another epic "colors" discussion 2024
scott000 reply :
i know, i know, i started a discussion about the whole bluegill color think but do you think color matters? what are your most productive colors? what colors that youve tried did no good for you at all?
1)i say yes it does matter, but not as much as things like action or presentation. lures come in so many colors but its good to have a variety but not a whole wizard of oz rainbow full.
2)Greens, Chartreuse and Black/red Flake
3)i bought a whole thing of junebug worms even though i hear its an amazing color and havent had any luck. i bet its just my presentation.
im just looking for opinions, mainly on what works best 
jdw174 reply :
My favorites are shad, chrome/blk back. To quote Paul Elias, "Three colors will cover all your crankbait needs. Shad, bream (blue/chart/orange), and crawdad". Personally, I've had very little luck with crawdad finish here. Up north it was a killer for smallies. In jigs, I'm a sucker for black/blue.
scott000 reply :
all ive used for bass are plastics and poppers so i need help selecting crankbait colors
Shad_Master reply :
I think there is no doubt that "color matters" -- I have seen too many examples of fish biting lures right next to other lures fished exactly the same way. Now, is there a way to "know" what color will work? NO, you have to experiment and try variations. But there are some general "truths" about color that do hold up. In clear water, you want more natural colors that mimic the bait that is in that body of water. In muddy or stained water, you need somthing that will show up against the background and this is when either very bright (chartruese or fire-tiger for example) work best or dark (black, black/blue, etc.). On a fishing trip a couple of years ago, I was stuggling to get bit while my partner was slaying them. After he caught a really nice one I asked to look at it and saw crawdad pinchers in it's throat -- they were "robins egg blue". I switched to a sweet beaver in this color and immediately started getting bites. It's hard to "match the hatch" when fishing for bass because they will feed on a variety of food in the water, but anything you can do to mimic what you know to be there (especially in color) will help (IMO).
BASS fisherman reply :
RW said a while back he likes dark colors for soft plastics, I agree. My best producing color is watermelon for plastics.
For cranks, I like natural colors, meaning colors that mimick natural forage for bass. But, I have also used very bright colors with good success such as a bright green crankbait that was crafted by Whittler.
I have a wide array of colors for jigs, and it seems the dark colors play the role again as being the best selection. Same with spinnerbaits.
If you can find the fish, most of the time color matters very little. Like you said, it is the presentation that gets the bass to bite.
Raul reply :
The best color is a laminated LOCATION/PRESENTATION.
earthworm77 reply :
The bottom line on colors is this.....take it to the bank......color only matters when it matters!-ew-ism #9
BucketmouthAngler13 reply :
IMHO colors matter, details dont. What the lures does is more inportant that how it looks.
For cranks i like craw, shad, crome w/blue, chartruse and bluegill. For spinnerbaits black, chart. or white. For buzzbaits black and chart. and for soft plastics: anything.
earthworm77 reply :
Bucket, I agree if you are fishy anything other than clear water. I fished bath tub clear water and these fish scrutinize lures at times. It is enough to drive you crazy to see a 10+ charge your bait and then put the brakes on as it just touches its nose to the lure.
Color, detail, movement, size.....everything matters in this type of fishing. for most it is not the norm.
The_Natural reply :
The people who fish for a living swear color matters. Aaron martens, KVD, Gerald Swindle, etc. have all expressed their belief that color makes a difference. I was watching a bassmasters episode I had DVR'd, and Gerald Swindle had a trap pattern going, and he was throwing an LVR D7 in Aurora black. His bite fizzled, and he immediately switched to an LVR that was almost identical, but had a brown back versus a black back. He proceded to catch a fish on the next two casts, and piped up about the difference it made to 'make a color switch'.
Raul reply :
Here 's a case for y 'all to chew upon a little.
Place: Lake Zimapán, Mexico
Date: Nov 19, 2006
Air temperature: 45°
Water temperature: 77°
Water clarity: 2-3 ft
Weather: Cloudy, windy
Hour: 8-10 AM
Location: Platteau with a 30 degree slope extending from the mountain into the main lake for around 100 ft to a 80 degree vertical drop to 70+ ft depth.
4 Anglers fan casting covering the platteau, fish located between 15-20 ft depth.
I caught 4 fish on a Black Sapphire ( black back, clear underside blue flake ) SS Utale ( #5 split shot rig ) worm in less than 15 min, because one of my partners insisted that it was the color of the bait the reason why he wasn 't catching anything and just to prove him wrong I switched to a Black Ruby ( Dark red back, clear underside red flake ) SS Utale worm, result 4 fish; since he was not convinced that color had nothing to do with it I switched to a Midnight Chartreuse ( black back, clear underside gold flake ) SS Utale worm, result 3 more fish, to go further I switched to a Margarita ( chartreuse green, gold flake ) Finesse worm with 3 more fish and he was casting to the same places I was casting, apparently all the fish were on my side of the boat, then I switched to a Stiko Green Pumpkin red gold T rigged weightless, result 4 more fish. Then I switched to a Live Pointer shell white color, result 2 more fish. Then.......aw man, we had to move beacuse he was whining like a 3 year old.
6 different colors
20 fish
Color or presentation ? you choose.
When you have located the features that are holding the fish and you are presenting your bait properly bait color matters little.
Fishin49er reply :
In my opinion only 2 colors matter. A natural color and a loud color. For example in crankbaits ill buy a shad or silver pattern and a parrot or char/blue pattern. Spinnerbaits , ill buy a baitfish color skirt and a char. skirt. Worms and jigs, something natural (brown or green) and something dark (black/blue).
RoLo reply :
Whenever your lure is difficult to see due to current lighting conditions, you're bound to miss out on some action.
If a bass doesn't see the lure or even if he see's it too late, he's likely to pass-up it.
In my opinion, once a bass sees the lure, color is no longer an issue.
Can you imagine a bass rejecting a green plastic worm because he's waiting for something in pumpkin with red flakes ;D
Roger
Low_Budget_Hooker reply :
For me , it's about hue, not color.
I only use natural colors, it's just whether it's a dark color or a light color.
The actual color is irrelevant.
Bud reply :
QuoteFor me , it's about hue, not color.I only use natural colors, it's just whether it's a dark color or a light color.
The actual color is irrelevant.
