color confusion!?!?

[saints17]

I have been reading/experimenting a lot with color and have made myself very confused. There are many more questions that i can't think of right now so please feel free to expand on anything you have to say about colors.

Please let me know if any of my statements are incorrect..

I believe that in dark water, dark lures are recomended.

- if bass are sight feeders, wouldn't they not be able to see darker colors in darker waters?

-some dark lures have chartreuse or neons tails, what are these supposed to represent and don't they defeat the purpose of the dark color theme?

-when do i use these neon colors?

I believe that in clear water, natural colors and whites are often used.

-i often see white/charteuse mixed baits but also see them on dark lures for dark water, when do i use chartreuse, and it doesn't seem very natural of a color to me..?

It is recomended that the colors "match the hatch".

-If i am trying to match the color of forage that is different than the recomended color for the water clerity i am fishing, what do i do?

..for instance, if the lake is dark and muddy but has a big population of shad, what color do i pick?

-people often fish crawfish colored crank baits to match the hatch but this also confuses me. Why would bass be apt to eating these? crawfish dont really swim around the way crankbaits do..? I believe a lot of the pro's where using red craw colors in the last classic?

-Many people swear by blue and black jigs but what does the blue represent? iv'e heard craw fish but i haven't seen any color crawfish but red mye entire life...? Why blue!!!!???

thanks a lot and i really have tried to do research but it has only made me more confused so please help me out.. thanks

-eric

[bronzeback01]

The Chartruese tails on dark lures usualy try to imitate the yellow tip on the tail of a bluegill. Expanding on your jig question, Black and Blue are bluegill colors. The jig isn't really imitating a crawfish so much as an injured gill.

The reason for dark lures in dark water is because of ambient light. The light really makes those dark baits show up in muddy water. As far as the idea that light color lures don't work in stained water, I've never bought into that idea. White/ Chartreuse swim jigs and chatterbaits are one of my favorite colors for for stained and muddy water.

Natural colors are best for clear water for the simple reason that the fish are able to get a good look at slow moving baits so the more natural, the better.

You'll see the lighter colors on crankbaits, spinner baits and other reaction baits not because they look like anything in particular but more because they are reaction baits and the bright colors give the fish something to aim for.

Craw color crankbaits are so hot because they do imitate a crawfish. They might not move exactly like all craws do but bass are not able to rationalize like humans do. They just see a flash of brown and try to eat it.

As far as matching the hatch I look at it two ways two times a year. In spring when bass are gaurding their beds from marauding bluegill, I like to throw baits that look like gills for the simple reason that I feel that color pattern (black/blue) gives me a better chance aginst those defensive fish. Second is fall when bass are gorging themselves on shad. White and silver/black lures fit the bill for these immitations. Bass are out pounding schools of shad and often times ignore lures that are not the exact same size and color as the bait they are eating, especially in the fall.

I hope I was able to answer some of your questions and didn't make things worse. If you have any more questions or I just forgot to answer something just drop another post.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

Here is how I usually do it although their is always the exception.

Dark water and dark day- dark lures

Dark water and bright day- bright lures (chartruse, firetiger, etc.)

In clear water under both clear and overcast conditions I find myself using similiar colors that appear natural like pumpkin, watermelon, baby bass colors.

The exception being I always seem to have black/blue and black/purple jigs and worms that I have confidence in under any circumstance.

Lots of times on clear, pressured waters doing the opposite and going with a bright color will get more bites. Sometimes its boils down to showing something different other times its all about contrast with the surrondings that helps get more bites.

When it comes to crawfish cranks I dont think bass have the brain power to realise that they are chasing a craw as opposed to another fish. I think they see a lure and react not because it is craw colored but the combination of the baits action, vibration and the contrast that allows them to find it.

Edit-Looks like bronzeback snuck one in right before me. Good post.

[Hammer Handle]

My dad always told me that a fish asks these two things:

1) Does it look real?

2) Is it easy prey

He always said the action of the lure is the biggest factor. A bright and shiny lure on a dark day doesn't look real to the fish. A good action looks like easy prey (injured) and even a full fish can't always pass it up. Kind of like putting a dish of ice cream in front of a full person.

Dark lures with a bright tail or other spot look like a fleeing injured minnow. The bright spot gives some fish more of a reason to bite. But, it may not always work.

That is what my dad always told me...and I still believe it to this day.

Also, my dad always said most lures and colors are meant to catch fisherman, not fish. You buy what looks good to you, but the fish would be happy with the classic all black or red and white lure.

