Jig Colors Why Do We Limit Ourselves?

[bigbill]

Since I fish with just about ever color in crankbaits and have had success. My question is why do we limit ourselves to certain jig colors? Doesn't the same color rules that apply to the different water conditions with using crankbaits also apply to the color of the jigs were using too? Why are we limited?

Clear water it's natural colors fished faster, in stained water it's a combination of natural & bright colors fished slower, in muddy water it's the brightest colors fished the slowest. Doesn't this also apply to jigs too? Or do the rules and standards change when we use jigs. It's it we've always done it this way so we keep on doing it this way over and over without making changes. I don't understand why we limit our jig colors. Don't we read the water conditions when using jigs?

 

Has anyone purchased the newly developed color selector yet? This would be very interesting when lowered to the bottom to see what color it would choose.

[Catt]

Why limit yourself by using natural colors in clear water & brighter colors in stained?

I throw it & let the bass tell what they like

[shimmy]

Since I fish with just about ever color in crankbaits and have had success. My question is why do we limit ourselves to certain jig colors? Doesn't the same color rules that apply to the different water conditions with using crankbaits also apply to the color of the jigs were using too? Why are we limited?

Clear water it's natural colors fished faster, in stained water it's a combination of natural & bright colors fished slower, in muddy water it's the brightest colors fished the slowest. Doesn't this also apply to jigs too? Or do the rules and standards change when we use jigs. It's it we've always done it this way so we keep on doing it this way over and over without making changes. I don't understand why we limit our jig colors. Don't we read the water conditions when using jigs?

 

Has anyone purchased the newly developed color selector yet? This would be very interesting when lowered to the bottom to see what color it would choose.

 

People don't limit themselves with colors of jigs. Not sure where this assumption is coming from. 

[WRB]

If you polled what color traditional jigs the members on this site use the overwhelming choice has been black-blue and green pumpkin. A few others colors are starting to be popular PB &J (brown &purple) and Texas Craw (reddish brown). Black with blue, neon or standard, is by far the most popular seller across the country. The "if it ain't broke, why fix it" thinking leads to getting stuck in a rut. So go for it and experiment with color combinations, you never know until you give it a try.

Tom

[ww2farmer]

Because color is way WAY down the list of things important to me. If fish are biting jigs hot and heavy , they WILL bite any color. I chose my colors on what gets bit when it's a tough bite, and black/blue, green pumpkin always come through. Not to sound rude, condescending, or arrogant, but IMHO people who think color matters first just don't get it.

[Comfortably Numb]

And to say there is not alot of color choices in jigs is crazy. Plenty to choose from.

 

Or are you saying that people only use certain colors of all those choices such as green pumpkin and black and blue?

 

I agree with WW2. Color is not that important to me.

[KDW96]

I have 4 colors blk/blu;grnpumkin;brown;light brown. Ive used these same colors for 30years. One of them have always produced when i was fishin a jig. No need to have a bunch of boxes with 50 different colors.At least i dont anyways.

[roadwarrior]

I carry a wide range of colors and combinations. All of them work some of the time,

but black & blue works all the time. I prefer PBJ and Falcon Lake, but that's not always

the best choice.

[WRB]

Back when I started jig fishing the color was black, late 50's. late 60's vinyl jig skirts came out in black, brown and purple, then combinations having 2 colors including blue combined with black, brown or purple....choices.

I experimented with all the color combinations and by the early 70's settled on making my own hair jigs with black, brown and purple combination that worked good everywhere I fished across the country so named it " anytime anywhere". 45 years the "anytime anywhere" color is still catching bass for me. Talk about being in a rut!

During the 80's and 90's silicone skirts become available and agian I started buying interesting looking skirt materials and soon had dozens of combinations to try out. Let me warn you there isn't a limitation to colors with silicone skirts. Caught lots of average size bass on a wide variety of color combos, however only a few worked consistantly, so I adopted a few new colors to use along with a few hair and living rubber jigs colors.

If you don't give it a try, you will never discover your own "anytime anywhere" color.

Tom

[dreamertino]

With me I honestly cannot afford to have multiples of 20 different colors on jigs.

[roadwarrior]

With me I honestly cannot afford to have multiples of 20 different colors on jigs.

Okay...

 

Black with a blue trailer

Black & blue with a blue trailer

PBJ with a purple trailer

Green Pumpkin/ GP trailer

 

I PROMISE, this is all you REALLY need..

[dreamertino]

Okay...