I will go with LBH on this. Match the hatch
MALTESE FALCON reply :
I BELIEVE THE TWO MOST IMPORTANT FACTORS ARE LOCATION AND PRESENTATION. HOWEVER THERE ARE DAYS WHEN I CAN BE THROWING A CERTAIN BAIT WITH NO LUCK AND CHANGE NOTHING BUT COLOR AND START CATCHING FISH.
I'VE NOTICED ROLAND MARTIN HAS BEEN PLUGGUNG THE "COLOR SELECTOR" RECENTLY. HE DROPS A PROBE INTO THE WATER FOR A FEW SECONDS AND IT REGISTERS WHAT COLOR OR HUE THE FISH CAN SEE UNDER THOSE PARTICULAR CONDITIONS.
HE CLAIMS IT'S VERY ACCURATE.
I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THOSE SUBJECTS WE CAN DEBATE UNTIL DOOMSDAY AND NOT GET THE PERFECT ANSWER.
guest reply :
I'm sorry guys, but I just can't do this color this thing again.
Didn't we have another post on this like Yesterday??????????????
roadwarrior reply :
Everyday...
So avid, what line should I buy? Wait, I need to stay on topic...avid, what is the "best" color for the "best" line?
gatrboy53 reply :
colors and patterns for the most part are for fishermen.confidence in the colors or patterns you choose make all the difference in the world,but nothing takes the place of presentation.water clarity,light refraction,and so many other variables dictate what bass perceive as color and we all know they are the most unpredictably predictable creatures that swim .i try to get as many colors as possible and keep changing untill i find something they want.sometimes it works ,sometimes it dont matter,sometimes i cant get em to bite anything i try.i dont know about the bass but all those colors sure make me feel better.
Keithscatch reply :
QuoteI'VE NOTICED ROLAND MARTIN HAS BEEN PLUGGUNG THE "COLOR SELECTOR" RECENTLY.
Roland Martin plugs anything and everything on his shows. So I would take that with lots of grains of salt. He is a walking talking billboard for sponsorships now a days. To the point that it makes his shows hard to watch.
flechero reply :
QuoteI'm sorry guys, but I just can't do this color this thing again.Didn't we have another post on this like Yesterday??????????????
Yup, just like we had a bunch of "best spinning reel" threads yet you still started another one, just the other day. Seriously, you didn't know that even though the design is inferior, the Stella and Stradic were good reels before asking the question? And since you hate Christmas, Holiday threads are off limits too. Keep this up and we will only have curent lake reports to reply to.
Take all this tongue in cheek... I'm not trying to be a jacka$$ just pointing out that probably 75% + of what happens here can be read about in the archives... but the interactive nature of this board is what people like.
Now go buy your wife a nice present... she deserves it for putting up with the grinch!! ;D
RoLo reply :
QuoteQuoteFor me , it's about hue, not color.I only use natural colors, it's just whether it's a dark color or a light color.
The actual color is irrelevant.
QuoteI will go with LBH on this. Match the hatch
Maybe I missed the point, but I didn't see mention of matching the hatch.
Most lakes contain several dozen species of fish, insects, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates.
Living in the atmosphere, how would I know which hatch to match?
Roger
senile1 reply :
QuoteQuoteI'VE NOTICED ROLAND MARTIN HAS BEEN PLUGGUNG THE "COLOR SELECTOR" RECENTLY.Roland Martin plugs anything and everything on his shows. So I would take that with lots of grains of salt. He is a walking talking billboard for sponsorships now a days. To the point that it makes his shows hard to watch.
Amen to that. We could start another thread about this.
ScroGG ToGG reply :
QuoteEveryday...So avid, what line should I buy? Wait, I need to stay on topic...avid, what is the "best" color for the "best" line?
FIN-S-R reply :
Even though this has been beat down a few times, repetition helps retention. Lets see, color...June bug/ Ozark Smoke/whitish purple/ anything green or brown, and of course black. All these "colors" reflect wavelengths that are easy for fish to see and resemble most naturally ocurring forage. Then again I have caught fish on every color of everything I own pretty much. I think you can get more of a color effect in shallower water than deep, but there is always gonna be that 1 color that does out perform the rest. Just how do you find it though...Oh yeah Rolands color selector. Color matters, but not as much as some other things. Color is more of an enhancement factor.
c17Lat reply :
just a question about the color red: how far deep in the water do bass start to not be able to see red?
guest reply :
QuoteQuoteI'm sorry guys, but I just can't do this color this thing again.Didn't we have another post on this like Yesterday??????????????
Yup, just like we had a bunch of "best spinning reel" threads yet you still started another one, just the other day. Seriously, you didn't know that even though the design is inferior, the Stella and Stradic were good reels before asking the question? And since you hate Christmas, Holiday threads are off limits too. Keep this up and we will only have curent lake reports to reply to.
Take all this tongue in cheek... I'm not trying to be a jacka$$ just pointing out that probably 75% + of what happens here can be read about in the archives... but the interactive nature of this board is what people like.
Now go buy your wife a nice present... she deserves it for putting up with the grinch!! ;D
I don't ususally feel the need nor desire to defend a previous post I have made, but this is one of the exceptions. If you look at my question. It wasn't a broad 'what is best" query. I have very definite needs and wants and I spelled out what those where. Since you follow my posts you should know, that in fact I do not know much of anything about spinning reels since I don't like them and therefore do not use them. Nuff said.
PS> Please don't make me regret sharing personal information RE: the reason the holidays are not so 'happy' for me. I consider BassResource.com to be a fellowship. More than that really. Many here are like my extended family.
Y'all know I can dish it out pretty good and and take it as well, but this "grinch" thing was a low blow.
I know you were trying to be "tongue in cheek" but I wasn't complaing about long lines at dept. stores. My story was one of pain. I knew it was risky, but others used the opportunity to unburden themselves as well.
Your a good guy and I know you meant no harm. I certainly hold no ill will towards you. I just felt I needed to set the record straight.
