Jig Colors Why Do We Limit Ourselves?

[Hattrick7]

Intersting topic. I've wondered if all the colors made a difference. I'm a beginning jig guy so I'm on the right track with the colors I'm using.

It almost seems like all the other colors out is maybe for us than for the fish.

[Jrob78]

It almost seems like all the other colors out is maybe for us than for the fish.

The quicker new bass fishermen learn this, the better off they'll be.  

[bigbill]

Since the bite can slow down at times it could be a color change as to why it happens. If this happens with crankbaits and inline spinners why not with jigs too. 

 

I read somewhere that KVD has a combo c lector for tough days on the water. I purchased a few combo c electors and my last purchase was still brand new never used yet. I been collecting them. I have both the color c LECTOR and the combo c LECTOR too. I just find it a piece of fishing history.  It did pick the correct color for that time to catch fish when no other color worked. There were days that all the colors worked too.

I've seen the frenzy bite be so intense I'd bet they would bite a bare hook. And other times we couldn't buy a bite. I wonder how the new color c LECTOR compares to the older one. If using it can turn around a tough day of fishing than I guess it's worth it. What little time I did test it, the color it picked did work. But I was focusing more and more and being hooked more into bass fishing I was looking for something to expand my knowledge more and faster. Nothing beats the time we spend bass fishing. It is an interesting piece of equipment.    

[Jaiden]

I limit because I like to keep it simple. Watermelon in clear water, green pumpkin in stained, black and blue in muddy water. I experiment with trailers and presentation, not color.

[J Francho]

Let's assume you've got everything down - location, presentation, and biting fish.  Most of the time, color doesn't matter.  When it does, it really matters. So often though, I see an angler change color, and think that was the key to getting bit. Often though, it's some other aspect they inadvertently changed, like location or presentation - like fishing a different spot, or picking a jig that falls or behaves differently.  Sometimes it's simply a confidence thing.  When you suddenly gain confidence, you detect bites that you might have missed, maybe while thinking of another part of the equation, like moving or changing jig color.

[ww2farmer]

  Most of the time, color doesn't matter.  When it does, it really matters.

 I see you say this often...........and I don't know if I agree, or not. I guess it depends on the context. To me color only matters when talking about picking one that will get more bites based on the conditions, and I keep that selection simple too.

[J Francho]

 I see you say this often...........and I don't know if I agree, or not. I guess it depends on the context. To me color only matters when talking about picking one that will get more bites based on the conditions, and I keep that selection simple too.

 

I honestly don't know the context, other than there have been days that a certain color just gets bit, and I'm not just referring to jigs.  I carry just a few colors of jigs.  If I could narrow the context down, I could probably be a much better fisherman.  It could be something else changed, or the timing.  I will say this - it's almost always a white or red bait that turns things around.  And yeah, I've switched back, and remarkably or coincidentally, depending on your thinking, the bite sours.  Switch back, bite back on.  One thing I noticed where this turns up more - water clarity is usually pretty good all the time. 

 

Now, if we're talking trout, this does become a color game.  But that's for another forum, not bass.

[Catt]

Jigs imitate crawfish which are black, brown, blue, white, green, orange, red & combinations there of.

[basscatcher8]

I'm one of the ones that carry the 3 main ones. Black/Blue, Greenpumpkin, White. The black and blue stays on the bottom and the green pumpkin and white is either on the bottom or ran like a spinnerbait. I've always read that in a basses mind if its on the ground its a craw fish if its swimming its a bait fish. Kinda just subscribing to the keep it simple stupid. When I'm making my own skirts I will make some of the different ones but mostly to catch fisherman rather than fish.

[roadwarrior]

Well, I used to think color was way overrated, but consider this from a onversation with Big O: 

 

When the fishing is good with just about any color, it might be BETTER with the right color!

 

If you are just fishing for fun and the bite is on, that's a great time to try different colors

and/ or baits and lures.

[Creekcrappie]

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.

This

[Creekcrappie]

I am a 3 color base guy. Pb and j, green pumpkin and black and blue. I experiment with trailer colors a bit more that base colors. But you still have to put the lure in front of the fish.

[RoLo]

This question naturally leads to the next question: "Does color REALLY matter?"

The kinship between Color and Confidence is unarguable, but does it really matter to 'bass'?

As it happens, it really doesn't matter what bass prefer, because fishermen support the lure industry,

while bass get every lure for free  ;-) 

 

I've alway believed that color is important inasmuch as it enhances 'lure visibility',

but once your lure is noticed, the importance of color falls through the cracks.

When in doubt go darker, because dark colors usually provide greater contrast.

