Jig Colors Why Do We Limit Ourselves? 2024
bigbill reply :
Since I fish with just about ever color in crankbaits and have had success. My question is why do we limit ourselves to certain jig colors? Doesn't the same color rules that apply to the different water conditions with using crankbaits also apply to the color of the jigs were using too? Why are we limited?
Clear water it's natural colors fished faster, in stained water it's a combination of natural & bright colors fished slower, in muddy water it's the brightest colors fished the slowest. Doesn't this also apply to jigs too? Or do the rules and standards change when we use jigs. It's it we've always done it this way so we keep on doing it this way over and over without making changes. I don't understand why we limit our jig colors. Don't we read the water conditions when using jigs?
Has anyone purchased the newly developed color selector yet? This would be very interesting when lowered to the bottom to see what color it would choose.
Catt reply :
Why limit yourself by using natural colors in clear water & brighter colors in stained?
I throw it & let the bass tell what they like 
shimmy reply :
On 11/10/2013 at 2:25 AM, bigbill said:Since I fish with just about ever color in crankbaits and have had success. My question is why do we limit ourselves to certain jig colors? Doesn't the same color rules that apply to the different water conditions with using crankbaits also apply to the color of the jigs were using too? Why are we limited?
Clear water it's natural colors fished faster, in stained water it's a combination of natural & bright colors fished slower, in muddy water it's the brightest colors fished the slowest. Doesn't this also apply to jigs too? Or do the rules and standards change when we use jigs. It's it we've always done it this way so we keep on doing it this way over and over without making changes. I don't understand why we limit our jig colors. Don't we read the water conditions when using jigs?
Has anyone purchased the newly developed color selector yet? This would be very interesting when lowered to the bottom to see what color it would choose.
People don't limit themselves with colors of jigs. Not sure where this assumption is coming from.
WRB reply :
If you polled what color traditional jigs the members on this site use the overwhelming choice has been black-blue and green pumpkin. A few others colors are starting to be popular PB &J (brown &purple) and Texas Craw (reddish brown). Black with blue, neon or standard, is by far the most popular seller across the country. The "if it ain't broke, why fix it" thinking leads to getting stuck in a rut. So go for it and experiment with color combinations, you never know until you give it a try.
Tom
ww2farmer reply :
Because color is way WAY down the list of things important to me. If fish are biting jigs hot and heavy , they WILL bite any color. I chose my colors on what gets bit when it's a tough bite, and black/blue, green pumpkin always come through. Not to sound rude, condescending, or arrogant, but IMHO people who think color matters first just don't get it.
Comfortably Numb reply :
And to say there is not alot of color choices in jigs is crazy. Plenty to choose from.
Or are you saying that people only use certain colors of all those choices such as green pumpkin and black and blue?
I agree with WW2. Color is not that important to me.
KDW96 reply :
I have 4 colors blk/blu;grnpumkin;brown;light brown. Ive used these same colors for 30years. One of them have always produced when i was fishin a jig. No need to have a bunch of boxes with 50 different colors.At least i dont anyways.
roadwarrior reply :
I carry a wide range of colors and combinations. All of them work some of the time,
but black & blue works all the time. I prefer PBJ and Falcon Lake, but that's not always
the best choice.
WRB reply :
Back when I started jig fishing the color was black, late 50's. late 60's vinyl jig skirts came out in black, brown and purple, then combinations having 2 colors including blue combined with black, brown or purple....choices.
I experimented with all the color combinations and by the early 70's settled on making my own hair jigs with black, brown and purple combination that worked good everywhere I fished across the country so named it " anytime anywhere". 45 years the "anytime anywhere" color is still catching bass for me. Talk about being in a rut!
During the 80's and 90's silicone skirts become available and agian I started buying interesting looking skirt materials and soon had dozens of combinations to try out. Let me warn you there isn't a limitation to colors with silicone skirts. Caught lots of average size bass on a wide variety of color combos, however only a few worked consistantly, so I adopted a few new colors to use along with a few hair and living rubber jigs colors.
