OCD about Soft Plastic Colors 2024
TriStateBassin106 reply :
Hey all, I been having this problem for awhile now when ever I fish some small lakes and ponds up here in Northern New Jersey and Eastern Pennslyvania, I fish a lot of soft plastics including Yum dingers, craws, senkos etc and for some lakes the water color can really be decieving. A few lakes here I already know the color code and know what to throw but for some lakes the water can be clear in one spot and then stained/Murky a bit in others.
I almost go crazy deciding what colors to throw because of this issue, I keep it simple. Green pumpkin/watermelon for clear and Junebug/Black blue flake for stained/muddy but when the water is looking clear near the bank then murky out in open water it really causes confusion.
Anyone else have this issue? Or is it me just having OCD?
Sam reply :
Yes Pond Hopper, we all have the same problem you are experiencing.
Just too many colors in the marketplace that can confuse us.
So what to do? You take only three colors with you for your plastics: watermelon for clear water; green pumpkin for stained water; June bug for stained and muddy water.
And that's all. No "with another color of flake." No two tone. Just the three simple colors rigged on a spinning rig for each so you can change them easily by picking up your spinning rods for each color.
Then flip, pitch and cast your fanny off using the colors for each type of water you encounter and remembering what they hit in what type water.
After you do this a few times you can then expand your colors to the "with flake" or "red or green or blue flake" and on and on as you know what the basic three colors will produce.
Sometimes when I fish tournaments I limit my plastic colors to those three main colors as it can become confusing and aggravating to have too many color selections at your disposal. Remember: KISS.
Catt reply :
This is how I pick colors ????
I walk down the aisles at Academy, see a color that appeals to me, I take to the lake, throw it, & let's the bass decide it they like it.
ike8120 reply :
Well I have the same issue, now I use three different colors, I have a nice collection of colors I don't use.
Choporoz reply :
My brother in law is color blind. Believe me, I am quite envious.
He does just fine out there
frogflogger reply :
On 7/9/2019 at 7:49 PM, Choporoz said:My brother in law is color blind. Believe me, I am quite envious.
He does just fine out there
yep - I too can get ocd over color - it is about confidence - one year I fished only black or white baits or combos of the two shades and caught as many bass as I ever have.
Todd2 reply :
I'd guess stressing about color is more of an angler thing than a fish thing..having said that, I've seen where a minor change has made a difference (red flake) comes to mind. I generally keep some dark (black/june bug), white, and green.
I also like a two toned laminate colors (if the product offers it) dark on top, light on bottom...just like the little fish, craws, snakes in nature.
On 7/9/2019 at 7:56 PM, frogflogger said:one year I fished only black or white baits or combos of the two shades and caught as many bass as I ever have.
Nice and simple....
ike8120 reply :
The soft bait suppliers just love our OCD about colors, it basically what keeps them laughing all the way to the bank.
TriStateBassin106 reply :
On 7/9/2019 at 8:54 PM, ike8120 said:The soft bait suppliers just love our OCD about colors, it basically what keeps them laughing all the way to bank.
Yeah, it's quite ridiculous how many colors these companies make
roadwarrior reply :
Why is that? Nothing wrong with unlimited options. On the other hand, fish YOUR
favorite color (s) and you will do just fine.
TriStateBassin106 reply :
On 7/9/2019 at 10:28 PM, roadwarrior said:Why is that? Nothing wrong with unlimited options. On the other hand, fish YOUR
favorite color (s) and you will do just fine.
Confusion, better to keep it simple unless I know what works in some lakes. I have this peoblem a lot with new lakes that are in that 50/50 clear and dirty range. You might be able to see the bottom at like 2 feet but when you drop your soft plastic in open water it dissapears like right away
J Francho reply :
On 7/9/2019 at 10:54 AM, pondhopperNJ said:A few lakes here I already know the color code
Please share this code. 
In all seriousness, I generally just pick a few colors that I like the looks of, and worry little about what is the Right color. My own mood, or my perception of what might have contrast in the water, or even what I observed in the color of a crawfish or bait fish swimming by has more influence than a hard and fast rule like the water is [stained, muddy, clear, pea soup] so I must throw [black, blue, watermelon, chartreuse].
TriStateBassin106 reply :
On 7/9/2019 at 11:20 PM, J Francho said:Please share this code.
In all seriousness, I generally just pick a few colors that I like the looks of, and worry little about what is the Right color. My own mood, or my perception of what might have contrast in the water, or even what I observed in the color of a crawfish or bait fish swimming by has more influence than a hard and fast rule like the water is [stained, muddy, clear, pea soup] so I must throw [black, blue, watermelon, chartreuse].
Are you in Jersey? I fish a couple lakes up north near the NY border
J Francho reply :
On 7/9/2019 at 11:53 PM, pondhopperNJ said:Are you in Jersey? I fish a couple lakes up north near the NY border
Not even close. Rochester, NY.
