Red Colored Lures - Are They Really That Effective? 2025
BassFishingNewbbiee reply :
Hi guys, I'm actually very new to fishing and all, but I'm indeed loving it already. The fun, relaxation, and somewhat the fulfillment is priceless when I go out fishing. Since I've just been doing this for a couple of weeks, or to be more precise, I've only fished around thrice... and... caught only a 7-inch bass and don't even have that much of a gear to know its weight. But, I do have a handful of very cheap colored lures and baits, along with those wormy ones that I usually put on the hook that actually still luckily made me catch a couple of fishes. So is there really a specific color that works better than the other? If so... what is it?
I've read that color usage depends on a lot of factors such as weather and water clarity. Also checked on a few guides here and there and they suggest red colored ones do the trick most of the time but somehow they are still quite vague. So, is there like more of a standard lure color that always work, I live in texas by the way so you can be more specific. And, I only have cheap equipment since I'm new and would like to invest if this fishing thing is really for me. Would really love to be good at it, though, but want to progress slowly. So, if you have any tips for a beginner like me, I'd be very much thankful. By the way, don't have a boat and just fish around the shore. Hopefully, these details I provided will somehow help you guys help me out 
Darren. reply :
Welcome aboard!
I've tried the red hook thing. Didn't see any
increase in my catch rate. Science may say
it matters, but my experience says it doesn't
really matter.
Some people swear by red hooks. I do not.
Your mileage may vary
As for lure colors, I like to stick to "natural"
colors like watermelons, green pumpkins,
blacks, browns, etc.
For hard lures, I've tried the bleeding gills and
so on, but honestly didn't see any difference
from lures that didn't have bleeding gills.
Added info re: lures
Bluebasser86 reply :
I've had very good luck with red cranks.
BassFishingNewbbiee reply :
Thanks for the extremely fast reply... didn't expect that, nice community. So, there is no secret color I guess. Although I've read a lot even here on their tips that red somehow does increase the odds.
I'm really new so I just actually throw any lure and enjoy if it works or not. LOL, been doing great with the worms though, using those around 4 inches, soft.
Darren. reply :
On 2/23/2016 at 10:55 PM, BassFishingNewbbiee said:Thanks for the extremely fast reply... didn't expect that, nice community. So, there is no secret color I guess. Although I've read a lot even here on their tips that red somehow does increase the odds.
I'm really new so I just actually throw any lure and enjoy if it works or not. LOL, been doing great with the worms though, using those around 4 inches, soft.
Well, you may find a "secret" color that really works well
for you. For instance, I fell in love with the Bass Pro XPS
tourney Stik-O in two colors: Watermelon Magic, and
Hot Pepper Frog.
I've got a buddy who fishes the same places I do, and he
loves the watermelon magic, but not the Hot Pepper Frog
color...
So it comes down to you experimenting with different colors
and finding ones that work for your style of fishing. You use
that color and build confidence in it. Not really scientific, as
confidence can't necessarily be codified given that one color
does not necessarily produce the same results for all fishermen.
Turtle135 reply :
I have always found "profile" and "action" are more important than the "color". If you are fishing where the bass are (and that is the most critical part of the game) and you get the profile and action correct the bass will let you know. You can then start to play around with color to see if you can improve that bite. IMHO color comes into play with how visible your presentation will be. Does that color contrast or blend into the water color, bottom color or the sky if the bass is looking up at your lure.
A couple of simple guidelines. In muddy off color water colors like black, black/blue and chartreuse will help the bass see your lure. In clear water a more natural color is the place to start.
Good luck and keep after them!
Western-Mass-Bass reply :
On 2/23/2016 at 10:47 PM, Darren. said:Welcome aboard!
I've tried the red hook thing. Didn't see any
increase in my catch rate. Science may say
it matters, but my experience says it doesn't
really matter.Some people swear by red hooks. I do not.
Your mileage may vary
As for lure colors, I like to stick to "natural"
colors like watermelons, green pumpkins,
blacks, browns, etc.For hard lures, I've tried the bleeding gills and
so on, but honestly didn't see any difference
from lures that didn't have bleeding gills.