It's all good.
avid
justfishin reply :
I think color is used more to hook fisherman by the dealers than fish. I always attempt to stay natural, especially if its gin clear or shallow. I pay attention to what color crawdads,shad,minnows are when they spit them up. Also, I noticed that the crawdads in the Susquehanna usually are the same color as their surroundings. Its sandy around the Harrisburg Airport and the mudbugs are usually a little lighter in color than around City Island where the bottom is more dark with mud. My opinion is that where ever you are fishing, what are the fish foraging on? Shad,perch,mudbugs? Match the forage. Thats why I use a lot of green pumpkin, watermelon,smokes,reds,whites and so on. Water clarity certainly can make a difference as well. I feel that bass 75% of the time use their lateral line more than we think. For reaction strikes on spinnerbaits. traps,buzzbaits I think a little louder the color does not hurt. For instance in the spring here, I sore arm a lot of 1/2 chartruese with chartruese blades spinnerbaits and the smallies just about pull the rod out your hand when they hit. Of course I am no different than anyone else. I am particular about colors as well. My green pumkin gitzits have red flake in them. Do the fish care? I doubt it, but I feel better using this color. For worm fishing I almost always use a Blue fleck, red shad, watermelon,smoke or green pumpkin ,almost exclusivly. Again, do the fish care? Probably not but, I feel more confident with this choice of colors because to be honest, they work for me. My rule is the clearer the water the more supple and natural the bait should be, if it is really dirty I go bigger in order displace more water so it can be picked up on the lateral line. I have a friend that ties on a different color ever 10 minutes and from what I can see, my bait is wet a lot more than his. You got to have it in the water in order for it to work, I tell him. Yes, he just laughs at me. I'm trying to find what color they are hittin, he always explains. Stick to the natural stuff, and fiqure out the forage and you will do well and the best part is you don't have to lug around 100 lb tackle bags. Good luck.
scott000 reply :
what colors work well both in clear and dingy water for plastics?
roadwarrior reply :
"Dark" works in all water. If I were to chose one color combination only, it would be watermelon with black flakes.
Hookem reply :
After years of getting the latest colors/patterns among the hundred or so I have bought......
I load three and only three cranks into the tackle box.
1. Chrome/Blue Rattletrap
2. Brown Crawdad Bomber Model A, shallow runner 8-)
3. Brown Crawdad Bomber Model A shallow runner, that I completely colored black for night fishing. 8-)
All other cranks are sitting in a box on shelf in the back room. One day, I'll take it out and reminisce. Then I'll beat myself up for spending the money on something that only catches fishermen. :'(
Someone mentioned Color Selector........its been on the shelf in the back room for almost 20 years. :
scott000 reply :
Quote"Dark" works in all water. If I were to chose one color combination only, it would be watermelon with black flakes.
really? it works in stained water?
Low_Budget_Hooker reply :
It sure do!
dink reply :
Some other good stained water colors are junebug, black neon, black grape, red shad, blue fleck, plum, red bug........ ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
flechero reply :
Avid,
Please know I was only trying to get a chuckle, and point out that most of what has been posted, has been posted in some form or fashion before.
I meant no harm and certainly wouldn't knowingly make fun of a painful past... we have a couple people in our own family who would describe themselves about the way you did as far as not enjoying the holidays... we joke with them about it all the time and it usually makes them laugh and cheer up a little. I really thought you would take it the same way. I guess my family is not "the norm" and I should have steered clear of potential sore spots.
I offer a sincere apology.
Best,
keith
(PM to follow)
guest reply :
I got the pm. Thanks for the thoughtful words.
One of inherent shortcomings of internet communication is that even with emoticons it is difficult to convey "tone" inference" and other subtleties that body language and facial expressions for example would convey.
As I said. You seem like a good guy. I like to kid around and sometimes have unintentionally hurt or offended someone.
It comes with the territory.
The improtant thing is that we were able to straighten out our misunderstanding like gentlemen.
Can't wait to meet you at fork.
avid.
CK14 reply :
in plastics i like pumpkinseed, watermelon, brownish, basicly natural colors.
in cranks i like fire tiger, sunfish, perch, and sometimes crawfish.....
Catt reply :
Some one once asked Tom Mann why he made so many different colors baits, he replied to catch the fisherman! A fish has never bought single bait!
Take plastics anyone remember when motor oil was #1 or black grape or red shed or tequila sunrise or fire & ice and so on.
Chris reply :
Tom Mann also was fishing a tournament one time and was catching fish hand over fist and told his competitors that he was winning the tournament because he was using a color he invented that no other company had...Motor oil. What is motor oil? purple and chartreuse. What makes it different? In the sunlight it turns colors to a green and the sunlight makes it almost glow or have an iridescence to it under water. Junebug is a great color around vegetation. It is three colors black, purple, green flake. Depending on what color the weeds are depends on which color is seen the most. This means the fish can pick it out easier from the weeds. Watermelon red is another good color in clear water around weeds.. why? The red flake makes it distinctive from the weeds. Some companies also put chartreuse in it also to give it an iridescence. Many other plastics that have a flake or two tone produce because one color will be seen better than the other around cover, depth or water color. Many soft plastics are eye contact lures that don't displace much water or produce a vibration. You got to catch the eye of the bass for it to know it is there and color helps the fish find the lure or be able to depicted the lure from cover. Even if you have a creature lure that does displace a bunch of water on fall if the bass didn't pick it up on the fall it will do a search pattern to find the lure and if you don't move it or if they can't find it because it blends into the cover then they might pass it up. The lure needs to have a slight difference in color for it to stand out from the cover for the bass to investigate. The amount of light reflected off a lure gives the lure its color. This is kinda important because for example in shallow stained water redshad is a great color clear water also. You take the same lure out in deep water where sunlight is more filtered out and it isn't the best option. The color will appear more gray and will not stand out as much as it did in the shallow water. Contrasting colors are important because under different conditions one color will stand out and will help the bass depict the lure from the surrounding cover. Lures that are fished fast or have a constant vibration that the bass can track and locate just by noise color isn't as important but matching size, shape and general color of the hatch is important. The bass don't have enough time to get a good look at it. Same is true with slow worked lures in darker or stained water to a degree the fish can see size, shape, color but not detail. In clear water the fish can see all colors real well so colors are not as important because not many are filtered out..any color will work but natural colors will catch you more fish. When you get around cover then you need to think in terms of which color will stand out from the cover even in clear water.
scott000 reply :
is green pumpkin okay for dark water?
