Does The Trailer Have To Match The Jig?

[DFrench97]

As the question says, does the trailer have to match or be close to the color of the jig?

Thanks

[00 mod]

Nope.

 

Jeff

[ABW]

I usually like to match because my OCD hates it,but I guess you can try to mix colors.

[K_Mac]

I agree with Jeff. Sometimes something a little different is a good thing. I do have some color combinations that work for me. A red trailer on a black or green jig is a favorite.

[A-Jay]

I can't say for sure how or what a bass "sees".  Also, I have no reason to believe they see things like I do. 

 

So when selecting colors of any bait, trailer or otherwise, for me there are no rules - only what works.

 

The bass will let you know when you've gotten it right.

 

A-Jay

[smallieking]

it all depends on the jig and what you are doing with it. if you are fishing a white swimjig i would have to say youd have to throw some sort of white trailer. i like to flip trees with jigs and my go to is green pumpkin with a brown trailer for clear water and for dirty water i like a black jig with a blue trailer. but when flipping grass i found that the fish get really particular when it comes to the skirt color vs the trailer color. ive had amazing days throwing a purple jig with a brown trailer in grass. ive had days they wanted a red and black skirt with a green trailer... i like to mix it up and let the fish tell me what they want.

 

also a great tip is for smallmouth make sure the skirt and trailer matches. i jig fish alot for smallies and ive never caught one on a crazy color combination. 

[Snakehead Whisperer]

I've never had an issue with mixing colors. To date my most successful combos have a been black jig with chartreuse trailer (smallmouth killer) and a brown/blue jig with an orange pork rind. These are usually the first thing I'll throw if there's a jig bite.

 

I'm not even sure what a bass thinks it's eating when it hits a jig, all I do know is that they eat them.

[primetime]

Only if you want them to match....I like to contrast colors for visibility reasons at times, when I fished up north in clear water i always kept my colors and trailers natural and matching for the most part or I would use a brown jig with a watermelong trailer but that matches and is not way out of whack, but for smallmouth sometimes I would use a bright trailer almost like using a firetail worm, and I would try mixing up some oranges, white, or a trailer with alot  of metal flake for flash etc., In clear water I usually will stick to matching colors or natural I should say, but that is just my preference as their is truly no right or wrong way to do anything when it comes to color, I have been with people who do things I would never think about using and they are very effeciive because they have confidence in what they are using. One of my favorite colors for flippiing cover is black and blue or black and red with a green pumpkin or watermelon trailer, and it has worked well at times. I like to mess around with crawfish and sunfish coloring so browns, orange, greens, and then maybe something with purple or black, but I have done well with black and blue jig with rage craw in a green pumpkin or Dark Red color, I forget what they call it, same with a rodent. I know guys are getting into UV stuff now, and if  water is deep or stained, fish are only seeing a shadow, but I plan on experimenting with UV trailers as I have used them for years in saltwater and they are awesome, not sure why I never really messed around with them for Bass. I am a huge believer that giving a new look is important especially when you are fishing water that gets pounded by others. We all use the same colors for the most part, I know fish are seeing a black and blue jig all day long, but it works, but I have found changing the profile or color so it is completely different can really pay off, and when it does it does, sometimes you have to just trust your gut and hope it works out, sometimes it doesnt, but it never hurts to experiment. I like to go back over old bassmaster tournaments to see what the winning bait was and you will see colors like Tomato with chart flake and start to think to yourself, how did that guy have the confidence to try that worm when that much money was on the line? Only absolute in fishing is you can never say never, I have seen bubblegum worms be effective and some people still throw pink floating worms like it is their job in the spring and it works for them....Pink Sluggo is the only soft bait I use when I visit Long Island 2x a year for stiped bass fishing and we put UV gel on the pink sluggos both shallow and deep, for some reason pink is our most productive color. I bet other guys only use black and do just as good. I try to pick colors that make sense with water color, forrage base, and size of bait,  but for smallmouth, Orange and bright colors often used to be the best when I fished for them.

