What Consistant Colors for Baits ?

[Ziert]

I think if we had pre-nuptials for our away from home fishing trips, we'd all be better off when we get there. We know to ask the locals, but sometimes/often enough that's not enough.

Please list what color baits work best for you most of the time, and what part of the country you are from. If you want to take it further, here's some further points to address.

Bait Color:

Part of Country (U.S. & Canada):

Type of bait:

Kind and size of live bait (if any):

Time of day or night:

Water color - crystal clear/clear/stained/heavy stain

Weather conditions:

Trolling/Drifting/Casting/Jigging, etc:

Name of body of water (if you dare):

Thanks fellows. I think this kind of thing will help all of us.

Rich

[Phil T]

Color is likely the least important variable of lure choice/use. It certainly ranks far below location, depth, speed, and action. I think we obsess about it because it's the only thing we control when we buy the lure. The manufacturer controls the depth, best speed, and action . The fish control the location.
With that disclaimer out of the way, I use fire tiger, or something similar like perch, any time the water is green. This can be such seemingly different water as Devils Lake, ND to Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park. If the water's clear, I'll start with metallic finishes. If the depth is extreme, I'll start with blue or violet and avoid red (there's no red light at depth).

[rebs]

Jimmy Houston says any color is a good color as long as its chartruse

[stinkycat]

Bait Color:Clear water..more natural color... dark or stained water..brighter colors

Part of Country (U.S. & Canada):N Minnesota

Type of bait:Jigs, Cranks, Live bait

Kind and size of live bait (if any):Crawlers, Minnows 2" to 5"

Time of day or night:both

Water color - crystal clear/clear/stained/heavy stain

Weather conditions:A little wind is nice

Trolling/Drifting/Casting/Jigging, etc: All

Name of body of water (if you dare): A local area Lake..... many in the area

[Ziert]

Color is likely the least important variable of lure choice/use. It certainly ranks far below location, depth, speed, and action. I think we obsess about it because it's the only thing we control when we buy the lure. The manufacturer controls the depth, best speed, and action . The fish control the location.
With that disclaimer out of the way, I use fire tiger, or something similar like perch, any time the water is green. This can be such seemingly different water as Devils Lake, ND to Jackson Lake in Grand Teton National Park. If the water's clear, I'll start with metallic finishes. If the depth is extreme, I'll start with blue or violet and avoid red (there's no red light at depth).

No truer words were ever spoken. I don't necessarily agree that colors are overrated, but colors can only make a diff where they can be seen. Otherwise the shades of grey "CONTRAST" are what counts for visibility. Maybe this is splitting hairs but, on those days were you bagel and the boat next to you doesn’t, maybe a magnifier of some sort is needed. As any bait is presented with less light of any kind, including stained water, or floatant in clear water, etc., shades of grey take over. It's the good old rainbow/color wheel of visible light effect - Red shows shallow - progressing to Yellow - Orange - Green - Blue/Purple shows deep. No matter what the best minds say, we really don’t know what fish see from their perspective . We just have never walked ten miles in their moccasins – and we most likely never will.

However, the sharpest "contrast" is most visible in dim lighting, or stained water. We are not done yet on the contrast business because we also have to mix in the ambient, background colors, and the "Flicker Effect of chop of the underwater world. However, even that is not necessarily what we want. Subtle changes/the more camouflage effect in color or contrast are best in clear relatively shallow water at noon on a bright sunny day with no wind. Seeking out the edges, holes, toughs, etc. of underwater shade and darting, stop and go (more stop than go) presentations are also in order here. Movement is the only thing that destroys good camouflage. . . and the fish know it as a natural stae of affairs in their world. They either learn that lesson fast or they become a meal for a predator.

In darker water, deeper water, in heavily stained water, on overcast days with chop, etc. , we better go to the box for the more visible "contrast", bigger profile, noisier, stuff.
Depth of presentation, weather conditions as to wind chop/sunlight penetration, specific spot characteristics, and bait speed and action bring the presentation package together on "that spot". . . that moment in time.

In all of this however, there’s absolutely no denying some colors work best in some particular bodies of water. When considering all of what was said above, it maybe makes near perfect good sense. There ain’t nothing perfect except that “Triune Man” upstairs.