[slipperybob]

Colors:...I go with

1) Natural bait pattern

2) Camouflage

3) Contrast

4) Neo-Retro (whatever is so totally unreal)

Yeah and the sparkly one's that catches my eye in the store so that I buy them...

[Bullwinkle]

I have noticed that a dark worm with a chartruese tail is more often then not gator bait. I have fished them and it seems the pike always are ripping the tail off. Anyone else notice this happening often?

[slipperybob]

Those pikes are notorious for cinching off tails on plastics...I'd go chicken feather for a tail...I've gotton plastics ripped to shread on one pike strike in comparison to several bass strikes.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Alright, here is my opinion on the subject... and that all it is.. an opinon.

Its known that bass can see on different levels that we can only try to understand. They see by sight, and the feel by vibration via their lateral line. We as humans can only speculate this, but from the rods and cones in the eye of a bass, its guessed that they can see color at least in some ranges much better than we. I read an article saying that they can see 20 times better in the color of blue and green that we can. Meaning that they can differentiate slight color changes in green and blue that we can not. How this affects them in stained water.. I do not know?

Here is my take on color. In stained water. If you are using a slow moving lure, that the fish might get a good look at... I go with something dark.. Black---Junebug.. ect... The darker the day the darker I will usually go with the lure to contrast as best I can. If I am using a fast lure.. I will go with the bright lures, as I am fixen for a reaction stricke. Chartruce, orange, pink..ect...

For clear water, color I feel becomes more important, especially when conditions are tough. On sunny days I will go with lighter greens and such...While on darker days, I will go with darker shade lures....But again, it will depend on how fast the lure is going and if I am looking for the type bites where the fish are going to see the lure for a long period of time or a reaction.

All that said.. .I have had some of my best days fishing catching fish on lures that should not have caught fish... So... I try and let the fish tell me what works.. if I feel short strikes or if I know fish are in an area and not getting bites.. I switch it up till I do.

Keep in mind... we may be fishing for a species that has really good eyes, but a brain the size of a peanut at best. they are very curious creatures, and do not have hands to pick things up! So, all you have to do is spark thier curriosity, and like a 2 year old they will put it in their mouth!

[saints17]

thanks a lot everybody, all of this helps a lot!

[RK]

Hiya -

Yeah, it's pretty easy to get wound around the axle over color. So many different ways to look at it.

I also think the discussion about color changes completely depending on whether you're talking about largemouths or smallmouths. JMHO, but smallies are far more color selective than largemouths. Sometimes absurdly so.

For power fishing techniques like spinnerbaits, I don't worry about it too much. I bet 95% of my spinnerbaits are white, white/chartreuse, lime green/chartreuse/white, or chart/blue/white.

Cranks get a little more complicated, but it boils down to dark baits, maybe with a splash of orange for craw imitators, or blues, greens and grays with either white or white/chart bellies, which I throw over weeds or along weedlines, especially late in the year when bass are eating a lot of YOY bluegills, and perch patterns, which are good around rocks. When we fish rocks I know most of us think crayfish, but I think a lot of the time the bass are actually there eating perch. Finally I have some loud colors like Firetiger or bright blue back/chart belly just as a shock color.

Jigs and plastics - this might sound strange, but I really base my color selection on what kind of cover I'm fishing, then adjust it slightly for water clarity.

Here's what I mean: Under water a lot of the illumination is reflected light off the surroundings. Weedbeds are a great example. Even in a dense weedbed, there's a surprising amount of light penetration, but since it's filtered through the weeds, everything takes on sort of a greenish color. So for fishing around weeds I tend to use greens that'll blend in somewhat like watermelon or green pumpkin. Around rocks, or up in rushes where there's a lot of sangrass or gravel, or around docks, I tend to use more browns.

From there, I'll kick up the intensity a little if the water's stained or there's a bloom with a splash of orange or chartreuse or a brighter metal flake, or back off the color if it's super clear. If I start with smoke, but the water's a little green, I might use smoke with silver flake. If it's super clear, I may use a clear plastic with black flake for just a little contrast.

Overall, with plastics, I want to bait to nearly blend in. I don't want the fish to get a real distinct look at it.

