Sexy Lavender Shad bbz 1, is this a good color?

[Carrington]

I am just wondering if for the 6 inch bbz swimbait is sexy lavender shad a good color for smith mountain lake, if not then what is a better color?

[Marty]

Don't know anything about that lure or that lake, but I'd be confident that it'd be an outstanding color if you drag it past a bass at the right time. 

[ichigo]

try to get baby bbz1 or micro its better size

[OHIO]

try to get baby bbz1 or micro its better size

Matter of opinion...

[Carrington]

the baby looks to small.

[gobig]

Please do not take this the wrong way. But if you guys spent half as much time on boat position and the proper angle of the cast as you do focused on color, you would catch a lot more big fish.

[Carrington]

Please do not take this the wrong way. But if you guys spent half as much time on boat position and the proper angle of the cast as you do focused on color, you would catch a lot more big fish.

um this is true for certain occasions but alot of times color matters a bunch.  I have been in many tournaments where i won due to the color i was fishing.  You can believe what you want but color matters, if it didnt then there would only be one color.

[gobig]

"Everything matters, yet nothing matters." From what I have learned in my experience color might make up ten percent of the equation. At times it can be the single most critical thing. More often than not it has little bearing.

You want big things to happen with swimbaits? Learn how to probe the water column (top, middle, bottom) fishing key locations (points, ridges, humps, flats and creek channels) with precision casts to pin point locations (spot with in the spot) at the right angle creating a funnel into an ambush point. Learn to sell the illusion. Create the strike zone.

[Carrington]

i already know how to do most of that.

[J Francho]

So you've got boat positioning and locations down, understand selling the bait, and have won several tournaments based on a dialed in color pattern.  The BBZ-1 Jr. comes in four colors.  I'm sure you can find one that would work.  Personally, I've  only fished SML a few times, in spring.  That doesn't really matter though, because I'd be throwing Rainbow Trout or Blue Herring, where ever I was fishing.  A better question might be about sink rate.

[Carrington]

ya, J i was looking at the slow sink because i think that would cover more of the fish, but the blue herring did look good and i was considering that possible over the shad color.

[brushhoggin]

Sorry to hijack, but how do people know that bass bite cause you switched colors? How do you know you just weren't throwing in the right spot, or the fish weren't there coincidentally till you changed colors. Same with changing lures. If you throw a spinnerbait without a bite, and change to a shakeyhead and get bit, was it because you changed lures, or because a few bass showed up?

[Carrington]

well in fall/spring you can do alot more pattern fishing so when you are doing that you know the areas where the fish should be and if they dont bite then thats not the lure they want or the color they want.  In winter/Summer its more of spots that work and you already know fish are on these so called spots and if they dont bite you have to change upthe lure also.

[Marty]

um this is true for certain occasions but alot of times color matters a bunch.  I have been in many tournaments where i won due to the color i was fishing.  You can believe what you want but color matters, if it didnt then there would only be one color.

That's not true. The lure manufacturing industry is heavily invested in convincing us that color is critical so that you'll buy numerous colors of the same lure, thinking that you need just the right nuance of color for a given situation.

Color matters to the fishermen more than fish. Science has shown us that fish don't see the details and the differences that we do.

[Carrington]

marty if color does not matter then why does a chart color work better in stained water then a natural color does?  in my book color is up there, i figure out colors based on water clarity alot of times and i think the fish do notice subtle changes.

[J Francho]

With swimbaits, especially with slow presentations, realism is key most of the time.  While I don't think actual color is that big a deal most of the time, when it is, it really is.  But, this is about color recommendations for SML, not a debate on fishing skills or whether color matters.

Let's stay on point. 

[brushhoggin]

marty if color does not matter then why does a chart color work better in stained water then a natural color does? in my book color is up there, i figure out colors based on water clarity alot of times and i think the fish do notice subtle changes.

because its the contrast that catches their eye. to me, dark lures in murky waters work best for me. its all about catching their eye. not saying chartreuse doesnt work in murky waters. whether they bite or not depends if theyre biting, not whether or not they like the colors.