Chris reply :
In stained water fishing shallow or tight to shore greenpumpkin is a great color. If the water is way muddy black, black/chartreuse or flipping blue would be better. Dark brown muddy water you want some orange in the lure. Green pea soup color water you want more purple or violate colors.
guest reply :
Well, this may not be THE final word on color,
but it comes close enough for me.
ga_hawghauler reply :
I think color matters somewhat but it depends on the certain conditions such as water clarity, weather, and water temp . I think color plays a part somewhat because this past year me and my partner was fishing when the topwater bite was on. I was throwing a clear zara spook and wearing fish out while he tried two colors of zara spooks with no blowups. All of the baits were the same size and using the same presentation only difference was the color
justfishin reply :
Those color selectors crack me up. I am not saying there is no science to them but c'mon. Those guys plug that stuff for a paycheck. This is only my small opinion. It reminds me of the old adds for the" Magnetic Wonder Head Ring " that will grow your hair back! When it comes to gadgits like this along with others like the Aqua View, and others that claim that their items were banned in professional tourn. because they worked too well, I get heartburn. Just fish, I say.
Chris reply :
Interesting...
I was fishing a tournament and you know what I couldn't buy a bite. I was throwing a black and blue jig with a black pork frog fishing shallow in muddy water. I knew I was fishing in the right places and I knew the fish should be there but for some reason I got nothing. I was making perfect pitches with my jig and my presentation was flawless with proper boat control and the weather and conditions screamed jig bite. My boat partner was throwing everything in his box trying to figure out what's up with the fish thinking that the fish might have changed to a different lure or change positions in the cover. I changed my jig trailer to a black and yellow pork chunk and started whacking fish. The fish where having a problem seeing my lure.
I was fishing late fall and had been catching fish with a light jig fishing shallow. My jig skirt was black and blue with some green/yellow in it trailer was black blue flake zoom super chunk. Most of the day I caught fish on this jig and then later in the day I stopped getting bites. I changed to a sapphire blue trailer with the same jig and started whacking fish. Why? The sun was low and the fish could see the lighter blue better.
I was fishing a topwater lure most of the day in clear water targeting points. Most of the day I had been catching them on natural colors. When the sun was setting the topwater bite fizzled I changed to a watermelon color topwater lure and started whacking fish. Fish can see the green better in low light.
I was cranking a bandit fishing shallow using khaki color because it looked like an albino shad that you sometimes see in shad schools. Most of the day I caught fish on this lure. The sky turned overcast and the bite stopped cold. I changed to a chartreuse and blue back and started whacking fish.
I was fishing a lake in late fall early winter and had been catching fish on crankbaits but the bite was real slow. On one cast I hooked a shad and noticed that the nose and mouth of the shad was bright orange from the cold water or from feeding. I changed to a parrot colored crankbait (parrot-orange nose, green/olive back, tan/cream sides, orange belly) and ended up having one of the best winter fishing trips ever. Water color was brown.
I was fishing a clear lake that had an algae bloom. The water was pea soup and because of the temp most of the fish where deep hanging on sunken brush piles. I caught fish noodling a violate purple straight worm called an air worm (it is a worm made in Japan that the tail is hollow and traps air). This was the only color that worked and I tried many.
I was fishing in Florida with a culprit red shad worm. I had one spot that the fish would just nip at the worm and spit it. (yes it was a bass not a bluegill) I was having a real hard time catching a bass out of this area. I decided to turn the worm over figuring that the bass might be having a hard time seeing the bait. Before I was fishing it red side down this time I fished it red side up and started whacking fish.
I was fishing late fall and found fish positioned on a flat. I had been catching fish swimming a white jig. Late afternoon the sky became overcast and my jig bite went to pot. I started fishing a spinnerbait thinking it was what I should be doing and only had one fish boil on my bait. I changed to a black and chartreuse jig with a chartreuse zoom twin tail grub and started swimming it through the flat and caught some of largest fish of the day.
I could give you example after example but I think you get the idea :
guest reply :
Well, there you have it, color definitly is not a factor. 
;D
Catt reply :
Was it color or did the fish simply start biting?
RoLo reply :
QuoteWas it color or did the fish simply start biting?
Fisherman tend to use color to explain their successes
and tend to blame the weather for their failures.
Take away those two variables, and we'd be intellectually bankrupt
Roger
Chris reply :
Many years ago when I first started my lure company I was shopping around for a place to print my labels for my packaging. I met an old gentleman that was in the printing business that was a fishermen. He brought me back to a back room and pointed out a sign that was hanging on the wall that was printed in red letters that said "colors matter." He told me to read the sign out loud so I did then he flipped a switch and the room lighting changed to a red lite room. He then asked me to read the same sign and the sign had no letters. The letters blended in with the light. Your lures do the same thing under water. They either blend in or are able to be seen. When you get around different kinds of weeds, brush, or different bottom colors, different water clarity's, different light conditions, or color water, the color is either seen better or just blends in. Do lure companies make a point to come out with a ton of colors to up their sales..sure but by the same token under different conditions some colors excel and some colors fall short. Bass cannot see all colors all of the time because if they did then the baitfish wouldn't have a chance to grow big or reproduce. The bass would clean house and eat everything it can put its mouth around. If you talk to people who own a fish tank that has a bass in it they will tell you that anytime they put a baitfish in the tank the bass eats it. Most people keep a clean tank I would think so the bass can see anything that is dropped in it. In the wild, water color changes and most places have weeds or other cover that the baitfish hang around. When conditions change the bass can either see the baitfish real well because they don't blend in or they can't because they do blend in. Baitfish do change colors in order to blend in with its surroundings. This is because if a bass could see them all of the time and if they didn't blend into the surroundings life would be short. It is natures way of checks and balances that helps each survive and flourish while keeping populations of each in check.
*Weather and water temp determines activity level of the bass.
*Color determines success or failure of a bass to see your offering.
*Yes Catt it was color when light conditions, surroundings changes the amount of colors that can be seen also changes. There is a big difference between fish that become active because of pressure systems or you catch one fish in a school and the rest turn on and fish that start to feed because they now can see your bait. In every example that I gave If I used the original colors that I started with the catch rate wouldn't be the same. I was fishing another tournament when the guy at the back was using a PBJ/Banana Bandit crankbait (violate purple back yellow sides). I was using a Luckycraft chartreuse black back crankbait. I caught my limit in the first 1/2 hour of the tournament the guy in the back of the boat had 2 fish a 5lb and a 3 and I had squeekers. We changed up and fished back through the same area using soft plastics. He was using redbug I was using black blue flake. I upgraded two fish and he finished up his limit with an 4lb fish, another 3, and a 2 pounder. The fish could see that reddish purple color in the greenish water better then the colors I was throwing. We caught fish the whole tournament so it wasn't like the fish just became active.
