Keep a close eye on clear plastic baits

After being devoured by speckled trout and redfish, clear-plastic baits like the shrimp creole-colored Matrix Shad on top, can change colors. A fresh new clear bait is shown below. (Photo by Todd Masson)
After being devoured by speckled trout and redfish, clear-plastic baits like the shrimp creole-colored Matrix Shad on top, can change colors. A fresh new clear bait is shown below. (Photo by Todd Masson)

Lures can appear milky after catching a few fish

Wise anglers know that garish baits in clear water are about as effective as stopping Alvin Kamara with an arm tackle.

If speckled trout and redfish have no bits of sediment obstructing their view, they’ll generally hit only baits that look natural.

In those situations, baits made from clear plastic are really hard to beat. The glitter inside of them shimmers and sparkles, looking much like the iridescent shell of a shrimp. Specks and reds, if they’re in the area, just can’t resist.

But for anglers, the success of clear-plastic baits can actually work against them.

Once a lure has been clobbered a few times, particularly by the toothy maws of ferocious speckled trout, its surface gets scratched up, and it loses its clear characteristics.

After a few fish, clear baits are more white than they are translucent, and that can make them less attractive to specks and reds.

So the next time you’re in clear water, ease your bait down a few inches, and notice how it looks. If the bite slows down, ease the bait in again. If it looks considerably different than it did at the start of the day, change it.

You’ll probably be shocked by the results.

About Todd Masson 724 Articles
Todd Masson has covered outdoors in Louisiana for a quarter century, and is host of the Marsh Man Masson channel on YouTube.