If you don't give it a try, you will never discover your own "anytime anywhere" color.
Tom
dreamertino reply :
With me I honestly cannot afford to have multiples of 20 different colors on jigs.
roadwarrior reply :
On 11/10/2013 at 10:21 AM, dreamertino said:With me I honestly cannot afford to have multiples of 20 different colors on jigs.
Okay...
Black with a blue trailer
Black & blue with a blue trailer
PBJ with a purple trailer
Green Pumpkin/ GP trailer
I PROMISE, this is all you REALLY need..
dreamertino reply :
On 11/10/2013 at 10:28 AM, roadwarrior said:Okay...
Black with a blue trailer
Black & blue with a blue trailer
PBJ with a purple trailer
Green Pumpkin/ GP trailer
I PROMISE, this is all you REALLY need..
No I was saying that that was the reason that I dont have 20 different colors. I have all of those colors and that's about it. All of my jig fish cave been caught on black and blue
pbizzle reply :
On 11/10/2013 at 10:21 AM, dreamertino said:With me I honestly cannot afford to have multiples of 20 different colors on jigs.
I'm in the same boat. I only like to have what's working not any extras, that's why I only keep brownish green colors and black and blues. There's no reason for anything else. I honestly think that since your trailer is what has the action, that's what I should focus on.
Raul reply :
Any color is fine as long as it´s black ............oh well, just for the sake of ther argument: black & blue, black & chart, black & Brown, black & red.
As for the color selector BB, there was a ton of research in the device, it wasn´t something just came out with, the Achilles tendon of it wasn´t telling you what color the bass could see at X depth, with X water clarity under X lighting conditions, the problema was that one thing is what color the fish can see, it was what color the fish prefer to bite, both, what they can see and what they will bite are not mutually inclusive.
I still own one of the first Color C-Lector units, I inherited it from a friend after he passed away, in practical terms the unit is brand new, the only reason why it hasn´t been thrown into the trash is that it has sentimental value. We did use it for a while but we didn´t find any difference in the catch ratio after selecting baits with the colors the unit selected vs baits selected by personal preference.
mjseverson24 reply :
I Dont think color has as much to do with success as fall rate, vibration, and sound. after these three I will decide on a color. either brown/ green or black they all work. I prefer natural colors...
Mitch
mnbassman23 reply :
Jig fishing is like anything, you can make it as simple or complex as you'd like. Sure you can go out most days with a 1/2oz black and blue or green pumpkin jig and catch fish but there are plenty of days were adjusting things like color, fall rate, trailer type, etc can make a decent day into a great day. You don't need a lot of colors to be successful, but having the right colors for your area is what's important.
Sometimes it's nice to experiment with new colors here and there, you just may stumble upon a hidden gem that no one knows about. I have a color from Northstars line up thats "different" but during early spring and fall it flat out produces for me. It's one of those feast or famine colors, but it tends to get me one of my largiest fish each year.
BassWhole! reply :
I limit myself on crankbaits as much as I do with jigs, dark, natural, light. The end. The one exception is in really clear water when they are chomping crayfish. I want to be as close as the bugs as I can, and when I find one in a fishes mouth, I get all giddy, and go to town on 'em. Now if they'd only stay one color all year long, I'd be set.
Brian Needham reply :
I carry 3 colors, 3 weights...... I don't want to have to worry about "what if I tried this color", so I limit myself to 3.
3 colors of jigs
4 colors of worms
2 maybe 3 of cranks
2 color spinnerbait
I like to keep it simple and not second guess myself.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Color doesn't make a bit of difference if it isn't in front of a fish. I'm way more concerned about being around fish than I am about color of my jig. I have lots of different colors, because I tie my own. Most of those colors are very specialized to a certain body of water and what those fish seem to favor. A vast majority of the time I fish the same 4-6 different colors and get by just fine.