Well said X2
Mike L reply :
On 2/23/2016 at 10:55 PM, BassFishingNewbbiee said:Thanks for the extremely fast reply... didn't expect that, nice community. So, there is no secret color I guess. Although I've read a lot even here on their tips that red somehow does increase the odds.
I'm really new so I just actually throw any lure and enjoy if it works or not. LOL, been doing great with the worms though, using those around 4 inches, soft.
Welcome! !
No, there is no secret color that will catch fish everywhere. I wish there were..What works for me in certain conditions can be the worst thing you can throw in yours. Now, that being said there are many baits and presentations that can be considered universal.
As Darren and Turtle said, you have to experiment useing different colors, actions, sizes, presentations etc that will increase your odds of success based on your local waters.
As far as color...That is the last thing I consider when what I'm throwing doesn't work. I'll change location, speed, size etc. first, unless the fish keep short stricking. Changing color then can and most times will help. But that's Me.
I don't put a lot of stock in the red hook thing either. There are a lot of excellent fisherman on this board and many pros also who swear by it. Some say to put them on the front, some say put it on the back, who's to say who's right? Again it comes down to the man himself in what he throws where and has confidence in.
Now, all that being said I won't throw a sq bill without any orange or red on the belly...Why? Because in the waters I fish the most it's a proven producer for me when I throw one.
Good Luck and keep your line wet. That is the only way you will learn to be successful.
Mike
Raul reply :
Red Colored Lures - Are They Really That Effective?
- not really.
Catt reply :
How y'all are? 
There are times when color doesn't matter & there are times color matters!
Plastics: Red Shad, Red Bug, Plum, Cheeryseed, Cranapple, Plumapple, Black Neon, Tomato Core
Hard Baits: Candy Craw, Creole Craw, Rayburn Red, Red Chrome, Chili Craw, Natural Red Craw
Kinda see a pattern here!
You're from Texas, do yourself a favor select lure with red in em!
Any of y'all gonna tell me this aint gonna work?
Western-Mass-Bass reply :
I love using the rage craw with a keel weighted hook. ( Rage Rig if im not mistaken ) Probably one of my most confident baits. You can catch fish in a puddle with those!
Mike L reply :
Not Me!!
What color is that? Down here the predominant plastic color I use is Junebug. That looks like a nice change up!
Mike
Western-Mass-Bass reply :
On 2/24/2016 at 12:24 AM, Mike L said:Not Me!!
What color is that? Down here the predominant plastic color I use is Junebug. That looks like a nice change up!
Mike
For me its Junebug and Pumpkin! Ive not been brave enough to toss a red one yet.
Raul reply :
On 2/24/2016 at 12:10 AM, Catt said:How y'all are?
There are times when color doesn't matter & there are times color matters!
Plastics: Red Shad, Red Bug, Plum, Cheeryseed, Cranapple, Plumapple, Black Neon, Tomato Core
Hard Baits: Candy Craw, Creole Craw, Rayburn Red, Red Chrome, Chili Craw, Natural Red Craw
Kinda see a pattern here!
You're from Texas, do yourself a favor select lure with red in em!
Any of y'all gonna tell me this aint gonna work?
Man, you can put a darned bare hook and still catch fish, as for the others around ........ I think they´ll need more than that.
hawgenvy reply :
I had a pet LM bass in an aquarium many years ago. I used to try out various lures, just by dangling them just outside the glass. He'd go nuts for red plastic worms. I thought he'd get a concussion banging against the glass trying to get at a red ribbon tail worm. Once I had his red worm in my hand when I opened the hood to adjust something in the tank. He jumped clear out of the water and snatched the worm out of my hand and swallowed it as soon as he was back in the water. He pooped it out intact 2 days later. He died a few weeks after that.
Keep in mind that here in Florida no natural bass forage is red. The crawfish are brown to bluish. Also, I haven't had particular luck bass fishing with red lures.
So maybe it was just him. He liked his victims to be red.
alzun664 reply :
There is a lot of conflicting advice when it comes to the color red.
- Some say to only use red near the back of the bait so that it looks like gills from behind. The logic behind that is that a fish will be more likely to attack a bait that isn't facing it.
- Others will tell you that red hooks on topwaters and jerkbaits will give the fish something to target, and resemble an injured/bleeding baitfish.