TriStateBassin106 reply :
On 7/10/2019 at 12:49 AM, J Francho said:Not even close. Rochester, NY.
That a good drive up there, how has the bite been up there? What colors do you mainly throw?
J Francho reply :
Sunday, between 11:30 and 3:30, I caught 17 LMB all on 1/2 oz. Rage Craw in Bama Craw. Last night just four, same bait. And ladies and gents, I broke one off at the knot. Lest you think we mods are perfect. I can't remember the last time that's happened, and I had just retied. Who knows? Anyway, with all the flooding, fishing has been good, especially for that body of water (Irondequoit Bay). None of the fish I caught were huge, but none under 3 lbs.
Pickle_Power reply :
I think that most of us over-think this. I try to focus more on what color is visible, but not too visible, according to the water clarity. I want the fish to be able to detect the bait, but not so much so that they can see it in enough detail to reject it.
BassWhole! reply :
On 7/9/2019 at 11:53 PM, pondhopperNJ said:Are you in Jersey? I fish a couple lakes up north near the NY border
I fish quite a bit in NJ, and I haven't found bass there to like or dislike colors any differently than other places.
Something dark, something light, something natural, as usual. I did almost get a fine once cause I didn't have my license clipped to the back of my head, tools!
Mobasser reply :
On 7/10/2019 at 1:12 AM, J Francho said:Sunday, between 11:30 and 3:30, I caught 17 LMB all on 1/2 oz. Rage Craw in Bama Craw. Last night just four, same bait. And ladies and gents, I broke one off at the knot. Lest you think we mods are perfect. I can't remember the last time that's happened, and I had just retied. Who knows? Anyway, with all the flooding, fishing has been good, especially for that body of water (Irondequoit Bay). None of the fish I caught were huge, but none under 3 lbs.
Nice one J Francho. I don't get too worried about colors anymore- and I've tried so many over the years. 3 or 4 colors for me from light to dark, and I'm ready to go fishing!
smalljaw67 reply :
Go with black or white, the universal colors for soft plastics and jigs. Black and white show up well in murky water while also being natural which also makes it a good choice for clear water.
thinkingredneck reply :
My experience has been that any color works as long as it is Junebug. My approach lately has been to try Junebug and change SHAPES of worm until I find the shape that works best. Usually, Trickworms work best, but sometimes they want a U-vibe, Ole Monster, etc. I mostly use plain ole Junebug Trickworms and that does the job. I still can't catch anything much on a Senko. Go figure.
Yesterday, we went catching instead of fishing. We hammered them at least every other cast, mostly around 1 lb-2 lb cookie cutters. June bug worked. When we tried other colors, they shut down. Picked back up when Junebug was tied on. That has been my general experience.
tander reply :
I only carry 2 colors for the most part, Junebug and Green Pumpkin. I am kind of like Gerald Swindle when they asked him the color of jigs he throws. He said, I will start will brown, if that don't work I will go with black or, I will start with black, if that don't work, I will go with brown.
Scarborough817 reply :
On 7/10/2019 at 9:16 PM, tander said:I only carry 2 colors for the most part, Junebug and Green Pumpkin. I am kind of like Gerald Swindle when they asked him the color of jigs he throws. He said, I will start will brown, if that don't work I will go with black or, I will start with black, if that don't work, I will go with brown.
same here i really love gerald's approach, also really love his ballin' out jig's been fishing them for pretty much everything so far this year
scaleface reply :
Motor Oil Jelly worms .I have no idea what color that is . It changes under water . It gets a lot of bites .
Dens228 reply :
Green Pumpkin, Watermelon/Red Flake, Black/Blue Flake
I have those three colors for my Rage Bug, Rage Tail, Yum Dingers.
I've never found a need for anything else color wise.
ChrisD46 reply :
*As a certified "window licker" - I graduated from being captivated with shiny objects to then moving on to soft plastic worms ... Goodness gracious - the color schemes that are available today are incredible with multiple tones , flake combinations , etc. available in soft plastics ... I marvel at how say the "electric shad" color can look plain Jane shad ghost color one way then looking at it from a different angle or different light the purple flake in electric shad comes alive ! Yes , I try to limit selections of color soft plastics to match conditions - however I certainly give props to the quality of soft plastics colors being developed currently (not to mention the "hand pour" guys ) !
drscholl14 reply :
Definitely have the same problem however the only three I ever seem to use are Black/Blue flake, green pumpkin and a red craw color.....
Derek1 reply :
I went crazy with all the different colors last year. What I learned was just about any color will work when the fish are biting and none of them will work when they aren’t. So now like everyone else I just bring some kind of green pumpkin, watermelon red, and a smoke purple. Although I did just buy some rage craws in blue sapphire to try out just because I couldn’t walk by them in the store. I’ll wait until I catch something on green pumpkin first before I put one on.