Catt reply :
I agree with colors as seen under different light conditions, different backgrounds, and at different depths. But one has to keep in mind all of these results are through man's eyes and man's brain.
I also can list numerous occasions where after catching 1 or 2 bass on a particular color you would not get another bite until you changed colors. I quite confident that some instances it was color that triggered the strike and some were simply the mood of the bass changed.
Based on what man perceives colors underwater to be it would be wise for the angler to carry every available color and combinations know.
Thefishy1 reply :
Of course color matters. The last tournament that out club had on santee two of our anglers were fishing the same cove with the same weight and type pf zoom worm and one caught 8lbs and won and the other caught 2lbs and did horribly. The difference the 8lbs was caught on Watermelon Red, and the 2lbs were caught on a junebug.
Another tournament last month on Russell I was fishing a bold bluegill curl tail Roboworm and I was not catching anything. And about 2hours into using my roboworm/dropshot my boater catches on a purple smoke finesse worm. And he says that I could use one of the worms if I want because at least he had caught a fish on it. So I put one on and two casts later BAM I catch one "what a coincidence I'm thinking" and a couple more castd after that BAM I catch another one. Ha and some people say that color does not matter.
earthworm77 reply :
A Question of Color
Historically, bass anglers have gravitated to either of the two ends of the spectrum of beliefs towards fishing soft plastics: those who feel that brown, black and purple are the only ones necessary, and those who spend more time searching through boxes of different colors than they do fishing. Today the majority of us will fall some place between the extremes, often wondering whether we carry too few or too many choices.
Does color really matter? You can look to the waters you fish for the answer.
Let's consider that each species of fish, or at least various parts of their bodies, come in a rainbow of colors. Bass are shades of green, with some species having fins approaching red. Sunfish run the gamut of greens, reds, blues, yellows, purples and oranges. Most catfish are gray, brown or black. Salmon range from silver to bright red. If color hadn't been important to their survival, countless years of evolution would have resulted in all species looking roughly the same and certainly they would be all colored the similarly.
In addition, scientists have found, the eyes of fishes have rods, cones and a pigment called melanin, which means that fish can see color. Bass even have a mechanism built into their eyes giving them the ability to detect differences in contrast (dark versus light) - an asset when water clarity is poor.
I believe the bass can differentiate between colors and at times can be locked into specific colors. When this occurs, you might experience good action on a particular hue while a different color gets ignored. Generally I try to imitate natural forage when I'm selecting a color. I have found that this is often the most efficient way to go. I've seen first hand how fickle bass can be if you are not throwing the right color so I truly feel that it does matter. Call me a purist but those trout anglers who match the hatch streamside are dead on. It can't hurt to try to mimic nature as best as you can. The alternative is to plug away with reckless abandon. I just feel that you should make an educated decision when it comes to picking the color of the bait on the end of your line.
As I stated, bass can absolutely lock onto one color. Science has proven that bass can see color better than humans. Consider a trip I took about 5 years ago to the deep woods. I had just been introduced to the Senko and was given a sleeve of 200 pearl blue shad baits in 4 inch size. My partner and I managed to use the whole sleeve up in an afternoon of fishing. To say that these fish were keying in on this particular color is an understatement. We switched colors several times but the action slowed until we put that pearl color back on. In this instance, the bass were locked on to the natural shad color we were throwing. Switching up provided us with little activity.
I've noticed within the last few years that a few colors in particular have been the most consistent producers for me. Green Pumpkin, Black Red Flake, Road Kill and Watermelon have all been deadly for me. While none of these is a dead ringer for an exact replica in nature, they are subtle hues that produce just about anywhere I've thrown them.
I certainly will not argue about what colors bass see best. I've heard so many ideas about which color disappears as depth increases. Consider that a bass has very good vision and perhaps just because a human can't see red in the depths, maybe a bass can. That might explain why baits with red gills that imitate blood trails work so well.
The amount of colors one can fill his tackle box with is staggering. When I started fishing in the 70's, there were only a handful of selections and they still catch fish today. If I was asked what my favorite colors are, I would likely list a half dozen or so that would likely take fish anywhere in the country.
Color changes in water
So, as far as I have stated, color is important, but which specific color or colors will matter most? When selecting soft plastics to throw, it's important to know which colors are actually visible to bass in their underwater world.
Sunlight is composed of different wavelengths of light, each corresponding to a specific color. If you want bass to see your bait, the wavelengths of the colors in it must be present in the light. This isn't a problem when looking at your baits out of the water; there, unfiltered sunlight makes your soft plastics look vibrant. Unfortunately, that's usually not the case below the surface, where light gets filtered.
This interesting color is called copper melon. Essentially watermelon but when the light hits it, the color reveals its copper accents
Water is transparent, but it's never pure or absolutely clear; it always contains suspended and dissolved particles that filter and absorb light passing through it. In most bodies of water, this effect blocks the majority of the light, and thus color, in the first 5 feet. So the deeper your bait penetrates, the less color it will reflect or hold.
To complicate things, water itself absorbs different wavelengths of light at different rates, so some parts of the spectrum penetrate deeper than do others - a critical factor to consider when choosing a bait color. The depth and order in which colors disappear will depend on the amount and type of suspended and dissolved materials, and no two bodies of water are alike. That's why different lakes, even those in the same region, can have entirely different colors producing fish at the same time.
There has to be some degree of truth to this. While some anglers may disagree that color is not important, I've seen the Color-C-Lector, which is a device that measures light penetration and can pinpoint what color is most visible at a certain depth. Coincidentally, it has been demonstrated to me that the colors this device chooses are usually the ones that work best in that depth.
Early on I realized that bass fishing is a game of variables. It all depends how you approach it and from what angle you start at. There may be no wrong way to go about it but there definitely are more consistent ways. Regarding color, I've long heard that dirty water baits should be bright and clear water baits should be subtle and natural. This is a mere generality; it certainly is not a golden rule. I've caught bass on clear worms in a mud flow and taken fish on gaudy colored baits in gin clear water. I really don't think that many of the old fishing adages are really consistent enough to be considered fact. I think that as these rules of lore were passed on through generations they gained momentum and formed a grasp on what we as anglers look back and associate the good old days of early angling to be like.
