I have been out several times in the last couple of weeks and able to find large schools in 38' to 42' water. I have tried several lures and combos of plastics and colors and with no luck. Only caught a few. This is my first year of deadsticking and not sure what lures/plastics I should try. Any suggestions would be great.

Two years ago I did a guide trip, we used small jig heads with white bobby garland size crappie flukes.
Last weekend, I tried RSR lures with 3.5 inch Zman streakz, the bites where short because the streakz almost came off.

Downsize. They are probably eating smaller bait? Do you use FFS? If so, you can see if they look at your bait or will actually strike it. If I see them look and not take, I switch colors until they take.

Everyone experiencing large #'s of " tail slaps ". When water temps are this low , fish swim slow...ie... attack slow .Tail slapping whereby fish swims to bait , slaps bait with tail, turns to devour said bait and repeat. If angler is moving, drifting fast, bait has been removed from strike zone.
Adding a stinger hook can increase hookups dramatically. Buy them or make your own. Slow. down your drift if necessary via troller or drift socks !

A-rigs and the intel suggested above all help attract fish. Ketching is another process !

Berkeley gulp minnows on jig heads

I took my dad and son out on CC two weeks ago. the water temp was 47 in the main lake and the bite was tough. All the birds were very spread out and it was difficult to establish a pattern. blank open water was dead everywhere we went. The only active hybrids we found were in 38-42' adjacent to structure. The hybrids were responsive and would eat anywhere from 28-32 ft in the water column. I didn't find many hybrids until the 5th or 6th stop mid lake. We caught our limit of nice fish up to 25" but had to work for them. Downsizing is fine for white bass but you do not need to for hybrids.

No need to overthink the lures. The most important part is finding the fish and more specifically active fish that will willingly change depth in the water column. Any water temp 53 degrees below I prefer a fluke on a 3/4 to 1 oz head.

Make sure that your lure is pushed all the way up on the head and that the body is straight. I also adjust the line knot on the eye to ensure the bait is presented as horizontal as possible. The little things don't matter much on great days, but they make all the difference in the world on tough ones.

If these fluke colors don't work you simply aint on the active fish or do not have the right presentation.

Clear water and sunny- White Ice
Murky water- Chart
Any water- Pearl
Super overcast day- Pink can be fun but not absolutely necessary.

Target drift speed of .3 MPH for coldest water and up to .7mph for warmer water

Always try to keep your lure slightly above the depth the fish rise to. When the mark shows up put the jig on their head and hold it for about a five count. If they do not hit then slowly rise for a strike.

When a fish comes through at 15' to 20' immediately take your jig there. They are the most active and will strike most of the time, but the hookset can be tricky if you are at the top of you arm length on the rise!

Live scope makes it a total no brainer. See the fish approaching and get your jig above its head anticipating the depth it will approach the lure at. If you see the fish turn on the lure and check up it will strike 90% of the time.

When fishing for striped fish and you can't catch them on pearl, chart, or flash you've got bigger problems than color selection! hahaha