How Do You Choose Colors? 2025
*Hootie reply :
I ask this because I wonder what are your reasons. I work at BPS, so I have seen this over and over many times. A couple of year ago, KVD wins a tournament on a sexy shad crankbait. Now we had all the available colors of this crankbait, but we couldn't stock sexy shads fast enough. Next it was, KVD won a tournament using a chartreuse, black back crankbait. Here we go again. Now I choose my baits based on, water color, time of year, water temp, etc. etc.
To insist on a particular color just because, so and so won a tournament with it could get expensive, not to mention get you a bunch of baits you can't even use, because they aren't even effective on the water you fish. Just wondering, how many will admit to falling into this pattern. I admit, years ago, that was pretty much how I chose all my tackle. I have lures in my collection that have never caught a fish. Oh well, what are your thoughts.
Hootie
Bluebasser86 reply :
Water color, time of year, and available forage are my main deciding factors for what colors I chose. Of course there's those times I see a bait that sparkles just right and I'm like a deer in the headlights and it's in my basket before I even realize I picked it up 
thehooligan reply :
On 12/8/2012 at 8:03 PM, Bluebasser86 said:Water color, time of year, and available forage are my main deciding factors for what colors I chose. Of course there's those times I see a bait that sparkles just right and I'm like a deer in the headlights and it's in my basket before I even realize I picked it up
x2 This is exactly how i am. I do fish alot of quarries where the water is crystal clear so i like to match the baitfish. I love baby bass, bluegill, and perch colors the best. If im fishing murky water thats where the whites and chart. colors come into play for me.
papajoe222 reply :
Water color/light penetration and how bright or overcast it is. Low light penetration from a choppy surface has a similar effect on light penetration as does stained water, in either case I'm choosing something that gives off a good siloutte or a color that doesn't dissapear quickly. That normally translates to either dark or brighter colors. On the other hand a bright sky and clear/calm water and I'm looking for something translucent or something that imitates the forage. When it comes to spinnerbait blades, it's chrome for clear/bright conditions and copper or painted blades for stained water or overcast conditions.
That's how I choose which color to use, but when it comes to purchasing baits, I must admit that I buy into the marketing hype as much as most guys.
Sam reply :
Water color (clarity), clear or overcast skies and their food source on that particular body of water.
Mike L reply :
On 12/8/2012 at 8:03 PM, Bluebasser86 said:Water color, time of year, and available forage are my main deciding factors for what colors I chose. Of course there's those times I see a bait that sparkles just right and I'm like a deer in the headlights and it's in my basket before I even realize I picked it up
Man if there ever was an explanation of what I do, this is it!!
Mike
NBR reply :
Much the same. Water clarity, time of day, cloudy or sunny, water bodies forage and my most important confidence in the bait and color. With all that said my first concern is depth, then action followed by size, shape and then color. And for most every one of the above cases I've had a day, hour or part of either where the opposite of what is considered the best approach works best.
Tuckahoe Joe reply :
Ive only been at this a few months and haven't really gotten into tournaments and pros and who won what on which bait. Like everyone else, the colors I choose on the lake are based on lighting/weather conditions, water clarity, and available forage. On the other hand the colors I choose when Im in the store are often based on "aw sweet...I don't have anything in that color yet". Im still building up my tackle collection and Id like to try and be prepared for anything. If I have all the basic colors of a particular bait, I might buy a more random color just to give it a try. Maybe give the bass something they haven't seen before.
BradH reply :
Whatever is in the bargain bin 
Clint C. reply :
As far as plastics. I tend to stick with green pumpkin, almost to a fault.
merc1997 reply :
marketing sells more colors than anything. if a bass can not find a brown crawdad, it just might starve to death. same goes for shad colors. basic crawdad colors, and basic shad colors will catch bass. crankbaits are a great example of what i am talking about. i would much rather have a crankbait with the right wiggle pattern the bass are looking for on particular day, than to have the "right color". example would be a wiggle wart over a shad rap. the wiggle wart has a wide wobble, and the shad rap has a very tight wiggle. i do not care which bait had the "right color", the bait that had the right wiggle is going to catch most of the fish. depth and speed catch more fish than the "right color". and to the depth and speed i will add a horizontal presentation or a vertical presentation.
