Ahhhh, the old argurment does color matter?

[Hammer 4]

I have Never, ever caught a fish on anything colored Junbug..?????

[Catt]

I've found over the years there are times when colors absolutely mattered and there are times it absolutely does not matter. I have experienced times when one color would catch but another color would catch 4-5 times as many fish.

One example is the Zoom Trick Worm in the color Merthiolate I've seen it out produce any other Trick worm color in both off colored (stained) and clear water.

My most productive color in plastics under any seasonal pattern, weather condition, water color, day or night is Cinnamon Pepper Neon/June Bug Laminated (Camouflage). I believe it's because the color is visible under as multitude of conditions.

I've also seen where certain colors mattered on certain bodies of water or at certain times of the year

[Fishing Rhino]

I have seen times when color was critical, but they have been on salt water.

There used to be a popular squid type of bait called a Hoochie Troll when we lived on Cape Cod.

I had red and orange versions in the two sizes that were available.

They were also available in hot red, orange and pink fluorescent colors.

There were times you couldn't buy a hit on the regular colors, but took the fluorescent versions as soon as they hit the water.

I suffered through a couple of hours one Saturday morning when the fleet was killing them on Billingsgate Shoals in Cape Cod Bay off the Eastham and Orleans shores.

I wasted a couple of hours dragging the plain versions around before hightailing it to Wellfleet Harbor and bought a couple of the fluorescent models.

Went back out and promptly caught one after another.  I quit fishing a couple of hours later when my arms turned into pasta noodles.

[BassShephard]

I've found over the years there are times when colors absolutely mattered and there are times it absolutely does not matter. I have experienced times when one color would catch but another color would catch 4-5 times as many fish.

Had that happen too me once, I used my brothers tackle one day, he had a purple crank bait which I kind of thought was a weird unnatural color for bait. I tried it to see if I'd catch any thing, sure enough I was catching them on every 3 or 4 cast went tru diff color baits (same type and size) and wasn't catching as many as often as the purple. I popped the purple back on and bam I was catching them left & right, didn't happen any more after that day, I'd still catch a few with it but no were near what I caught that day.

[Primus]

The most obvious component to catching fish is location, if they ain't there you're not going to get bit. Depth, retrieve speed, technique and then lure selection are the next factors to consider. Last is color, sometimes in my expierience it's critical especially in clear water and there are other times when the fish are aggressive enough that you can throw almost anything at them and get bit.

That said the refining any of these components can turn a bad day into a fair day and a good day into a great day.

[SirSnookalot]

Conventional wisdom has always said light lures for light bottom or daytime fishing and dark lures for dark bottom or night fishing. I have had a bit more success using very light (pearl) 24 hours a day. both fresh and saltwater, all the other colors in between IMO is just to get you to spend more $$.

Many times when bass fishing I change lures after each fish, when they are on they hit anything, including my mothers old garter belt.

Got any extra garter belts? I'd like to try 'em.

Do you rig 'em on a worm hook, jig head, shaky head, etc.?

I suspect a circle hook might work best since the stretch of a garter belt would not allow for an eye crossing hook set.

Naw....... I use a limerick hook, as an old salty I'm sure you know what that is.

[Fishing Rhino]

Conventional wisdom has always said light lures for light bottom or daytime fishing and dark lures for dark bottom or night fishing. I have had a bit more success using very light (pearl) 24 hours a day. both fresh and saltwater, all the other colors in between IMO is just to get you to spend more $$.

Many times when bass fishing I change lures after each fish, when they are on they hit anything, including my mothers old garter belt.

Got any extra garter belts? I'd like to try 'em.

Do you rig 'em on a worm hook, jig head, shaky head, etc.?

I suspect a circle hook might work best since the stretch of a garter belt would not allow for an eye crossing hook set.

Naw....... I use a limerick hook, as an old salty I'm sure you know what that is.

Here's a salty limerick.

There once was a man from Nantucket.

Who kept all his cash in a bucket.

His daughter named Nan

Ran away with a man.

And as for the bucket, Nan tuck it.

[bigfruits]

does color matter? absolutely. but usually not.

there are days when they will bite any color and others when changing something as subtle as the color of the flake will trigger more strikes.

need proof? when the bite is slow and you finally find a bait theyre hitting, ask your buddy to tie on the same bait in a different color.

that being said, i usually only buy green pumpkin, watermelon and black for soft plastics.

white or smoke for bait fish imitating soft plastics.

[hookset on 3]

Hey Capt'n, How have you been?

The whole color theory is challenging, but exciting at the same time.

Like other BR members said; it is part of the puzzle, esspecially in water  that's like it came out of a faucet.

By the way, Fishing Rhino beats me with this Strike King color called coppertruese, every time we're fishin'.

[angler1]

In physics there is truth.

Color matters, mostly on or near the surface. As depth increases all colors fade to a sort of dull gray.

The variable is, do the bass want something bright or dull. Bright will be noticed from further off but can cause refusals when bass are not in an agressuive mood.

Reds and oranges are brightest early and late when the sun is low. Red also excites almost all predators. Green and yellow are brightest midday. Chartreuse is your brightest midday color. Green is exceptionally bright along a bank reflecting the green from the foliage. Black and white offer the greatest contrast.

Metal reflects its own color which is unnatural but very noticable to fish. Less agressive fish are turned off by metallic flash although the deeper you go the less alarmed the fish seem to be.

So my approach when fish shallow is to use a bright lure for the time of day first. Then I go to a contrasty lure, black and/or white and finally dull.

I agree.

[BassChaser57]

I had a day where we were catching a small buck bass on about every 4th cast on a watermelon red flake lizard, I ran out, switched to a watermelon pepper lizard, same brand, same size, and did NOT get a strike. My partner started melting some of the torn up watermelon red flake lizards back together, used them and started catching again.

Color of the flake sure made all the difference on that day.

[Blue Streak]

When it matters it really matters and I don't think any science or logic can explain it, but those who have fished long enough have expierenced it. It is what it is.

[South FLA]

Sometimes color makes a HUGE difference and others times it doesn't.  That being said I try tp use natural colors and transparent earth tone hues in ultra clear water and vivid or darker tones in dark water, but its never a rule!