J Francho reply :
On 7/11/2019 at 7:08 PM, Derek1 said:smoke purple
Shhhhhhhhhhh!
ike8120 reply :
On 7/11/2019 at 7:08 PM, Derek1 said:I went crazy with all the different colors last year. What I learned was just about any color will work when the fish are biting and none of them will work when they aren’t. So now like everyone else I just bring some kind of green pumpkin, watermelon red, and a smoke purple. Although I did just buy some rage craws in blue sapphire to try out just because I couldn’t walk by them in the store. I’ll wait until I catch something on green pumpkin first before I put one on.
I agree 100 percent
KraskiBass reply :
On 7/10/2019 at 1:12 AM, J Francho said:Sunday, between 11:30 and 3:30, I caught 17 LMB all on 1/2 oz. Rage Craw in Bama Craw. Last night just four, same bait. And ladies and gents, I broke one off at the knot. Lest you think we mods are perfect. I can't remember the last time that's happened, and I had just retied. Who knows? Anyway, with all the flooding, fishing has been good, especially for that body of water (Irondequoit Bay). None of the fish I caught were huge, but none under 3 lbs.
Nice one!!!
J Francho reply :
That wasn’t even the biggest one. I caught a 19”, but there’s a story about that one. Let’s just say I won’t be endorsing BPS brand fish grips any time soon.
Spankey reply :
On 7/12/2019 at 4:50 AM, J Francho said:That wasn’t even the biggest one. I caught a 19”, but there’s a story about that one. Let’s just say I won’t be endorsing BPS brand fish grips any time soon.
I agree those BPS Grips are no prize. I have and use the Rapala grips and like them. I want to pick up their smaller version also. I think the smaller version will better suite my river smallie fishing. Just a thought.
Log Catcher reply :
On 7/10/2019 at 10:06 PM, scaleface said:Motor Oil Jelly worms .I have no idea what color that is . It changes under water . It gets a lot of bites .
I bought a pack of motor oil Trick Worms last year and never have used them. Guess I need to try them sometime.
boostr reply :
My plastics are Green Pumpkin whatever, and Black and Blue. That goes for my jigs as well with some brown mixed in. I do carry the rando bright neon colored jig if the black blue doesnt work in the stained water.
J.Vincent reply :
On 7/9/2019 at 10:54 AM, pondhopperNJ said:Hey all, I been having this problem for awhile now when ever I fish some small lakes and ponds up here in Northern New Jersey and Eastern Pennslyvania, I fish a lot of soft plastics including Yum dingers, craws, senkos etc and for some lakes the water color can really be decieving. A few lakes here I already know the color code and know what to throw but for some lakes the water can be clear in one spot and then stained/Murky a bit in others.
I almost go crazy deciding what colors to throw because of this issue, I keep it simple. Green pumpkin/watermelon for clear and Junebug/Black blue flake for stained/muddy but when the water is looking clear near the bank then murky out in open water it really causes confusion.
Anyone else have this issue? Or is it me just having OCD?
Keep it Simple and consider purchasing the Spike It Markers Combo Pack. When you get a hunch about color or when water conditions change, you can easily add a touch of color whenever you want without having to own 10 different colors of the same plastic. These have worked great for me over the years !
WRB reply :
When you fish a lot of soft plastics you do develop color preferences based on success.
Fishing with a partner often widens your choices based on what is working better in lieu of your preferred color choice.
Bass in some lakes get on specific color combinations "the hot color", then it changes.
I start out using what I prefer and end up catching bass on what they prefer. The only way to know is try different colors.
Tom
Fishes in trees reply :
You have to understand that there IS a perfect color out there for YOU. It will catch fish every time, all the time. If that isn't happening to you it is only because you haven't bought the correct color yet. Your correct color is out there. Your correct color isn't necessarily my correct color. Re-evaluate your disposable income situation and get out there and BUY MORE BAITS1. Buy them in different colors and shapes. DO NOT buy just bag of any one color - buy at least two. What are you going to do when you've only got one bag of the perfect color? You'll become afraid to use that color because of availability issues. Keep. this up for a while and you will build up an impressive collection of bags of plastics.
You must understand that the perfect color of plastics is only part of the issue. The perfect bait MUST be presented using the perfect rod, the perfect reel, using the correct line and the correct hook.
If you're really OCD, musing about different colors is only part of the issue, and a modest part at that.
The Bassman reply :
On 7/10/2019 at 10:06 PM, scaleface said:Motor Oil Jelly worms .I have no idea what color that is . It changes under water . It gets a lot of bites .
I remember them turning green in the water. Been a lot of years.
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