Got1Fishing reply :
On 11/10/2013 at 3:57 AM, ww2farmer said:Because color is way WAY down the list of things important to me. If fish are biting jigs hot and heavy , they WILL bite any color. I chose my colors on what gets bit when it's a tough bite, and black/blue, green pumpkin always come through. Not to sound rude, condescending, or arrogant, but IMHO people who think color matters first just don't get it.
I agree with ww2farmer, I once read an article that said that bass will bite any color really, but because consumers demand more colors options, they provide more color options. Really think about it... do you think that bass is going to sit there and check if your crank has gills? Eyes? Breathing? No... Choose colors that you have confidence in, and more importantly, choose the baits the fish want!
bigbill reply :
Dr Loren Hill of Ok unv. Proved the bass can only see certain colors sometimes due to the water and light conditions. That's when he invented his color c lector and his combo c lector. When I tested this tool for a few days in the same exact spot at the sametime. I found on certain days the color didn't matter. When the color did matter it was red, or brown, or green that caught fish. One single color caught fish at that time when no other color worked. Seeing the results of my tests has taught me to throw a selection of different colors till I get action.(crankbaits) now with jig colors why should it be any different. If the fish aren't hitting
one color we switch to another. But if we read the water condition and it's muddy by the rules We should use a brighter color. This is why I asked Siebert Outdoors if he could make me jigs in chartreuse and some in red. I haven't gone out and proved these brighter colors work yet but my gut feeling is they will work in
muddy water. My point is why do some limit themselves to certain colors?
I have caught bass on every bomber lure color so far. On my last trip out it was slow and borderline stained/ muddy water. I threw a citrus shad color and had success. Now what about a chartreuse jig in these water conditions. I feel one color may catch a few fish while picking the correct color could load the boat. It's matching the correct color to the water and light conditions. Bigbill
Catt reply :
I've seen times when it did not matter what color I throw it caught, I even changed color & continued catching.
I've seen times when if I were not throwing a specific color I would not get bit period.
I seen times when I had to constantly change colors to get bit.
All this while using a color selector, so I gave it away.
Fishes in trees reply :
I remember reading/researching/wondering about this subject quite a bit when the Color-c-lector first hit the market. I was working in a fishing tackle store at the time and a regional tackle rep loaned me a Combo-c-lector. I didn't return it for several months. I remember the tackle rep was probably more enthused about the ph function of the unit. I remember that it was very easy for the ph calibration to go "off" and it was a genuine pain to recalibrate the unit. When I say off, I mean that you could stick the probe in a glass of orange juice and you'd get a ph reading of 7. It quickly became more trouble than it was worth. I still think that Loren Hills work about ph-clines compared to thermoclines was/is valid.
I think that all things being equal, bass will seek out the most comfortable ph level available. All things aren't always equal. I'd like to have a sturdy, hard to screw up, ph meter, where I could check ph levels at different depths from time to time. For me to use it, it would have to be as easy to use as a secchi disc.
Now, about the color part of the color-c-lector. Basically, it is just a waterproof light meter. Loren Hill never could prove what colors fish would bite the best. He could only prove what colors fish could see the best. Not the same thing.
As a practical matter, using the color-c-lector was a pain. You could drop the probe into 6'deep weeds, at 9 am, on a sunny day and get one color. Half an hour later, cloudier skies, drop the probe in the same place and get a different color. Move to the edge of the weed line, get a different color. Move 50 feet down the same weed line and get a different color. Limestone bottoms read different from sand bottoms which read different from clay or gravel bottoms. Time of day made a difference. Water clarity made a difference. Every single ambient light variable that you could think of made a difference, sometimes significant, sometimes not. It wasn't always predictable. Meanwhile, day in and day out, my two best baits were a black/brown split tail eel and a green/white spotted pork frog. The color-c-lector very seldom told me to use black & brown or green & white. All of my combo-c-lector experiences took place in Central Missouri, on strip pits, small to medium sized ponds and small to medium sized conservation lakes in and around Columbia, MO.
