When Color Matters!

[kingmotorboat]

So my question is this. How long do you stick with a particular color before you change?

[Cgolf]

Gut feel based on past experiences. Sometimes 20 or 30 minutes and sometimes a lot less. Just try to take the conditions into account and go from their, because sometimes you can get caught in a transition period. One thing I tried some last year was a double up rig with two different colored tubes to see what they wanted. I was pleasantly surprised that bass would hit the rig even in clear water helping me figure out which color to throw.

[kingmotorboat]

Gut feel based on past experiences. Sometimes 20 or 30 minutes and sometimes a lot less. Just try to take the conditions into account and go from their, because sometimes you can get caught in a transition period. One thing I tried some last year was a double up rig with two different colored tubes to see what they wanted. I was pleasantly surprised that bass would hit the rig even in clear water helping me figure out which color to throw.

Interesting. Yesterday we fished all day with certain clear water clear sky colors. Never got a nibble. Switched to dark colors. Still nothing. As that was happening I was wondering about that

[Cgolf]

Interesting. Yesterday we fished all day with certain clear water clear sky colors. Never got a nibble. Switched to dark colors. Still nothing. As that was happening I was wondering about that

Clear water is tough, I generally fish it one week a year fourteen plus hours a day and still can only figure out the basics. Sometimes it is a soft bait bite and only certain colors and presentations. Sometimes if is a spinnerbait bite when I score high double figures one year to come back the next and not be able to buy a pattern on one. Last year was a squarebill bite, and about the only predictable thing that happened was I needed to switch from an aggressive squarebill to a subtle one after a front moved through. I fully expect this bite to not be there this year.

Moral to the story if you know fish are there, throw the kitchen sink at them, these fish can be insanely picky at times. In these scenarios I may toss 2 or 3 baits at a spot before moving on. It is possible to pattern the fish if you fish often, but even weekend to weekend I could see being really tough.

[kingmotorboat]

Clear water is tough, I generally fish it one week a year fourteen plus hours a day and still can only figure out the basics. Sometimes it is a soft bait bite and only certain colors and presentations. Sometimes if is a spinnerbait bite when I score high double figures one year to come back the next and not be able to buy a pattern on one. Last year was a squarebill bite, and about the only predictable thing that happened was I needed to switch from an aggressive squarebill to a subtle one after a front moved through. I fully expect this bite to not be there this year.

Moral to the story if you know fish are there, throw the kitchen sink at them, these fish can be insanely picky at times. In these scenarios I may toss 2 or 3 baits at a spot before moving on. It is possible to pattern the fish if you fish often, but even weekend to weekend I could see being really tough.

Great post and very helpful to me next time I'll go through my tackle box lol

[Bluebasser86]

I smoked my boater at LOZ in a BASS weekend series tournament. Both fishing the same size shakyheads with Zoom Trick worms. He was using green pumpkin, I was using green pumpkin/red flake. I caught 8 keepers, he caught 3. Most of the time I don't feel like color is of huge importance, but obviously sometimes it does. 

[bigbill]

Bait colors I'm a color freak, the bass made me this way. Before I got into bass fishing I was a few months a year a trout only guy.

We started bass fishing my two sons got into it too.

I lived, breathed, ate, slept, dreamed about bass fishing. I was spending $50++ on live bait. I have some new bass lures but never tried them yet. As I reeled in a night crawler it got strikes all the way in.

I figured it out the bass want something moving. There telling me that by the strikes. I put on a mepps #3 anglia and started catching bass after bass. I had the mepps bass assortment so I let my son use one too. He used the #3 red white blade while I used the silver blade both are dressed. We caught bass after bass, doubles after doubles. The mepps inline spinner was a amusement ride and all the bass wanted a ride. Blade color didn't matter. I started doing research more and more looking to learn more to feed my hunger for bass fishing. I picked up a Combo-C-lector. You drop a probe in the water and it tells us what color the bass can see. The PH and water temp. Sounds silly but I need to test this out. It chose red and only red worked, another day it chose green when no other color worked, another day any color worked, another day only brown worked. This color tool worked. I tested it in the same exact spot at the same time. I read where KVD Has one in his boat for tough days. Ok I'm hungry to learn more about this color thing. I read some of Dr Loren Hill's ten year research into the bass seeing different colors.

The sunlite, the hues in the water, the plankton, the water conditions can change what colors the bass can see at that time. There eyes aren't like ours they don't see all the colors all the time.

But other times they do see all the colors at that moment.

Water and light conditions is a factor.

Clear water

Smaller sized baits, natural colors fished faster.

Stained water

Medium sized baits, brighter colors fished slower.

But the clear water baits figure into the stained water or slightly stained water conditions. It's a fine line color and size.

Muddy water

Larger sized baits, the brightest color fished the slowest.

Having a rattle, using scents is a plus.

I throw a array of different colors and different types of baits and presentations till I get action.

I like buying new and different colored baits just to try them.

I noticed the water conditions can change in the water column. When it's a tough bite, change colors. Firetiger could your friend.

My point is as I learned more the lures started out fishing the live bait. It's matching the size, color and presentations.

Now i noticed fishing in the afternoon I was throwing a joesfly 1/4oz bass size spinner in a silver blade, black tail. I was pulling out bass after bass. Now as evening approached and it became darker(low light) the bite shut down. I'm thinking I know the bass are there. I put on a joesfly in firetiger apache. The blade is a glow chartruse color. I was able to land a few more bass before it got dark.

I'm hooked on this color thing it's one more thing in my arsenal. It's just another piece to the puzzle of bass fishing.

On a slow day take the time to practice your baits with different presentations. Take the time to hone your skills more.

Ask yourself why aren't the bass biting. They can feel the rattle, smell your scent but can't see the color is one reason why. Other reasons can be the weather or the PH.