That sounds sort of complicated, but it's really not. For worms and jigs, I really only carry a couple colors of each. Most of the lakes I fish range from fairly to very clear, so I don't carry much in the way of firetail worms or bright colors (there's one exception, which I'll get to in a minute...) For worms like 7" power worms, which I Texas Rig or fish on jigworms, I carry green pumpkin, brown pumpkin, smoke/black flake, purple/black, and watermelon/red flake. For flipping tubes, it's pretty much green pumpkin or brown pumpkin. Casting tubes, I carry a few more colors mainly because I use them for smallies a lot. But basically, it's smoke, smoke/metal flake, smoke/black flake, watermelon, white/clear, and pumpkin. It's about the same colors for creatures - lotsa smoke with those. Craws and jig trailers are green pumpkin, brown pumpkin, or blue/black.

The one occasion when I use really bright colors, like white, chartreuse or pink, is soft stickbaits or soft jerkbaits when I'm making long casts. Hard to feel a hit with these things so I use bright colors so I can see the bait. When it disappears, set the hook.

When it comes to swimming grubs and 4-6" worms I use for smallies though, my simple system goes out the window. I use them a lot, and have about every color of the rainbow from clear (no color at all) to firetiger and stuff with orange or chartreuse tails. Smallies can get so flaky with color that I carry probably 3x as many color options in these baits. There are days when a slight color change can mean the difference between following fish, short hits and a fish here and there, and every fish sucking it down to their tonsils...

For swimming grubs or worms I like translucent colors like clear, smoke, clear/pearl laminates with some metal flake, or translucent greens and browns. If I'm burning a 4" or 5" grub during the summer, or fishing open water smallies, bright colors rock - white, school bus yellow, pearl chartreuse, or something like that. Berkley used to make a white power worm with a glow tail that was awesome for open water smallies, but they discontinued the color...

About blue jigs - I think it does mimic a bluegill somewhat, but crayfish can have a lot of blue on them too. Depending on the lake, the crayfish variety and where they're at in the molting cycle, they can be about every color you can imagine. On the lake my cabin's on, most of the crayfish have some baby blue on their shells a lot of the time...

Some final random color thoughts:

- Smoke-colored plastics work pretty much anywhere. If I could only have one color, it'd be smoke.

- Walleyes love red shad worms for some reason.

- They're hard to find, but clear plastics are worth hunting down. Especially if you fish smallies.

- If you're getting bit, but missing fish, try a variation on the color you're using. Add or subtract metal flake, or go a shade lighter or darker.

- I'm serious about smoke working anywhere...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Deitz Dittrich]

Great read RK... dude, I love the fact that you contribute here! I however, do not have a whole bunch of Smoke plastics.. I guess I will be investing soon!

[RK]

Hey D -

Lots of interesting stuff to talk about with bass - moreso than muskies for sure. You could train a monkey to fish for those things

About smoke: I got onto the smoke plastics from Rich Zaleski, who is one of the original In-Fish writers. A lot of pros have reputations as 'finesee fishermen' but most of them - except probably the Hibdons and some of the Western guys like Gary Yamamoto and his kids - are pikers compared to Rich. He's been a finesse guy since way before it was the in thing.

Anyhow - Rich's whole approach to bass fishing is that it's a numbers game. There are more neutral or negative fish than active ones, so if you want to fish to the most fish, you have to fish for the neutral ones. So he fishes tons of grubs, and uses smoke an awful lot of the time. Smoke's a wierd color. Against a solid background it seems like a solid color, but it's still translucent, so viewed against the sky it has that indistinct fuzzy outline to it, and it can sort of pick up the tint of its surroundings.

The interesting thing about Rich is that along with smoke, he fishes a lot of plastic types most bass guys don't use. A good example is a boot-tail grub like a Sassy Shads and Lunker City Grubs. He fishes them very slowly, so the tails don't really wobble but just give some lift to slow the bait down and make it glide.

For years my go-to brutal cold front bait has been a smoke Mann's Stingray grub - just a dull-looking, straight paddle tail. Persuader 3" paddle tails are awfully good too. Plus the Persuader grubs are awesome drop shot baits.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Write-Outdoor]

I'm going to have to agree with a lot of what Deitz and the others said....with a few additions.

Like Deitz said, some days you catch them on colors when you "shouldn't" have...people often like to assign rules for fish but the fish don't seem to know them. On lakes where the bass have seen a ton of green pumpkin or blue lures, weird colors like pink and such work because it's different.

When we get stuck in a rut with our color and lure choices awe end up missing fish and missing opportunities to learn.

Oh yeah, fish might have a brain the size of a peanut, but let's not call them stupid! We use a lot of our big ol' brains thinking about how to catch them!