I can't say my experiences would be duplicated elsewhere around the country, but I can't say that they wouldn't be either. I think that as a practical matter, you are better off using other methods to choose what color. Close your eyes, reach into your worm bag and pick one would be just as reliable. I've still got my combo-c-lector but it has been several years since it has gotten wet.
I think all of that 80's color/ph research was interesting, but for everyday fishing, the info needs a better delivery system to make it worth your time.
Oh, sorry, I digressed and didn't answer the question. The reason I limit myself somewhat in color selection is because it is just easier. Just pick a color, based primarily on prior experiences and go with it. If that don't work, then pick another one. Me, I've got to throw a color for at least half an hour before I'm convinced that it isn't working. Also, I think that the reason any particular color doesn't work is because I didn't put it close enough in front of a fish. So basically, my answer is "I dunno. . . ."
Brian Needham reply :
I would challenge anyone to say a man couldnt get by with:
black and blue
Green Pumpkin(with Orange IMO)
PBJ
that covers muddy, stained, and clear water.
I know some lakes have that special color, but for the starting jig fisherman, those 3 cover it all.
if you want more, get more, but I think it is kinda a waste. It is my strong feeling if they will not bite one of those 3 colors, they just aint biting jigs that day.
ww2farmer reply :
On 11/12/2013 at 5:31 AM, Brian Needham said:I would challenge anyone to say a man couldnt get by with:
black and blue
Green Pumpkin(with Orange IMO)
PBJ
that covers muddy, stained, and clear water.
I know some lakes have that special color, but for the starting jig fisherman, those 3 cover it all.
if you want more, get more, but I think it is kinda a waste. It is my strong feeling if they will not bite one of those 3 colors, they just aint biting jigs that day.
Well said.
Hattrick7 reply :
Intersting topic. I've wondered if all the colors made a difference. I'm a beginning jig guy so I'm on the right track with the colors I'm using.
It almost seems like all the other colors out is maybe for us than for the fish.
Jrob78 reply :
On 11/12/2013 at 10:23 AM, Hattrick7 said:It almost seems like all the other colors out is maybe for us than for the fish.
The quicker new bass fishermen learn this, the better off they'll be.
bigbill reply :
Since the bite can slow down at times it could be a color change as to why it happens. If this happens with crankbaits and inline spinners why not with jigs too.
I read somewhere that KVD has a combo c lector for tough days on the water. I purchased a few combo c electors and my last purchase was still brand new never used yet. I been collecting them. I have both the color c LECTOR and the combo c LECTOR too. I just find it a piece of fishing history. It did pick the correct color for that time to catch fish when no other color worked. There were days that all the colors worked too.
I've seen the frenzy bite be so intense I'd bet they would bite a bare hook. And other times we couldn't buy a bite. I wonder how the new color c LECTOR compares to the older one. If using it can turn around a tough day of fishing than I guess it's worth it. What little time I did test it, the color it picked did work. But I was focusing more and more and being hooked more into bass fishing I was looking for something to expand my knowledge more and faster. Nothing beats the time we spend bass fishing. It is an interesting piece of equipment.
Jaiden reply :
I limit because I like to keep it simple. Watermelon in clear water, green pumpkin in stained, black and blue in muddy water. I experiment with trailers and presentation, not color.
J Francho reply :
Let's assume you've got everything down - location, presentation, and biting fish. Most of the time, color doesn't matter. When it does, it really matters. So often though, I see an angler change color, and think that was the key to getting bit. Often though, it's some other aspect they inadvertently changed, like location or presentation - like fishing a different spot, or picking a jig that falls or behaves differently. Sometimes it's simply a confidence thing. When you suddenly gain confidence, you detect bites that you might have missed, maybe while thinking of another part of the equation, like moving or changing jig color.
ww2farmer reply :
On 11/12/2013 at 10:57 PM, J Francho said:Most of the time, color doesn't matter. When it does, it really matters.
