The proof is in the catching - clear plastic

I started to explore certain things about soft plastic lures considering the lake I fish has been exceptional this year. Pouring soft plastic lures allows me to add color or as in this post, to use no color when making different shapes. Rigged on light jigheads and fished in the shallow water dictated by the spring pattern, many soft plastics catch fish including these clear soft plastic shapes:
curl tail


modified mini-stick


stubby stick


straight thin flat tail


The water fished was the usual tannin stain color and thereby not clear, yet fish of different species hit them like no tomorrow!

Years ago I caught many bass using clear plastic Zara Spooks, Pop R and Jim Rogers diving crankbaits. But it never occurred to me since then that clear soft plastics could catch fish regardless of species. The simple fact when it comes to visualization underwater is that clear plastic is never colorless. The background color is transmitted and shaped by lure edges. Plus, light is reflected off the top surface and inside the lower one.

Does the clear plastic produce more fish? As usual it depends on the lure and how and where used. This year the spring pattern has been largely mixed schools milling around in water no deeper than 3.5' near wetland vegetation. Pretty much any lure would work, but being the fish are a bit spooky, less is best.

Excellent concept. Thanks for sharing.

Use to be many clear plastic baits. I remember using a firecracker clear worms on Conroe, blue and red flake in clear.

Shhhhhhhh!