It takes time on the water to learn what baits are most visible in every situation, but there are general guidelines that will help you pick colors.
Match the hatch? Maybe not.
So now you understand that color matters, and you have a selection of hues to meet every situation. How do you pick a color to use in a particular situation or even for the first cast of the day?
I feel that matching the hatch is the way to go. Ultimately, we're trying to trick bass into eating something they think is real and the main thing I take into consideration is the forage bass are eating. Casting shrimp patterns when bass are chasing schools of shad will only reduce your odds of success.
After you figure out what the bass are feeding on, choose a soft-plastic bait that approximates the size and color of the forage. Try light-colored plastics when bass are eating baitfish and darker colors when crawdads are their fare.
Unnatural-looking soft plastics will in certain situations out produce baits that look realistic. Sometimes that's due to conditions that are obvious, while at other times there seems to be no logical reason for the behavior of your quarry.
If water clarity prohibits you from using a natural shad pattern, even when you know the bass primarily feeding on shad you need to use common sense and adjust
There are no sure things in bass fishing, but having confidence in your baits is a big step toward success. You're more likely to catch fish by giving your confidence color choice a chance. Even when fishing unfamiliar waters, the basic colors are likely the ones that will point you in the right direction.
There are several schools of thought regarding bass and bait color. Some anglers will argue that a bass isn't at all interested in the color of a bait and is instead focused on the action or vibration of the bait. Others will argue that bass definitely tune in on color and will strike a bait based on its accuracy. Still others will say that you must match the hatch to consistently draw strikes.
Effective Colors For Bass Fishing-my top 7
Black, Black or any variation of black is likely my favorite color. Black Red Flake, Black Blue Flake, Black Blue Purple Flake
earthworm77 reply :
Black Grape-This dark, deep grape has been my number two favorite. It is so versatile and effective. Add some green flake and you have Junebug.
Green Pumpkin-This dark watermelon green with black flake has become a standard among bass anglers everywhere.
Watermelon-This clear wine bottle green color is a great natural hue.
Pumpkinseed-Perhaps few other colors have received so much attention. This cloudy brown with black flake is another must have.
Red Shad Laminating black and cloudy red into one package produced one of the most popular soft plastic bait colors of all time. This on is a killer.
Roadkill Camo-This color is a hybrid changeable color that appears green in the light but brown to the eye. It features a copper highlight that makes it deadly.
Of course there are tons of other effective colors but you would be hard pressed to start with any colors but these.
I'm a firm believer of throwing colors that other guys do not have or can't get access to. This is one of the reasons I started hand pouring my own baits. I've developed a strong arsenal of custom colors that really have paid off for me. It is amazing to check out a color palette from a hand pour company to see just how many unique colors there are.
The amount of combinations is endless. You can add bloodlines and glitter to several simple colors to form an entirely different color that fish may have never seen. If the fish are not biting, you may be in the right spot, you just may be throwing the wrong color.
The effectiveness of some colors can vary by region. In the North East where I grew up, there are some old stand bys that guys down South or out West may not ever fish, let alone know exist. Colors like Erie Green, New England Craw, Road Kill Camo and Pond Scum are a few of the more well known colors that are deadly in my part of the country. Erie Green is a mustard color that features chartreuse or pale green or gold micro flake, as you can guess, it is deadly on Lake Erie. New England craw or blue craw as the locals call it is a brown green pumpkin with a solid blue tail. This color is popular for tubes and jig n pigs. Road kill has been tremendously popular among tube fishing smallmouth fanatics. This color is a copper brown and green pumpkin mix that features a pearl copper/gold finish. I've been making this color in a soft stick bait and it is super deadly. Pond Scum is a subdued watermelon that features multiple flake colors and is deadly as a jig or chunk. Other colors I've seen in different regions of the country are Florida June Bug, Florida Red shad, San Juan River Craw and Table Rock Shad. There are likely countless others and they don't just work on those specific areas from which they are named.
Roadkill Camo
What do you look for when you page through the endless supply of plastics from the major catalog houses? Do you flock towards the wacky colored soft plastics like a moth to a porch light? Colors are available in almost endless combinations. There are combinations of colors with solids, translucent hues, laminates, and of course all of these colors with an endless amount of glitter flecks. But, does color catch the eye of the fish or is color only for anglers' satisfaction? Why do manufacturers bank concentrate on producing colors rather than revolutionary baits. Shouldn't their baits have other features that make them attractive to fish and anglers alike?
Think back about any really successful day you ever had on the water. Likely you can remember much about the specific day and likely you know the exact color you were throwing. I would guess that more anglers forget the bait they used but remember the color. I got em on a red shad worm that day. Scuppernong was the color that nailed all of those bass.
I'm not sure if color is as important to bass as we think. I feel it grabs the anglers' attention first. Of course there are some colors that work better than others in certain situations but there are outside factors that determine that. Does a bass smack a bait because it is black or because the angler dropped the bait right on top of the fish? I can't answer that either with a definitive answer but it may be the combination of both.
I'll go on record as stating I prefer natural colors to abrasive bright ones. Subdued baitfish and crawfish colors seem to work most of the time and you can generally find a hue to match any water condition. If you think about it, it doesn't matter what the water clarity is, there is always some type of forage present and they are not pink! I stick with the match the prevalent forage theory
There are your ordinary colors that match the bottom of the lakes or streams such as rock bottoms and forage, where blacks, browns, greens dominate. There are colors that match baits such as, clear colors like shad. There are colors that match sunfish, bluegill. What about un natural colors? Do they have their place in nature too? Red could mean blood, injured and dying prey or gills. There are also gaudy colors like yellow, pink, orange and chartreuse. These really duplicate nothing in nature yet at times they are extremely successful.
There is no doubt in my mind that color can absolutely influence the bite. I try to keep my choices and selection in check and manageable. You really can get caught up the vast amount of options.
earthworm77 reply :
Anyone up for discussion?
Raul reply :
Any color is fine as long as it is black.
roadwarrior reply :
Okay, earthworm77,
If there were only five colors to pick, watermelon with black flake & black neon for soft plastics. White, black and silver, alone or together for all hard baits. Oh! and green, too. That is still only a total of five: green, red, black, silver and white.