I see you say this often...........and I don't know if I agree, or not. I guess it depends on the context. To me color only matters when talking about picking one that will get more bites based on the conditions, and I keep that selection simple too.
J Francho reply :
On 11/12/2013 at 11:07 PM, ww2farmer said:I see you say this often...........and I don't know if I agree, or not. I guess it depends on the context. To me color only matters when talking about picking one that will get more bites based on the conditions, and I keep that selection simple too.
I honestly don't know the context, other than there have been days that a certain color just gets bit, and I'm not just referring to jigs. I carry just a few colors of jigs. If I could narrow the context down, I could probably be a much better fisherman. It could be something else changed, or the timing. I will say this - it's almost always a white or red bait that turns things around. And yeah, I've switched back, and remarkably or coincidentally, depending on your thinking, the bite sours. Switch back, bite back on. One thing I noticed where this turns up more - water clarity is usually pretty good all the time.
Now, if we're talking trout, this does become a color game. But that's for another forum, not bass.
Catt reply :
Jigs imitate crawfish which are black, brown, blue, white, green, orange, red & combinations there of.
basscatcher8 reply :
I'm one of the ones that carry the 3 main ones. Black/Blue, Greenpumpkin, White. The black and blue stays on the bottom and the green pumpkin and white is either on the bottom or ran like a spinnerbait. I've always read that in a basses mind if its on the ground its a craw fish if its swimming its a bait fish. Kinda just subscribing to the keep it simple stupid. When I'm making my own skirts I will make some of the different ones but mostly to catch fisherman rather than fish.
roadwarrior reply :
Well, I used to think color was way overrated, but consider this from a onversation with Big O:
When the fishing is good with just about any color, it might be BETTER with the right color!
If you are just fishing for fun and the bite is on, that's a great time to try different colors
and/ or baits and lures.
Creekcrappie reply :
ThisOn 11/12/2013 at 5:31 AM, Brian Needham said:I would challenge anyone to say a man couldnt get by with:
black and blue
Green Pumpkin(with Orange IMO)
PBJ
that covers muddy, stained, and clear water.
I know some lakes have that special color, but for the starting jig fisherman, those 3 cover it all.
if you want more, get more, but I think it is kinda a waste. It is my strong feeling if they will not bite one of those 3 colors, they just aint biting jigs that day.
Creekcrappie reply :
I am a 3 color base guy. Pb and j, green pumpkin and black and blue. I experiment with trailer colors a bit more that base colors. But you still have to put the lure in front of the fish.
RoLo reply :
This question naturally leads to the next question: "Does color REALLY matter?"
The kinship between Color and Confidence is unarguable, but does it really matter to 'bass'?
As it happens, it really doesn't matter what bass prefer, because fishermen support the lure industry,
while bass get every lure for free ;-)
I've alway believed that color is important inasmuch as it enhances 'lure visibility',
but once your lure is noticed, the importance of color falls through the cracks.
When in doubt go darker, because dark colors usually provide greater contrast.
Roger
michael68w reply :
Im kinda new to the jig fishing scene but the colors schemes that seem to work for me are the pretty standard colors:Browns and purples (pb&J and brown/purple flash) ANY variation of green pumpkin with my favorite being with blue flake. Then just plain old black with some purple, blue , or red flake. Im not real sure how important color is but i have seen some really wild custom jig colors especially some of elk rivers color patterns. I just pick the colors i have confidence in and 9.9 times out of 10 it winds up being some variation of what i posted i guess but hey more power to the guy who can go slam them on a bubblegum colored jig lol
Mainebass1984 reply :
Its very interesting to hear everyone's opinion on jigs. I myself am a jig fisherman and have caught most of my biggest bass on jigs. I limit myself to a black, brown/orange and green pumpkin jig. I purposely do not fish a black and blue jig because everyone else does. Some of the lakes I fish get a ton of fishing pressure and everyone fishes a black and blue jig. I like to fish something just a little bit different then what they are used to seeing. It has worked wonderfully so far. I think most of the time color doesn't matter that much. There are times though when it makes a world of difference. A couple springs ago I was fishing 6-8 foot of water that had a clay bank along shore. I was catching bass every now and then. One of the fish I caught spit up a brown and orange crawfish. I switched from a black jig to a brown/orange jig and started catching fish every other cast. The color change turned the slow bite into the best bass fishing day I have ever had. I took a friend back to that spot the very next day. He wanted to throw a black jig and would not change to the color I was using. The orange/brown jig was out fishing the black jig 5 to 1. It became apparent to me exactly why those fish were feeding so hard at that spot at the time of year. During a certain time in the spring the crawfish would come out of there winter burrows, they make there burrows in clay banks. The bass were there waiting for them and didn't leave for 2 weeks. Those bass were so keyed in on that color it was unbelievable. There are so many different ways to fish a jig and so may different set ups to use. In the end I think it is all about what you have the most confidence in.
