Method For Color Selection?

[jacob2000]

What is your method for choosing a color of any given soft plastic?

[Brian6428]

After a while it becomes intuitive but here are some of my general guidelines. These have a lot to do with personal confidence, too. Don't be afraid to try different or weird colors.

I mainly look at water clarity and sky conditions. On a muddy water cloudy day I will almost definitely be throwing something straight black or junebug colored. Same goes for muddy water with clear, windy skies. Muddy water with clear skies and low wind normally means green pumpkin for me, though.

In murky water I will almost always use green pumpkin, black, black/blue, or sometimes a kind of craw dad red/orange color.

I don't fish clear water so I can't comment on that.

Ultimately, don't overcomplicate it. I have tons of soft plastics, primarily use only a handful of colors, and still catch plenty of fish. Honestly for my fishing I could simplify it down to just green pumpkin plastics and black plastics and be just fine.

[MIbassangler30]

I'll pick up where Brian left off since I fish clear water almost exclusively. On overcast days I'll throw a darker muted color without a lot of flash because the sun isn't reflecting off the scales of forage. This is mainly green pumpkin black flake, maybe dip the tail in a little JJ's depending on how I'm feeling. Bluebird sky's and I'm throwing something more reflective; this is mainly watermelon red flake or watermelon candy, almost always dipping the tail in some JJ's. These are just the go to colors, there are many other variations and experimentations that tend to happen depending on the day and my mood. For instance I used a lot of Reins soft plastics last year; The Bubbling Shaker in bluegill that is a light blue color and the Fat Rockvibe shad in go pro blue. Both of these were very successful and it really makes no sense to me on why they were. Experiment, and like Brian said, trust your intuition. But if you're on a budget and just want the best chances of catching some numbers, try the above suggestions. Hope this helps and tight lines!

[Wayne P.]

Color makes no difference to the fish. Pick colors you "feel/think" may work.

[sprint61]

Color makes no difference to the fish. Pick colors you "feel/think" may work.

I agree with this IMO presentation is much more important. I fell like if you make a bass mad enough it will bite anything eventually.

[Catt]

Back in the early 70s I attended a seminar & one of the guest speakers was Tom Mann. Someone asked why he made his worms in so many different colors; he answered "To catch the fisherman, a bass has never put a penny in my pocket"!

My color selection is quite complicated; as I walk the aisles at Wal-Mart, Academy, Dick's, Gander Mountain, or Bass Pro Shops, I'll see a color that appeals to me & I buy it.

When I get to the lake I'll take into consideration water clarity, sky conditions, weather, & season. I open my tackle box; select a color I like & throw it...the bass tell me if I selected right or wrong.

Sometimes color matters, sometimes color does not matter, & sometimes it's a constant change.

[Mike L]

I've never seen or heard of any creature that swims, borrows, hops, skips or jumps in any depth, color or temperature of water anywhere on the planet that

it's natural color is hot pink, bubblegum or sparkly iridescent.

But hey, that's just me.

Me

[scaleface]

 Especially fishing in waters with heavy pressure ,   If I'm not catching fish I change often. I know that the places I'm fishing have bass that are seeing my lures. Only a small percentage actually hit it. I'll change lures , brands , retrieves , actions and "colors" . Sometimes I get it right sometimes I dont . 

[RoLo]

Just the other day, my wife took a hard look at the color array in my tackle box. 

She summed it up in 2 words: "Pretty Boring".  Yeah, it's basically a sea of green pumpkin,

black & blue & watermelon seed.

 

My wife uses a Color-C-Lector (and though I never ask), and always tells me what the Color-C-Lector says.

Oh sure,  she catches more fish than me, but I still think my lure colors are prettier than hers 

 

Roger

[roadwarrior]

Of course there are times when color is critical, but generally, your favorite color will work just fine.

 

 

 

[Djf3864]

Greens and Browns mostly in clear water and black blue in non-clear water.

Match my trailers to the jig/skirt color, not much to it really.

[RanndomUndead]

Ive been picking up a strange trend with colors this year...

Atleast with my crankbaits, my whites, blues, etc (sexy shad, bluegill) catch more, but smaller fish.

Where as my reds have caught nothing under 2 lbs, most 3+

Never noticed this before in previous years...maybe its just strange luck, cant say for sure.

Its shallow water though, wouldnt be the first time ive been surprised because of it haha

[bigbill]

At night the freshwater eels are at the shoreline. They run from a dark gray to black.

This is why a black colored worm is so hot.

Black

Black Shad

Red

Red Shad

Green

Green Shad

Purple

Purple fire tail

Purple red tail

Purple yellow tail

Purple Chartruese tail

Electric Blue

Blue

Blue Fire tail

Blue red tail

Blue Chartruese tail.

Etc.

Bass do not see colors like we do. They are limited to seeing certain colors at certain conditions.

[bigbill]

Ive been picking up a strange trend with colors this year...