- I've also read a lot about the color red on the entire or most of the bait being very effective especially on lipless cranks and squarebills around the springtime.
- And lastly to add even more confusion there is the reasoning that because the color red turns grey to our eyesight at increased water depths, it should be avoided when fishing deeper and more stained to muddy waters.
My advice especially for a beginner is that if there was only one color that worked all the time there wouldn't be such a huge variety of colors on every bait. When fishing from shore especially, its much more important to first find where the fish are and then worry about colors. You could have the perfect color for your given water clarity, depth and location but if there's no fish around you wont catch them.
Alonerankin2 reply :
Interesting comments thus far. I had one day trip with a red hook on the rear of a limetruese 1 Oz deep diver cb. I was fishing off my Cajun at the dam ( rip rap, chunk rock, banging that bait in 8' to 3' of water. I caught 15, 2 to 3 pound lmb the last hour of daylight.
All were nailed by the trailing red hook..I haven't been able to duplicate the red hook theory since, but it mattered that day, at least I think..
BaitMonkey1984 reply :
For cranks a red rapala ike custom ink or red livignston howler produces great. For worms, I can't get a bite on a red worm, yet the same worm, same size, in watermelon creme gets the party started. Whether it is color choice or simply my confidence, you can decide but I will very rarely be throwing a red worm or a black back crank. Experiment with all different colors and see what works for you.
S. Sass reply :
Texas here as well. I agree with others here location of bass, placement of bait, action of the bait, presentation of the bait induced by the fisherman, and conditions, such as water color, water temp, weather are all more important.
I cant say that red is a great color or not. I have never really had to go for a red as usually I have some color that will produce. Of course some really like the wild colors but they just haven't produced for me. Like bubblegum color never worked for me.
My experience is stick to your more natural colors. For year around use green pumpkin is extremely hard to beat or a variation of it say green pumpkin with red or black flake. Watermelon color works pretty much the same but maybe not as good as green pumpkin for me.
All but winter and even sometimes in winter I have had success with white or white and chartreuse spinnerbaits. 3/8 oz is a decent middle ground starting point.
The Fire Tiger colored baits are very popular as well during the spring time.
As you can see none of these are dominantly red in color. Not saying red doesn't work but beginning I would want a more universal color if I was just starting to build my arsenal.
BTW Welcome to the forums.
RichF reply :
The only red lures I use are lipless cranks...and only when the water is 55 degrees or colder.
ww2farmer reply :
The only red colored baits I like are lipless cranks....................for some reason, at least for me, a red lipless crank gets twice as many bites as any other color in the early spring around here.
HookdUP reply :
The red crank thing is during spring or do I've been taugh but I've had some great results with it the past few days . Seen here
N Florida Mike reply :
Watermelon red is a great color around here esp. on a sunny day.I've caught more bass on red- shad worms In natural rivers and lakes than anything else.I caught so many fish on them that it was my main bait for years.I fish watermelon colors a lot now.In low lite I fish black or black grape mostly.It seems like the red hooks work better but not much better.
Brayberry reply :
On 2/24/2016 at 5:28 AM, HookdUP said:The red crank thing is during spring or do I've been taugh but I've had some great results with it the past few days . Seen here
What lake is this? Looks private, just asking as I live in the area and this lake doesn't look familar
HookdUP reply :
On 2/24/2016 at 2:44 PM, Brayberry said:What lake is this? Looks private, just asking as I live in the area and this lake doesn't look familar
A Suffolk lakes private pond . PM me
junyer357 reply :
I like a red lure the most in the spring. I just have more confidence in it then. My go to spring cranks are all red based. Ive just normally had the best results with them. In the fall i prefer a white or light colored crank. I even have a couple red spinnnerbaits that are effective at times depending on water color.
For spots chartreuse is my go to color year round.
PennBass reply :
I'm not convinced on the hype about red hooks, but I've caught basically every bass in my pond by using a Red Shad trickworm.
cgolf reply :
I am with northflorida, Watermelon red for me has produced in everything from dark rivers, greenish water to gin clear. It does seem to be more consistent than plain watermelon so the red does add something that gets it bit everywhere. Definately a confidence color for me.
related Fishing Tackle topic
previous topic
next topic
© 2025 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.