[HoosierHawgs]

To answer your question, absolutely not. Bass are partly colorblind, so color is not that big of a deal in my opinion. When you are fishing dirty water, contrasting jig and trailer can help highlight each other for visibility to the fish. If you are fishing clear water, try to match closely what the forage is. It is all about what you are doing. When it comes to fishing a football jig, I will often match both the skirt and trailer color to crawfish I find in the area. If you find one in a basses mouth with a different coloring, take a felt pen and make an on the spot color change. With a flipping jig, if in clear water, or green tint water, my favorite combo is an Okeechobee Craw Skirt matched w/ a black chunk w/chartreuse pinchers, which most wouldn't think matches, but it works. For swim jigs, I fish 3 combos. Black and Blue Skirt w/a black, blue, purple trailer, an Okeechobee Craw Skirt W/a green pumpkin or orange and blue trailer for imitating a bluegill, and a white skirt w/a pearl w/silver flake colored trailer for imitating shad.

[BasshunterJGH]

I usually like to match because my OCD hates it,but I guess you can try to mix colors.

Yep I love matching colors! The coolest combination I've found is a dirty jigs blackendblue with a roboworm kickin craw black grape trailer. They match perfect! They don't have to match though. 

[aavery2]

To answer your question, absolutely not. Bass are partly colorblind, so color is not that big of a deal in my opinion.

I am interested in why you believe bass are partially colorblind.

[Montanaro]

Clear water match

Murky or muddy you can contrast

[WRB]

Contrast in colors is usually the best bet with jig trailers, using 1of the skirt colors in the trailer.

Tom

[HoosierHawgs]

I am interested in why you believe bass are partially colorblind.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/75803-are-bass-color-blind/

[Diggy]

my socks dont even match

[Sam]

Nope.

 

Jeff

 

X2

[aavery2]

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/75803-are-bass-color-blind/

Good thread, RoLo is very knowledgeable.   I did not see any mention of bass being color blind however.  Can you point to a post or something that led you to that belief.

[Matthew2000]

Well if the color of the trailer does not matter then why does the color of the jig matter? Would you use a bright pink jig with yellow stripes ?

[HoosierHawgs]

This article talks about how they see some colors but not all. Says they cannot say blue/violet hues well, and says they can see greens and oranges extremely well. By definition if they cannot distinguish blue/violet it would make them colorblind. Also, water clarity and light play into their vision. All color is is light refractions.

http://www.bradwiegmann.com/fish-biology/39-fish-biologist/119-characteristics-of-largemouth-bass-vision.html

[aavery2]

Is this the part of the article that you are in reference to? 

"It is unknown how many cone types bass have, but similar freshwater fish are known to have two cone types.  This fact, coupled by some recent studies on bass, suggest that bass identify all of the colors we do, with the possible exception of blues and violets.  This research also indicates that bass seem to see shades of green, yellow, and orange exceptionally well."

 

I think you meant to say that color is the reflection of light, I believe refraction is a little different. 

[A-Jay]

Is this the part of the article that you are in reference to? 

"It is unknown how many cone types bass have, but similar freshwater fish are known to have two cone types.  This fact, coupled by some recent studies on bass, suggest that bass identify all of the colors we do, with the possible exception of blues and violets.  This research also indicates that bass seem to see shades of green, yellow, and orange exceptionally well."

 

I think you meant to say that color is the reflection of light, I believe refraction is a little different. 

 

Refraction, Defraction, Subfraction & Cofraction - I don't know what they call it, as long as there is no Math involved - I might still be able to follow this thread

 

 

A-Jay

[Raul]

Lemme see what The Good Book has to say in this matter ..... Nope, there ain't no commandment sayin' : "Thou shall always match the trailer color to the jig color " which pretty much means you can do whatever you want.

[aavery2]

Refraction, Defraction, Subfraction & Cofraction - I don't know what they call it, as long as there is no Math involved - I might still be able to follow this thread

 

 

A-Jay

Sorry man, back to the highly controversial topic of jig and trailer matching -  Yes or No.

[A-Jay]

Sorry man, back to the highly controversial topic of jig and trailer matching -  Yes or No.

 

 

 No need to be sorry - It's up to me to keep up

 

So I say let's go with Yes & No

 

 

A-Jay

[Bluebasser86]

 

 

also a great tip is for smallmouth make sure the skirt and trailer matches. i jig fish alot for smallies and ive never caught one on a crazy color combination. 

Hmmm, our smallies don't follow that rule at all!