 

Roger

[michael68w]

Im kinda new to the jig fishing scene but the colors schemes that seem to work for me are the pretty standard colors:Browns and purples (pb&J and brown/purple flash) ANY variation of green pumpkin with my favorite being with blue flake. Then just plain old black with some purple, blue , or red flake. Im not real sure how important color is but i have seen some really wild custom jig colors especially some of elk rivers color patterns. I just pick the colors i have confidence in and 9.9 times out of 10 it winds up being some variation of what i posted i guess but hey more power to the guy who can go slam them on a bubblegum colored jig lol

[Mainebass1984]

Its very interesting to hear everyone's opinion on jigs. I myself am a jig fisherman and have caught most of my biggest bass on jigs. I limit myself to a black, brown/orange and green pumpkin jig.  I purposely do not fish a black and blue jig because everyone else does.  Some of the lakes I fish get a ton of fishing pressure and everyone fishes a black and blue jig. I like to fish something just a little bit different then what they are used to seeing. It has worked wonderfully so far. I think most of the time color doesn't matter that much. There are times though when it makes a world of difference. A couple springs ago I was fishing 6-8 foot of water that had a clay bank along shore. I was catching bass every now and then. One of the fish I caught spit up a brown and orange crawfish. I switched from a black jig to a brown/orange jig and started catching fish every other cast. The color change turned the slow bite into the best bass fishing day I have ever had. I took a friend back to that spot the very next day. He wanted to throw a black jig and would not change to the color I was using. The orange/brown jig was out fishing the black jig 5 to 1.  It became apparent to me exactly why those fish were feeding so hard at that spot at the time of year. During a certain time in the spring the crawfish would come out of there winter burrows, they make there burrows in clay banks. The bass were there waiting for them and didn't leave for 2 weeks. Those bass were so keyed in on that color it was unbelievable. There are so many different ways to fish a jig and so may different set ups to use. In the end I think it is all about what you have the most confidence in.

[cajunpapi]

I CAN NOT SPEAK FOR OTHERS BUT FOR ME , I LIMIT MYSELF BECAUSE OF SPACE ,MONEY AND KEEPING MY LIFE SIMPLE . DON'T GIVE ME SO MANY CHOICES . DON'T NEED EM.  THREE COLORS WORK AND THREE EACH DO NOT COST MUCH OR TAKE UP MUCH ROOM .EASY TO KEEP UP WITH AND DECIDE WHICH ONE TO USE. K.I.S.S.

[Jrob78]

I CAN NOT SPEAK FOR OTHERS BUT FOR ME , I LIMIT MYSELF BECAUSE OF SPACE ,MONEY AND KEEPING MY LIFE SIMPLE . DON'T GIVE ME SO MANY CHOICES . DON'T NEED EM.  THREE COLORS WORK AND THREE EACH DO NOT COST MUCH OR TAKE UP MUCH ROOM .EASY TO KEEP UP WITH AND DECIDE WHICH ONE TO USE. K.I.S.S.

Why are you yelling??

[WRB]

JF said it best, color doesn't matter, when it does it really matters !

Bass can be very color selective at times and when they want a specific color that is all they will strike, soft plastics, jigs etc. if you only fish black-blue or green pumpkin and the bass eating brown-red, you are fishing and not catching.

Tom

[Montanaro]

color isnt my main fishinv factor. but it is a factor. i punched a hole for 30 plus minutes with a dbomb in junebug without a strike. i switched to two tone candy grass and it was on! same hole same presentation but slightly different color.

[Brian Needham]

JF said it best, color doesn't matter, when it does it really matters !

Bass can be very color selective at times and when they want a specific color that is all they will strike, soft plastics, jigs etc. if you only fish black-blue or green pumpkin and the bass eating brown-red, you are fishing and not catching.

Tom

 

 

color isnt my main fishinv factor. but it is a factor. i punched a hole for 30 plus minutes with a dbomb in junebug without a strike. i switched to two tone candy grass and it was on! same hole same presentation but slightly different color.

 

 

 

these are two really good instances............ WRB, is correct.... but I don't need in a red/brown in my area as the crayfish are more green pumpkin with orange.

 

to the same, I would say the green candy just matched the forage they were eating that day.

 

cant throw black when they are looking for green (in general, for the most Part)

[0119]

Matching color hue has always been important to me. I've found success with it and doing so gives me confidence. Most commercial colors don't imitate the strange exotic forage found in south Fl. Like tilapia, sand bream and cichlids. If I jig fish its almost always a hair jig that i tie myself in color combos imitating them using EP or Congo hair, sometimes mixed with Steve Farrer and bucktail. I'll do the same mixing different rubber skirt material. I think you should always have the colors that give you confidence. Its natural to always fish better or a little harder when you do.