cajunpapi reply :
I CAN NOT SPEAK FOR OTHERS BUT FOR ME , I LIMIT MYSELF BECAUSE OF SPACE ,MONEY AND KEEPING MY LIFE SIMPLE . DON'T GIVE ME SO MANY CHOICES . DON'T NEED EM. THREE COLORS WORK AND THREE EACH DO NOT COST MUCH OR TAKE UP MUCH ROOM .EASY TO KEEP UP WITH AND DECIDE WHICH ONE TO USE. K.I.S.S.
Jrob78 reply :
On 12/1/2013 at 12:34 AM, cajunpapi said:I CAN NOT SPEAK FOR OTHERS BUT FOR ME , I LIMIT MYSELF BECAUSE OF SPACE ,MONEY AND KEEPING MY LIFE SIMPLE . DON'T GIVE ME SO MANY CHOICES . DON'T NEED EM. THREE COLORS WORK AND THREE EACH DO NOT COST MUCH OR TAKE UP MUCH ROOM .EASY TO KEEP UP WITH AND DECIDE WHICH ONE TO USE. K.I.S.S.
Why are you yelling??
WRB reply :
JF said it best, color doesn't matter, when it does it really matters !
Bass can be very color selective at times and when they want a specific color that is all they will strike, soft plastics, jigs etc. if you only fish black-blue or green pumpkin and the bass eating brown-red, you are fishing and not catching.
Tom
Montanaro reply :
color isnt my main fishinv factor. but it is a factor. i punched a hole for 30 plus minutes with a dbomb in junebug without a strike. i switched to two tone candy grass and it was on! same hole same presentation but slightly different color.
Brian Needham reply :
On 12/1/2013 at 1:22 AM, WRB said:JF said it best, color doesn't matter, when it does it really matters !
Bass can be very color selective at times and when they want a specific color that is all they will strike, soft plastics, jigs etc. if you only fish black-blue or green pumpkin and the bass eating brown-red, you are fishing and not catching.
Tom
On 12/1/2013 at 2:53 AM, Montanaro said:color isnt my main fishinv factor. but it is a factor. i punched a hole for 30 plus minutes with a dbomb in junebug without a strike. i switched to two tone candy grass and it was on! same hole same presentation but slightly different color.
these are two really good instances............ WRB, is correct.... but I don't need in a red/brown in my area as the crayfish are more green pumpkin with orange.
to the same, I would say the green candy just matched the forage they were eating that day.
cant throw black when they are looking for green (in general, for the most Part)
alberto-1 reply :
I dont use but a few colors unless I have reason to believe that a certain color is going to be on.
0119 reply :
Matching color hue has always been important to me. I've found success with it and doing so gives me confidence. Most commercial colors don't imitate the strange exotic forage found in south Fl. Like tilapia, sand bream and cichlids. If I jig fish its almost always a hair jig that i tie myself in color combos imitating them using EP or Congo hair, sometimes mixed with Steve Farrer and bucktail. I'll do the same mixing different rubber skirt material. I think you should always have the colors that give you confidence. Its natural to always fish better or a little harder when you do.
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