[Marty]

marty if color does not matter then why does a chart color work better in stained water then a natural color does? in my book color is up there, i figure out colors based on water clarity alot of times and i think the fish do notice subtle changes.

Color's no different than any other aspect of fishing in that there are a variety of opinions. Bring up a subject, say, about a rod, and it's great, it stinks, and the person asking has to evaluate the various responses.

As to the stained water question, I could tell you about my success in the extremely murky Erie Canal with a muted, natural color, non-rattling Shad Rap. But it doesn't matter, we all have our theories and we have to fish in the ways that give us confidence.

That's why there are a gazillion permutations and combinations of lure sizes, shapes, styles, colors, etc., all of which work great for some segment of the fishing population. There are few proven facts, but we all have our opinions which we give on these forums.

[J Francho]

Sorry to hijack, but how do people know that bass bite cause you switched colors? How do you know you just weren't throwing in the right spot, or the fish weren't there coincidentally till you changed colors. Same with changing lures. If you throw a spinnerbait without a bite, and change to a shakeyhead and get bit, was it because you changed lures, or because a few bass showed up?

You don't know for sure 100%, but if you have two anglers in the boat, throwing the exact same bait, in two different dolors, and one is getting bit while the other isn't, you can change to the color getting bit, and produce.  To further prove this, you can have the angler getting bit change to the color not producing, and see what happens.  I've experienced this many times during practice and tournament fishing from the back of the boat.  It literally pays to pay attention.

I'd put money down on most guys that say color doesn't matter, do not fish clear lakes often.  By clear, I'm talking 10+ feet of visibility.  True, contrast, or general vicinity on pattern often gets bit.  But if you have found the fish, and found what baits they will bite, its time to play with color.  On some lakes, color can even select for species.  The wrong color can mean tons of pickerel or northerns on lakes like Oneida and Cayuga.

Again, its important to be in the ballpark, but color is the last thing I start experimenting with, unless I'm REALLY desperate for a bite, LOL.

[=Matt 5.0=]

For my money, all I need is a Yellow Perch pattern and some kind of trout. Fortunately the BBZ comes in Rainbow trout and I have been slaying bass all year with it. Just me.

[J Francho]

For my money, all I need is a Yellow Perch pattern and some kind of trout. Fortunately the BBZ comes in Rainbow trout and I have been slaying bass all year with it. Just me.

Uhhhh... not just you! 

[=Matt 5.0=]

For my money, all I need is a Yellow Perch pattern and some kind of trout. Fortunately the BBZ comes in Rainbow trout and I have been slaying bass all year with it. Just me.

Uhhhh... not just you!

Fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine.... 

[Primus]

J Francho I absolutely agree with you on the importance of color especially in clear water.

One of the lakes by my house I do very well in summer on deep diving cranks. I have precise casting angles that I line up and a Bandit 700 series has been putting very nice fish in the boat with the  Chrome Bluegill color. When I make the same cast with the same bait but a different color the bites go way down if they even hit it at all. I've tried different colors on this lake more than once and the Bluegill pattern consistently gets bit when there is a crankbait bite. How do the color doesn't matter guys explain that?

Also, just started fishing the 6" Spro BBZ. I started fishing my first one a few weeks ago in the Perch color slow sink and have been very impressed. Just  added the Floater Lavender Shad. Good swimbaits for a reasonable price.

[Carrington]

thank you primus for your imput on the color of the swimbait and also thankyou for backing up my point that color does in fact matter.

[Primus]

Please repost with your observations on the 6" Spro BBZ or any other swimbaits that work out well for you. If I remember correctly Skeet Reese did well on a 6" Rago in the light Hitch color on a B.A.S.S tournament earlier this year.

It looks like the Blue Herring in the Spro line would be the closest, however the Lavender Shad looks like it would be a good one on overcast days for clear water lakes. If it's not breaking the bank I would get one of each plus 1 or 2 of the Ragos. Good Luck.