Atleast with my crankbaits, my whites, blues, etc (sexy shad, bluegill) catch more, but smaller fish.

Where as my reds have caught nothing under 2 lbs, most 3+

Never noticed this before in previous years...maybe its just strange luck, cant say for sure.

Its shallow water though, wouldnt be the first time ive been surprised because of it haha

Your learning about colors. Congrats.

[bigbill]

Greens and Browns mostly in clear water and black blue in non-clear water.

Match my trailers to the jig/skirt color, not much to it really.

Match the trailers to the skirt color true. I use the mister twister 4" split double tail grubs as spinnerbait trailers.

Hot Chartruese spinnerbaits with a chartruese trailer.

Stained water/muddy water

White blue tinted spinnerbait skirt with a white trailer. Clear water

Rule of thumb.

Clear water

Natural colored smaller baits fished fast.

Stained water

Brighter color medium sized baits fished slower.

Muddy water

Brightest color, largest sized baits fish slowest.

[WRB]

The logical method to select soft plastic colors is finding something that matches the hatch; baitfish and crawdads in general.

Where I do most of my bass fishing soft plastic color is second to depth followed by size; depth, color, size. The first part of the puzzle is how to present the soft plastic and where. Location, location , location the 3 primary factors in bass fishing.

Lakes that don't see a lot of quality bass anglers and have low traffic in general the bass are easy to catch. Lakes where I fish for the most part are deep structure with heavy angler pressure and color can be critical and usually closely held information due to tournaments.

No one color holds up long or all day, common to use 2 to 3 different color combinations during a 6 to 8 hour time period on the water. Start out with what worked the last time out, change as needed until you figure out what the bass are eating at the time. Most anglers visiting our SoCal lake have a very difficult time until they learn color matters.

Tom

[halochef]

my 2 cents, does any one use a "color c lector"?  i have one and it also reads HOH temp and PH.  it suggests a color depending if the HOH is clear-stained-muddy.  has a long cord for the probe 35 ft if not deeper.

[chelboed]

So I've read now that in murky/muddy water, you should use black. Someone else said bright/chartreuse.

Conflicting info.

[WRB]

So I've read now that in murky/muddy water, you should use black. Someone else said bright/chartreuse.

Conflicting info.

Black with a bright chartreuse tail!

When bass and write can read we will know what they see, until then it's trail and error method called fishing.

Tom

[Joedodge]

It really ca be simplified so much. I got crazy about it at first till I realized.......if the fish are feeding.....they are feeding. I have run I to really Clearwater occasions where I could watch 1 pound bass come out and look at a color worm and then change to a known good color in that lake and they'd kill it! But for the most part black/blue laminate, green pumpkin, watermelon red will get Ya really far!

[bigbill]

my 2 cents, does any one use a "color c lector"? i have one and it also reads HOH temp and PH. it suggests a color depending if the HOH is clear-stained-muddy. has a long cord for the probe 35 ft if not deeper.

I have four of them. The COLOR C LECTOR picks the color it's the early one. The COMBO C LECTOR has the water temperature, the PH besides the color picking. I have no clue how it worked with some of the solid colored lures at first. I read that KVD Has one on his boat for the tough days. We all know who KVD is??

Spike-it offers a new high tech color c lector. I haven't purchased one yet I'd like to get one and test it.

I don't have a crystal ball but being into bass fishing heavy I like to figure out why the fish aren't biting. I throw my ritual of baits, try different presentations yet I know the fish are there. I figured you can have a different water condition in the same water column. It can read clear on the upper part yet down below be stained or muddy. Here I'm throwing smaller natural colors for nothing. I put on a firetiger and I'm on fish. When in doubt throw a firetiger.

It could be the difference between success or going home a beaten fisherman.

It's funny in the exact same spot a red amber gold flake senkos on a c rig is killing them. Try a few days later the red amber catches nothing but the electric blue senkos is killing them.

Now tell me the bass cannot see colors?

On a tough day don't give up "change colors"!!!!!

[bigbill]

So I've read now that in murky/muddy water, you should use black. Someone else said bright/chartreuse.

Conflicting info.

Stop, relax, try different baits looking for a pattern. Try different colors for the color of the day. Try different presentations.

The bass will let you know when you get it right.

Everyone has good advice here sometimes we take things as a rule. There are no rules. When it's a tough day break the rules, break the norm try every color you would think of throwing. You will find a nitch.

[DocNsanE]

Clear water, blue bird skies, I like a smoky purple color like ozark smoke in the yum dinger.

In general, clear water, I like greens and browns.

 

Lower light conditions or murkier water I like black with some blue or chartreuse and some junebug

 

But I liked bigbill's comment: you just have to keep trying different presentations, including colors, until you figure out what the bass wants on a given day.

 

 

 

[bigbill]

At dusk and low light conditions go to brighter colors.

[jbsoonerfan]

As long as its green pumpkin, color doesn't matter