Still, I like blue and sometimes red or yellow, brown and of course chartreuse. Hmm...it seems there are a lot of choices and sometimes it is important. (Oops! I left out a touch of orange.)
Well, anyhow, color is not the most important factor unless it is.
Just fish green, it usually works...Or, like Raul said, black.
earthworm77 reply :
color is not the most important factor unless it is
exactly, it only matters when it matters
RoLo reply :
Quotecolor is not the most important factor unless it is
I believe that color definitely does matter, because it can directly enhance or degrade the bass's ability to see the lure.
In my opinion at least, once the bass sees the lure, the importance of color falls through the cracks.
To put it differently, certain colors will always be more visible to bass under certain lighting conditions.
It might be presumptuous to think that those are the colors that bass prefer, because lighting conditions
can change from hour-to-hour, creating the illusion that thier color preference has changed.
Roger
Catt reply :
Explain why pink, yellow, merthiolate, & orange work?
I use a lot of blues and purples because they a visiable at deeper depths
I agree with Rolo once the bass sees the lure, the importance of color falls through the cracks
earthworm77 reply :
Those loud colors can trigger strikes at times, no doubt. On a regular basis, natural colors will be far more productive.
I guess my answer to your inquiry is that despite the fact that we think we know a ton about bass, we do not know everything but the percentages heavily favor throwing more natural or less agressive colors. There are times however, ie: the fall where bass especially smallmouth wil anhilate chart or orange. I had a day where pink sherbert was the only thing they wanted. Perhaps these colors do well when the area is saturated with anglers using the old standby's.
guest reply :
I'm pretty sure that the elusive pinksherbertmerthiolatebubblegum hornytricksenkocreature is a primary food source for the Largemouth bass.
Matt Fly reply :
I'm a firm believer, at times, color is very important. Just like watching bass following your buzz bait and turns away. The bass saw something that wasn't right, whether its boat position, your clothes standing out above the water or something amiss from the lure. Subtle changes in the presentations can unlock the door.
Summer gives us the most stable pattern of all in Texas, we have blue bird days and High Pressure all summer.
There are days that watermelon red flake anything in correct size works, and the next day, watermelon gold flake is the ticket. Could be just plain watermelon seed, or can be candy. Can be a combination of all the above on some days. I think that popular worm holes are beaten to death and bass aren't as apt to hit that color as hard the next day, so minor tweaking is needed, and also shows they see some difference because of they aren't willing to hit what worke yesterday as good until you tweeked the color.
I am a firm believer in watching the suns postition in the sky. As Chris eluded to, the suns angle on the water changes throughout the day, and how a bait is seen at noon is not the same as its seen at 3 o'clock due to the change in position of the sun.
We also know that when bass are schooling or just in aggressive moods, sometimes color doesn't matter.
Its the days that should be the same as yesterday that you may be required to tweak your colors slightly to get bit.
Subtle changes can be as small as biting an inch off a seven inch worm, copper blade to a silver blade, white skirt to a translucent white, or down sizing from 3/8 oz spinner to a 1/4 0z spinner.
Matt
RoLo reply :
I frequently hear mention of "natural colors", but in actuality any color that our optic nerve can perceive
is a color produced by Mother Nature. As a result, ALL colors are "natural colors" there are no exceptions.
Very often, the natural colors that Nature chooses for her creatures are deliberately gaudy and intense,
to serve as a warning flag to predators. For instance, many of Earth's most toxic insects, plants, reptiles and amphibians
are vividly colored by design. Among the many examples are the poisonous Monarch Butterfly, colored orange & black,
Coral Snakes with vivid bands of red, yellow & black, and poisonous frogs and salamanders (called lizards by fishermen)
which typically sport color schemes that include fluorescent chartreuse, loud reds and bright yellows. In most cases
the predator that ingests a toxic animal will not die, but will become violently ill or at the least, it will leave a bad taste in its mouth.
In the future, that animal is likely to fall into line, and demonstrate a reluctance to seize forage with intense showy colors.
The Plot Thickens
Mother Nature has intentionally and cleverly created imposters.
Several non-toxic organisms exhibit the same color scheme displayed by some toxic creature. The Monarch Butterfly
dines exclusively on a poisonous larval plant that will kill most caterpillars. When they transform to butterflies,
their toxin-laden bodies are conspicuously advertised with a showy Orange and Black pattern (trick or treat).
Monarch butterflies are judiciously avoided by birds, reptiles and amphibians. However, Big Mama has also concocted the Viceroy,
another butterfly with a gaudy black & orange color scheme. Like most butterflies, the viceroy is unable to consume
poisonous milkweed and therefore causes no harm to its captor. All the same, the viceroy is avoided by a high-percentage
of predators that practice safety first.
Enter The Fisherman
The angler is faced with a huge dilemma because all the most visible colors have already been chosen by Mother Nature
to serve as toxicity warnings! Chartreuse for example, wasn't discovered in a laboratory, but was concocted by Mother Nature
during the beginning of time. Chartreuse is the most visible color under the broadest range of lighting conditions.
Unhappily, chartreuse is commonly used as a warning flag!
All that said, "lure visibility" is paramount to the angler, because a bass cannot sieze a lure that it does not see,
or a lure that is sees too late to bother chasing. Furthermore, only a certain percentage of any species
is conditioned to avoid gaudy color patterns. Last but not least, when rising water temperatures work their magic
on the metabolism of a cold-blooded organism, reflex will often supercede design.
Roger
FIN-S-R reply :
COLOR DOES MATTER...even though I played it down in an earlier post. I got schooled by a black back w/ dark green scale pattern that worked when the EXACT same lure with black back only wouldnt catch a fish...how can they tell the difference. The difference was so subtle that I didnt even realize I wasnt throwing the same thing as my partner until I pulled his lure out of the carpet after netting a fish. Then BAM 1st throw= Fish. All I can say is what the f###? Also, this weekend a certain color crank was only good for dredging paths through the hydrilla when the exact same crank with just a hint of blue to it was almost impossible to dislodge from the mouths of the fish which were inhaling it.