bo
roadwarrior reply :
On 12/9/2012 at 8:19 AM, merc1997 said:marketing sells more colors than anything. if a bass can not find a brown crawdad, it just might starve to death. same goes for shad colors. basic crawdad colors, and basic shad colors will catch bass. crankbaits are a great example of what i am talking about. i would much rather have a crankbait with the right wiggle pattern the bass are looking for on particular day, than to have the "right color". example would be a wiggle wart over a shad rap. the wiggle wart has a wide wobble, and the shad rap has a very tight wiggle. i do not care which bait had the "right color", the bait that had the right wiggle is going to catch most of the fish. depth and speed catch more fish than the "right color". and to the depth and speed i will add a horizontal presentation or a vertical presentation.
bo
On the other hand, the right color can make good fishing better. Sometimes it's critical.
Jim_M reply :
Until it fails...I will continue using a piece of software I have on my Android called "My Fishing Adviser".
Results indicate that may be a while.
Arv reply :
I tend to stick to "natural colors." A lot of browns and greens for plastics and jigs, and mix in black/blue/purple and that about covers it there. Anything that will look like a bait fish (cranks, spinners, etc.) I generally go for white/silver and gold/yellow, or anything else that would resemble a bluegill, shad or a perch. I still have different color schemes that vary from what I mentioned above (fire tiger, chartreuse, red, orange...) but that's generally how I choose.
fishking247 reply :
i stick my hand in my bag and whatever i pull out is what i use LOL
Knightiac reply :
For the most part, the items I use the most are broken down into three colors...
That would be Worms, Jigs, Craws and Creatures. I use green pumpkin in good conditions, black/blue in darker or lower visibility situations and a redbug or plum I will throw when green pumpkin isn't getting it done.
For spinnerbaits and buzzbaits I stick to white or chart. I have darker skirts that I will throw on but I don't have as much confidence in those.
Topwaters are all natural colors.
I got caught in the crankbait fad... Went out and bought KVD 1.5's and 2.5's in chart. chart black back, firetiger, sexy shad, silver, chrome and you name it. I bought them thinking I would love using them and I never touch them honestly. I'd much rather throw a spinnerbait, a fluke or a swimbait. It happens...
retiredbosn reply :
I really like red in the spring and Shad colors and chrome in fall on the rattl trap type crank. If it has a lip low light murky bright reds and black back chartreuse sides, clear water browns and Shad colors, I also like a bone color but that's a closely guarded secret.
WRB reply :
Every lake has a color preference that changes seasonally, daily, hourly depending on factors we simply do not know, it's trail and error proces. Using lures the coloration of the prey the bass are feeding sometimes helps, but always. For example if you are fishing a dep diving crankbait, action can far outweigh color, however the right action combined with a color the bass prefer is the best combination. Bass are very fickle when it comes to colors.
Take. Huddleston Drelux 8" rainbow trout swimbait that comes in light rainbow, dark rainbow,, Lasson rainbow, etc, etc, etc, the bass can be targeting the dark rainbow and you have the light rainbow and can't buy a strike, very frustrating and there isn't a simple answer.
Tom
Tuckahoe Joe reply :
Hey knightiac, Ill take those KVD 1.5/2.5's off your hands if you don't want em! 
ripinthem reply :
The way I break it down to keep it simple, is to decide between the natural forage(bream, shad, crawfish colors) and water clarity. Water clarity is big, and probably my biggest factor. If clear, go as realistic as the forage you imitate(white=shads, green pumpkin=crawfish). As the clarity dims, go either darker, or bright as you can. Dark baits seem to be easier for Bass to silouette, and bright baits announce their presence in visually dim waters. I fish in mostly stained water, and do better with black/blue/junebug type colors, and I feel they just see it better...nothing against other colors. Another key is making it dissappear. Its what their prey does, so why not. Match your bait exactly to the water...if its green pumpkin, watermellon....great! Believe me, they will see it.
ww2farmer reply :
I picked one...........it worked, so I kept using it. Simple as that. I have seen color matter not at all way more times than I have seen it mean the difference between getting bit or not. Matching the hatch is nonsense for bass fishing. I have caught just as many, if not more bass on goofy outlandish crankbait colors, as I have on super realistic natural ones...........even in clear water. And just the oppostite with jigs/plastics. I catch more on brown, green, or black, than anything else......reguardless of water clarity. So what does that mean? Nothing. Pick a color and fish it. If your not getting bit, it's not because you have the wrong color. I am not 100% positive of this, but I think I have taken there money or at least finished higher in tournaments than almost every one I have ever met who's first question, or main concern, is "what color are you getting them on". I'll tell you all day long what color I use.............but I won't tell you why/when/where I am doing what I am doing, which is the most important thing.