 

Black with a blue trailer

Black & blue with a blue trailer

PBJ with a purple trailer

Green Pumpkin/ GP trailer

 

I PROMISE, this is all you REALLY need..

No I was saying that that was the reason that I dont have 20 different colors. I have all of those colors and that's about it. All of my jig fish cave been caught on black and blue

[pbizzle]

With me I honestly cannot afford to have multiples of 20 different colors on jigs.

I'm in the same boat. I only like to have what's working not any extras, that's why I only keep brownish green colors and black and blues. There's no reason for anything else. I honestly think that since your trailer is what has the action, that's what I should focus on. 

[Raul]

Any color is fine as long as it´s black ............oh well, just for the sake of ther argument: black & blue, black & chart, black & Brown, black & red.

 

As for the color selector BB, there was a ton of research in the device, it wasn´t something just came out with, the Achilles tendon of it wasn´t telling you what color the bass could see at X depth, with X water clarity under X lighting conditions, the problema was that one thing is what color the fish can see, it was what color the fish prefer to bite, both, what they can see and what they will bite are not mutually inclusive.

 

I still own one of the first Color C-Lector units, I inherited it from a friend after he passed away, in practical terms the unit is brand new, the only reason why it hasn´t been thrown into the trash is that it has sentimental value. We did use it for a while but we didn´t find any difference in the catch ratio after selecting baits with the colors the unit selected vs baits selected by personal preference.

[mjseverson24]

I Dont think color has as much to do with success as fall rate, vibration, and sound. after these three I will decide on a color. either brown/ green or black they all work. I prefer natural colors...

 

Mitch

[mnbassman23]

Jig fishing is like anything, you can make it as simple or complex as you'd like. Sure you can go out most days with a 1/2oz black and blue or green pumpkin jig and catch fish but there are plenty of days were adjusting things like color, fall rate, trailer type, etc can make a decent day into a great day. You don't need a lot of colors to be successful, but having the right colors for your area is what's important.

 

Sometimes it's nice to experiment with new colors here and there, you just may stumble upon a hidden gem that no one knows about. I have a color from Northstars line up thats "different" but during early spring and fall it flat out produces for me. It's one of those feast or famine colors, but it tends to get me one of my largiest fish each year.

[Deleted account]

I limit myself on crankbaits as much as I do with jigs, dark, natural, light. The end. The one exception is in really clear water when they are chomping crayfish. I want to be as close as the bugs as I can, and when I find one in a fishes mouth, I get all giddy, and go to town on 'em. Now if they'd only stay one color all year long, I'd be set.

[Brian Needham]

I carry 3 colors, 3 weights...... I don't want to have to worry about "what if I tried this color", so I limit myself to 3.

 

3 colors of jigs

4 colors of worms

2 maybe 3 of cranks

2 color spinnerbait

 

I like to keep it simple and not second guess myself.

[Bluebasser86]

Color doesn't make a bit of difference if it isn't in front of a fish. I'm way more concerned about being around fish than I am about color of my jig. I have lots of different colors, because I tie my own. Most of those colors are very specialized to a certain body of water and what those fish seem to favor. A vast majority of the time I fish the same 4-6 different colors and get by just fine. 

[Got1Fishing]

Because color is way WAY down the list of things important to me. If fish are biting jigs hot and heavy , they WILL bite any color. I chose my colors on what gets bit when it's a tough bite, and black/blue, green pumpkin always come through. Not to sound rude, condescending, or arrogant, but IMHO people who think color matters first just don't get it.

 

I agree with ww2farmer, I once read an article that said that bass will bite any color really, but because consumers demand more colors options, they provide more color options. Really think about it... do you think that bass is going to sit there and check if your crank has gills? Eyes? Breathing? No... Choose colors that you have confidence in, and more importantly, choose the baits the fish want! 

[bigbill]

Dr Loren Hill of Ok unv. Proved the bass can only see certain colors sometimes due to the water and light conditions. That's when he invented his color c lector and his combo c lector. When I tested this tool for a few days in the same exact spot at the sametime. I found on certain days the color didn't matter. When the color did matter it was red, or brown, or green that caught fish. One single color caught fish at that time when no other color worked. Seeing the results of my tests has taught me to throw a selection of different colors till I get action.(crankbaits) now with jig colors why should it be any different. If the fish aren't hitting

one color we switch to another. But if we read the water condition and it's muddy by the rules We should use a brighter color. This is why I asked Siebert Outdoors if he could make me jigs in chartreuse and some in red. I haven't gone out and proved these brighter colors work yet but my gut feeling is they will work in 

muddy water. My point is why do some limit themselves to certain colors?

