Choosing color or bait on lake.

[MarcusTheFisherman]

Hey my name is marcus and i am having trouble catching fish on new lakes in georgia. I was wondering if there is a way to figure out what color or worm or baits to use based on the conditions of the lake such as water color and lake layout.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Simplify your choices. Color is not as important as action.

I have limited myself to basically two colors for plastics for the past couple years on an experiment. Green (dark) and Black. The muddier the water the more I lean towards black. The clearer the water the more I lean towards green.

The experiment has been a success and all I carry now are basically those two colors with a few other seasonal colors thrown in the mix.

[T-rig]

I almost only use dark colors. Green, black, brown and these colors seem to work everywhere.

There are times that i use some other colors like, baby bass or white usually when fish are more agressive.

[Shakes]

Always, always, always, always start with a spinnerbait. Based on water clarity, here are the best options:

Clear Water - White or Translucent Skirt, Double Willow blades in silver

Lightly Stained - White or White/Chartruese Skirt, Tandem Willow, silver colorado, gold willow

Heavily Stained - Chartruese Skirt, #3 colorado, #6 indiana, both gold

Dirty - Firetiger Skirt, double gold colorados, or colorado/indiana combination.

Silver puts off a much more natural flash then gold blades, which makes it best for clear water. The clearer the water, the faster you reel the bait.

Gold blades put off a much more intense flash, and are best for stained to dirty water.

Good luck buddy. Happy fishing.

- Aaron

[MarcusTheFisherman]

Hey thanks alot guys. That was some helpful information .

[bassboy1]

What part of GA ya from?  Up here at Allatoona, I hear they are busting different pearl shades of senkos.

[MarcusTheFisherman]

i live in loganville but i've fished there before. I am fishing at oconee and jackson most of the time but the fish in the small ponds and lakes around my house seem harder to catch so thats why i was wondering.

[roadwarrior]

Simplify your choices. Color is not as important as action.

I have limited myself to basically two colors for plastics for the past couple years on an experiment. Green (dark) and Black. The muddier the water the more I lean towards black. The clearer the water the more I lean towards green.

The experiment has been a success and all I carry now are basically those two colors with a few other seasonal colors thrown in the mix.

I actually fish a few other colors, but watermelon with black flakes could probably cover it all. Black with red flakes is color specific on a couple of lakes and some variation of white seems special sometimes.

That said, color is WAY overrated.

[Brad_Coovert]

You can live with three colors for most plastics - watermelon (clear water), green pumpkin (stained) and black (dirty or night).  

For baits like soft jerkbaits, Senkos or other baits that you may fish in the upper water column, a baitfish color such as white pearl will do the job in most waters.

For a changeup, carry a bottle of chartreuse dye to dip tails in to give the fish a different look now and then.

For spinnerbaits, you could easily get away with white in double willow in clearer water, white/chartreuse willow/colorado in stained water and chartreuse colorado in muddy water.

Crankbaits - shad, chrome, chartreuse and crawdad patterns will do it.

Topwaters - baitfish colors.

Buzzbaits - Black and white.

These are basic colors that will work under most any condition.

It takes discipline to do live with a handful of colors, which I do not have  :-[.  Plus the bait monkey is a color nut as well.  

Still, color is not the first factor.  Depth, speed, action and size are more important.

Good luck!

Brad