Rich

[ffishman]

I have tackle boxes loaded with every lure of every color you can think of. But, I do my best fishing with live bait.

[chamookman]

Rich - For Me, wether it's crankbaits/spinner blades or beads - Purple is a consistant producer here in Mid-Michigan. Inland lakes/Rivers or Saginaw Bay doesn't matter. Crankbait examples would be - solid purple Winning Streak/Tot, any Reef Runner in Purple Demon, Rapala DT's in Chart/Purple back, Rapala Shad Raps in Purple Sunrise. C-man

[Ziert]

Rich - For Me, wether it's crankbaits/spinner blades or beads - Purple is a consistant producer here in Mid-Michigan. Inland lakes/Rivers or Saginaw Bay doesn't matter. Crankbait examples would be - solid purple Winning Streak/Tot, any Reef Runner in Purple Demon, Rapala DT's in Chart/Purple back, Rapala Shad Raps in Purple Sunrise. C-man

This is a case of the zacklies. It's a local color phenomena. I fish a lake in So-Cal where the preference is red to burnished red. It catches fish 4-1. Now, it's still true that red is only visible shallow. But, this lake is really super clear water, and that "shallow: word is defined as 1-35 feet depth, given normal daytime lighting and other conditions.

Rich

[orchard frank]

I agree wholeheartedly with depth, location, etc. etc., but around here, if you are fishing cranks, have at least one purple on, Deep Husky Jerk or Reef Runner usually. I have tried to convince myself that it doesn't matter as long as everything else is in place, but I give up. Not all days, for sure, but when you fish one purple lure out of 4 or 6 lines, and that one gets half (or more) of the hits, what are you gonna do? Other colors have their days, water clarity makes a difference, sometimes harnesses work better, but if I'm dragging cranks, at least one will be purple. (Purple Perch Husky Jerk is usually the lead off man)

[Bassbuster]

Well, supposing that you get your bait into the strike zone, the big baits rule the water. For me it is a 12" gizzard shad or a crank bait about the same size. Can fish really see color? I have not seen a color that a fisherman did not like!

[mudpuppy]

There does seem to be a purple phenomenon (in Michigan any how). Not just Deep Purple (Smoke On The Water). But Purple Tiger is a shallow & night time favorite, too.

Color may be last in importance, but important, none the less.

The whole light spectrum thing & light/depth penetration is always important to keep in mind. So is contrast. Black (non color) has special contrast qualities as does white/pearl at any depth or light level.

Hope this link works, it really shows how different water qualities filter colors. Kind of gives you a fish eye view (as much as possible).
http://www.mepps.com/fishing_articles/article.php?id=77

Guess you'll have to cut/paste this one, too.

[Backwater Eddy]

In Spring and fall white, glow pinks, glow green, black/orange, and golds works well for me in jigs and cranks.

In Summer, Gold, black, chartruse, orange, metallic purple/green and silver/black.

Fall stained water rivers Glow orange, glow pink, glow yellow, gold flash blades on jigs. I will also look to add sound to any of these options in dirty water.

Winter generally fallows falls color choices and evolves into springs color choices as waters clear.

My most consistent color is white, fallowed by black/gold.

[Ziert]

One last note from me on how a bait looks. I'm about to sound like a sissy interior decorator.

If I'm repeating myself, forgive me. I think this is very important.

The matter of color balance is critical. Example: In clear water, if you have a painted purple blade out front, the best color balance to follow that part of the bait is a combo of black, grays, a smidge of red and blue, and translucent-ghost, or even crystal substances to follow. I'm not talking about specific colors. I'm talking about balance, and how the blend of hues compliment one another. If the bait looks lopsided, it probably won’t work, or at least won't work as well as a balanced/natural color scheme.

In a darker situation of any kind - day or night , stained water, deep water, shade above or below the surface, etc., - You want the vivid colors mixed in, but still balanced so that the bait is noticeable but not scary or unnatural. The blade should get closer to gold, silver, something with more visible flash. The black color is universal at any time, the grays become lighter all the way to white. Your chartreuse, and vivid pinks, come into play. Interrupting any color with a hackle of some sort always adds realism.

When we look at baits in our hand, we also have to try to see them moving and pulsating through the water. Simply imagine what those colors do to one another when they become a semi-blur under different lighting situations.