tholmes reply :
1. Available forage
2. Water color/clarity
3. Weather conditions - clear, cloudy, rain etc.
What KVD or any other pro won a tournament with has zero bearing on what I use. I'm pretty sure that no tournaments were held on any of the lakes that I fish.
Tom
*Hootie reply :
On 12/10/2012 at 9:59 PM, tholmes said:1. Available forage
2. Water color/clarity
3. Weather conditions - clear, cloudy, rain etc.
What KVD or any other pro won a tournament with has zero bearing on what I use. I'm pretty sure that no tournaments were held on any of the lakes that I fish.
Tom
My feelings exactly!!
Hootie
5fishlimit reply :
On 12/9/2012 at 9:00 PM, Jim_M said:Until it fails...I will continue using a piece of software I have on my Android called "My Fishing Adviser".
Results indicate that may be a while.
Same here. My Fishing Advisor has helped me out plenty of times, but I still tend to stick with lures I'm comfortable with using even if I don't have a specific color.
Bankbeater reply :
Water clarity, and the amount of sun is what I go by first. If that doesn't pan out I will start playing around with different colors to see what works.
jhoffman reply :
I havent seen anyone mention pressure. If guys have been pounding them on a certain color for awhile a color change can make a big difference.
With that said, you will never see me throw bubblegum
LgMouthGambler reply :
Hootie, there is a simple solution. Use the discount and buy a bunch of different colors. Dont worry about the price because you will forever be in "fishing debt" as my wife puts it. There are days when "eeny meeny miney mo" works, and some when they are just picky. I slowly buy crankbaits, and other stuff that I may not use all the time, but its good t have when experimentation or "toss the whole tackle bag" comes into play. In other words, suck it up and start collecting, because its just "fun", and you cant take the money with you, lol. Good luck buddy. 
merc1997 reply :
road warrior, i will agree that color can tweak the catching sometimes, but my point is that too many fisherman put too much of their efforts into the right color instead of right depth and right speed.On 12/9/2012 at 8:37 PM, roadwarrior said:On the other hand, the right color can make good fishing better. Sometimes it's critical.
bo
Jake P reply :
I have never selected a color just based on who won with what. Now if I hear of someones success on my waters using a certain color, I may try it.
I keep it simple. I choose colors based off what fish see. Browns, greens,black & blue and smokey grey colors. All of those represent panfish, shad and crawfish. I do however use chartreuse colors when the water becomes very heavily staind or muddy after a strong storm. Other than that, I use those few basics I listed. Keep it simple!!
Gatorbassman reply :
craww reply :
Generally I fish some shade of dirt on the bottom. Use lighter and sometimes chrome baits in the middle. And white,black, and frog colors on top.
I'll use white anywhere...Love white baits.
Goose21 reply :
Ww2farmer, I'm with you 100% on this one.
*Hootie reply :
On 12/11/2012 at 2:38 AM, LgMouthGambler said:Hootie, there is a simple solution. Use the discount and buy a bunch of different colors. Dont worry about the price because you will forever be in "fishing debt" as my wife puts it. There are days when "eeny meeny miney mo" works, and some when they are just picky. I slowly buy crankbaits, and other stuff that I may not use all the time, but its good t have when experimentation or "toss the whole tackle bag" comes into play. In other words, suck it up and start collecting, because its just "fun", and you cant take the money with you, lol. Good luck buddy.
You are absolutely right LMG. I love experimenting. And from reading my previous posts, you know I am a collector. I have in fact, occasionally bought lures I had no intention of using. Such as, and have you seen this, " the Larry the cable guy lure". Or the old "Jimmy Carter crankbait".
Oh, and regarding your can't take it with you comment. I have told my wife, when it comes to my fishing stuff, if I can't take it with me, I ain't going......., there!!!.....lol
Hootie
Mikey reply :
by accident ... no kidding ... what i "stumbled" across thru the yrs.
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