I have caught bass on every bomber lure color so far. On my last trip out it was slow and borderline stained/ muddy water. I threw a citrus shad color and had success. Now what about a chartreuse jig in these water conditions. I feel one color may catch a few fish while picking the correct color could load the boat. It's matching the correct color to the water and light conditions.  Bigbill

[Catt]

I've seen times when it did not matter what color I throw it caught, I even changed color & continued catching.

I've seen times when if I were not throwing a specific color I would not get bit period.

I seen times when I had to constantly change colors to get bit.

All this while using a color selector, so I gave it away.

[Fishes in trees]

I remember reading/researching/wondering about this subject quite a bit when the Color-c-lector first hit the market.  I was working in a fishing tackle store at the time and a regional tackle rep loaned me a Combo-c-lector.  I didn't return it for several months.  I remember the tackle rep was probably more enthused about the ph function of the unit.  I remember that it was very easy for the ph calibration  to go "off" and it was a genuine pain to recalibrate the unit.  When I say off, I mean that you could stick the probe in a glass of orange juice and you'd get a ph reading of 7.  It quickly became more trouble than it was worth.  I still think that Loren Hills work about ph-clines compared to thermoclines was/is valid.

I think that all things being equal, bass will seek out the most comfortable ph level available.  All things aren't always equal.  I'd like to have a sturdy, hard to screw up, ph meter, where I could check ph levels at different depths from time to time.  For me to use it, it would have to be as easy to use as a secchi disc.

 

Now, about the color part of the color-c-lector.  Basically, it is just a waterproof light meter.  Loren Hill never could prove what colors fish would bite the best.  He could only prove what colors fish could see the best.   Not the same thing.

 

As a practical matter, using the color-c-lector was a pain.  You could drop the probe into 6'deep weeds, at 9 am, on a sunny day and get one color.    Half an hour later, cloudier skies, drop the probe in the same place and get a different color.   Move to the edge of the weed line, get a different color.  Move 50 feet down the same weed line and get a different color.  Limestone bottoms read different from sand bottoms which read different from clay or gravel bottoms.  Time of day made a difference.  Water clarity made a difference.    Every single ambient light variable that you could think of made a difference, sometimes significant, sometimes not.  It wasn't always predictable.  Meanwhile, day in and day out, my two best baits were a black/brown split tail eel and a green/white spotted pork frog.  The color-c-lector very seldom told me to use black & brown or green & white.  All of my combo-c-lector experiences took place in Central Missouri, on strip pits, small to medium sized ponds and small to medium sized conservation lakes in and around Columbia, MO.

 

I can't say my experiences would be duplicated elsewhere around the country, but I can't say that they wouldn't be either.  I think that as a practical matter, you are better off using other methods to choose what color.   Close your eyes, reach into your worm bag and pick one would be just as reliable.  I've still got my combo-c-lector but it has been several years since it has gotten wet.

 

 

I think all of that 80's color/ph research was interesting, but for everyday fishing, the info needs a better delivery system to make it worth your time.

 

Oh, sorry, I digressed and didn't answer the question.  The reason I limit myself somewhat in color selection is because it is just easier.  Just pick a color, based primarily on  prior experiences and go with it. If that don't work, then pick another one.  Me, I've got to throw a color for at least half an hour before I'm convinced that it isn't working.   Also, I think that the reason any particular color doesn't work is because I didn't put it close enough in front of a fish.  So basically, my answer is  "I dunno. . . ."

[Brian Needham]

I would challenge anyone to say a man couldnt get by with:

 

black and blue

Green Pumpkin(with Orange IMO)

PBJ

that covers muddy, stained, and clear water.

I know some lakes have that special color, but for the starting jig fisherman, those 3 cover it all.

 

if you want more, get more, but I think it is kinda a waste. It is my strong feeling if they will not bite one of those 3 colors, they just aint biting jigs that day.

[ww2farmer]

I would challenge anyone to say a man couldnt get by with:

 

black and blue

Green Pumpkin(with Orange IMO)

PBJ

that covers muddy, stained, and clear water.

I know some lakes have that special color, but for the starting jig fisherman, those 3 cover it all.

 

if you want more, get more, but I think it is kinda a waste. It is my strong feeling if they will not bite one of those 3 colors, they just aint biting jigs that day.

Well said.