bitsy Bug.

I wish i could lose a snagged lure... i have 6 or 7 WEEKS before i get to fish......

Fluke in Baitfish color or another clear pattern would be my first choice if the primary foreage is shad.

If it's a rocky lake with lots of crawfish and smallies, I would throw a 1/8 to 1/4 oz hair jig in green or brown with a small trailer.

Also, a finesse worm on a shaky head is always a good choice, as is the drop shot.

Suspending jerkbaits, small buzzbaits, and all other topwaters are good in real clear water too.

In the mid to late Spring periods, a floating worm and Senko work really well.

My worm or senko color in clear water is always watermelon red flake.

I think my technique sucks lol       first off I'm bank fishing not sure if I mentioned that in my original post or not...Everytime I throw a shakey head or jig I get hung up on SOMETHING so I'm figuring since I can't get em back into the bank they're not doin me much good not to mention how expensive it's gettin....I lost 3 senko's today...and ALMOST lost a suspending shadrap....that woulda really ticked me off...Lost a few pig n jigs saturday morning it's drivin me INSANE lol

As much as I enjoy bank-fishing, you've hit it on the one big disadvantage.

When fishing from shore in snag-infested waters I've had a lot of luck with T-rigged worms and with Johnson spoons.

With the Johnson spoon, over-bend the weedless barb to create a little extra preload.

With the t-rigged worm, be sure the hook-point is deeply embedded in plastic (no texskin, texpose or any halfway house).

When you feel a snag, coax the lure through with a minimum of line tension, using very slow and very delicate pumping motions.

The enemy is "pressure", because once the weedguard is depressed or once the hook-point busts through the worm, that's the ballgame.

When you do get hung-up, walk the shoreline in both directions to change your line-of-pull.

If you have to break it off, don't stand in the same place where you got snagged.

Roger