I will not claim to be an expert on anything ..especially fishing, but I will claim to be a student of everything nature. It seems there are a few folks that frequent this forum that could garner expert status as far as fishing goes, and what they have to say I soak up like a semi dry sponge. I am as stated before a student, or an observer of nature...this includes people and the "human condition". I have observed my butt get handed to me by guys who fish "their" color religiously. Is this because of persistance or science. I think we all have alittle scientist in us wether we know it or not, if you do something and dont get the desired results you change. That is scientific method 101. But how in the world does a person explain or predict what color will work or why a color has worked and then use that info in application toward producing a desired result? Is it just a persistance and replication issue...try try again, or can we take this info and other info, throw it in a pot mix thoroughly, bake at 350 and boom...big fish on the end of your line on every trip. It ussually doesnt happen that way, but could it, and what would you need to figure it out?
Lots and lots of information or "data". We all store data in our brains every day and during every fishing trip, some of us even go to the extreme of actually recording and analyzing this data in a hard copy form. In doing this myself, I have "observed" that the only rule in nature is that there are trends and exceptions to the trends. Jelly shoes, Pet rocks, and many of bill dance's and Roland martins lures are trends, but they are human induced trends better characterized as FADS. Subsequently for the human mind to begin to understand a truely natural trend is a very unnatural thing. Largely because it (trend observation) is many times much more simple than we are willing to accept. Lure Colors and color variations are fads, if you notice, although there are new names, there are really as someone stated earlier in this thread no new colors. Colors follow trends ie. most colors "trend" toward a green or a red or a blue or a purple color, and so on. In nature colors trend toward only a few in any particular area, with a few exceptions...we just did a trend analysis..sort of.
Most of nature is dominated by what we percieve as green or brown or white. Its a pretty safe bet that the food a green or brown fish is after will have as a major color constituent one of the aformentioned tones with some exceptional accents of brighter or darker colors. So now we have a baseline for lure colors, but as anyone who has spent much time on the water will tell you, those colors dont always work the best. Why not? Is it a visibility issue, or is it a reaction key. It can be both, and both circumstances can be dealt with with the introduction of a couple more colors, those being blueish hues (june bug to plum) and orange hues (yellow to red). All off the colors mentioed so far are relatively frequently occuring natural colors, so there is nothing new or complex about the colors we are dealing with and probably everyone has all of these colors in some fashion in their fishing arsenal.
To recap: Trends teach you what you want to know about fishing, and the trend in nature is a group of roughly 5 colors
There are mono tone lures out there, and they work..for instance the chrome on chrome on chrome rattle trap, or the white and silver spinner bait, or black worm. No argumant that these are good sound color options for many conditions and fish activity levels, but can you cover more ground (or water) with a few lures having a combination of key tones? I would say yes! How do you go about accumulating the correct tones, and subsequent combination of those tones?
#1 Visability- as it has been said so many times, if a bass cant see it, it probably aint gonna eat it.
A combination of black and blue is THE MOST visible color to anything in water...any water.
As soon as light comes in contact with water it begins to be refracted and diffused. All light waves are not created equally, and some can penetrate with less diffusion than others. Black objects absorb every possible wavelength of visible light (400-700nm), and "violet" (400nm) penetrates water more efficiently due to the shorter distance between wave peaks. This means that objects that more readily absorb these wavelengths will be more prominently visible. So a good starting point is always a medium to dark purple color. If the fish will eat what they can see w/o differentiation you will catch fish on this color. Try it on deep spawning fish. They dont want to eat it, but they can see it really well= since they dont have hands they pick it up with their mouth. Shades of green have lots of blue in them, and since bass have a sort of yellowish greenish tint to their vision, greens will stand out as blue. Put on some shooting glasses and take a look at a watermelon senko.
#2 Match the Forage- If fish are keying on a particular critter, try to emmulate that critter.
First of all name 1 critter that bass eat that doesnt have a green or blue hue to it. I cant, but then again Im in OK, and not all the critters that all bass eat live in the sooner state, but as a general TREND this holds up pretty well. Now take the general pattern of natural colors (brown, green, white) and punctuate them with less commonly occuring colors like red, yellow or orange...now you have a blue gill, or a shad, or a crawfish with red pinchers.
#3 Forget color and look at presentation.
The right color in the wrong presentation will only frustrate you, or it does me. Try different techniques of the same colors. You cant ever go wrong with a senko presentation. It may not catch all the fish in the quickest manner, but it will give you an idea of what direction to go in.
So how do you pick up on the subtle color differences that can make all the difference? Start out with Primary natural colors, and work lighter and darker as well as combinations of less frequently occuring colors, and get to know the forage.
Junebug and blue flec are my starting point for soft plastics (cover relating blueish greenish critters), and Chrome/ White (white light reflectors) are my starting point for hard baits (Transient Baitfish). Keep in mind that the extent "chrome" can cover ranges from lowrider rim shiny to nearly black to irredescent, and purple can range from nearly black to nearly white.
General frequently occuring color trends punctuated by exceptions
scott000 reply :
i read this article on using plastic crayfish and jigs and it said crayfish colors are things like watermelon seed, black, black red flake, pumpkin, and green pumpkin. I also hear red shad is a hot color.
senile1 reply :
There's a lot of interesting stuff here, but how many of us own every possible color combination there is, and if we did, how long would it take switching out these myriad color combinations to determine which one it is we "think" the bass are telling us they want? This is why it is more important to concentrate on location and presentation as stated by a few already. An angler could drive themselves crazy if they allow color to become the dominant issue in trying to catch fish. If you don't think this is so, just look at the many "favorite" colors already mentioned in this thread. Does any of us have all of these colors in every bait category that we own? It's doubtful. I say pick a few colors that are light, a few that are dark, and a few that are bright for muddy water, and then concentrate on where they are and how they want the bait delivered. I'm not saying color isn't important. I'm just saying there are so many colors to choose from the probability of anyone of us finding the exact, perfect color is slim.
guest reply :
QuoteVery often, the natural colors that Nature chooses for her creatures are deliberately gaudy and intense,
Did y'all get the implications of this oft overlooked fact?
Those merthiolate, bubblegum, etc. lures look gaudy to us because who would paint their living room such a hideous color (My stoner nephew doesn't count), but in nature these loud, bright, intense colors are not at all uncommon.
Look anywhere, an aquarium, an aviary, terrarium, and with moths and other insects......fuggedaboudit.
Very astute observation Mr. Roger.
Raul reply :
God 's creatures defy human imagination:
And those pictures are a pale image on how they look in the reality.
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