Jig Skirt Color. Are So Many Colors Necessary?

[basswrangler83]

I fish jigs a lot, but just started fishing jigs last year. I also like making my own skirts. I was thinking about just making all of my jigs into a half black, half green pumpkin skirt color, and then just changing the color of the trailer, since it's the most prominent part of the jig, and it sticks up right into the bass's face. Is it really necessary to have so many colors? I think people like different colors more than bass. 

 

Same jig, but different trailers:

Black, or black and blue for muddy or stained water

Green pumpkin or brown for clear/clear-ish 

 

I live in Nebraska, so our crawfish are black and green. I have seen blue and orange crawfish in October here too.

[bigbill]

Color is my thing I'm a color freak when it comes to bass fishing. After doing some research into Dr. Loren Hill of OK UNV who did a ten year test about bass seeing different colors. They do not see colors all the time like we do. The sunlite, the hues in the water and plant life influences what colors the bass can see under certain conditions. Some days it's limited to certain colors. Some days one color maybe the hot one. Other days any colors will work. The time we spend on the water will prove this to use.

I throw a variety of different baits and colors till one works. It also applies to crankbaits, plastics, jigs, spinnerbaits, everything we throw. If they can't see it they can't strike it.

It's a color thing not the bass bite being off. On a tough bite day think chartruese.

Remember what color killed them today might not work tomorrow, things change.

[basswrangler83]

Interesting, thanks

[Raul]

No, they are not necessary, but it's fun to have a lot of colors. BTW, 90 % of the time I jig fish is with a black skirted jig, to me any color is fine as long as it is black.

[Mccallister25]

Black/blue 100% of the time for me.

[Catt]

I throw 4 color jigs

Black-n-Blue

Black Neon

Coontail (black, brown, & amber)

Watermelon Neon

[WRB]

Several years ago I discovered Barlows with all the variety of jig shirt colors and a new world of custom skirts could be made. The bait monkey on steroids and I went overboard making nearly every color combination I thought would work. I caught on bass on several of these custom jig color combination, no big bass however.

My tried and proven 3 color hair jigs always out fished any of the new silicone and living rubber combo's.

Black & blue is a color combo that doesn't work well where I fish except at night.

Predominate green pumpkin or water green green doesn't work either, it's good for young adult bass, not the big bass out west.

What works are brown colors with reddish brown and purple combo's year around and brown with green and purple combos. White Shad color combo jigs are good during the spring.

1. Black/purple/ brown, Anywhere Anytime

2 Brown/ green/ brown, Spring craw

3. Green/charteuse/ white, Shad

4. Brown/charteuse/red, Fritz-Smallmouth.

5. Black/blue, nights.

Match one of the colors with the trailer.

Tom

[Matthew2000]

Black/blue 100% of the time for me.

Can I have you're truck?

[eyedabassman]

For me all I need in jig colors is-black/blue-greenpumpkin orange-PBJ- Brown/blue!!!!!!!!!!

[Brayberry]

For me PBJ, catches more then any other color, but I fish a lot of clear water.  

[basswrangler83]

Thanks for the input, I'll keep experimenting with colors. It is a lot of fun to just make new jigs. I have a private pond on work, that receives light pressure, that has fairly clear water where I experiment with new techniques. They do not eat every color believe it or not.

[Jason Penn]

i recently seen a video of gerald swindle talking about jig colors, and he uses either black or brown.  that's it.  i have ventured off into some different colors at times, but really all i ever fish is black/blue & a green pumpkin.

 

i did the same thing years ago with soft plastics.  i got everything down to 2 colors, and they seemed to work on any lake i went to, in any condition.  1 dark color like black/blue or junebug, and then a green pumpkin or watermelon.  it sure did lighten up my load, and it cut down on the impatience factor.  instead of switching colors every 5 minutes, i just kept on fishing.

[basswrangler83]

Jason, I have seen that video you're talking about. That's kinda what sparked this thought process. Swindle is a funny guy to listen to haha

[Mccallister25]

Can I have you're truck?

Haha, filling up a 496 big block isn't easy on the wallet. Neither is getting 8 mpg. That's not to mention the very hefty monthly payment.

[smalljaw67]

Most of the colors are for us fishermen but I like trying to match the hatch as the craws change colors with season and body of water in my area. When I make a brown jig for myself it will have at least 3 different color browns and one of them will be a printed pattern with black spots and I'll put 2 strands of burnt orange just to accent it. Does it work, yes but I'm not sure if it is the color and it would work without the accent but it looks cool and I have fun making it. I started doing that as I saw a plain looking craw on the river bottom, I scooped it up and discovered there was dark brown on top of the tail which transitions to a lighter color brown on the sides and the head area was a distinct green pumpkin and there were spots of a muted orange along its sides but from just seeing it under the water it didn't look nearly as colorful as it was and that is when I began adding a few different colors but really just different shades of one or 2 colors. I do use simple black& blue and black neon for largemouth in dirty water but when I'm fishing water with a little visibility and using smaller jigs for smallmouth, I make sure those jigs have the multiple shades of green pumpkin or brown as I'm also in different areas and working the bait differently. So that is just a little insight to my jig color selection but when I pour, paint and tie my own jigs it is almost impossible not to experiment with colors but if I was buying jigs, I have black and blue, green pumpkin and PB&J.

[Turtle135]

As a slow moving bottom contact lure I think the color of the trailer can matter but the color of the skirt probably does not matter much. Drop one of your jigs in the kitchen sink and watch the strands float up and away from the trailer. Those individual strands do not present much color by themselves. I use round rubber in black & brown and black & blue and mix up the color and profile of the trailer.

 

[OroBass]

I agree with matt allen. 4 basics are all that are needed. 3 basic colors, black, brown and green. Your colors can be any variant of these colors. for exzample black n blue or black n purple etc

[Cgolf]

For fishing jigs on the bottom, color probably isn't a big issue, pick one or two and your good. Where color comes in to play is with swim jigs. First trip out I went with a gold flake skirt head combo with a carp colored swimbait and caught fish. With the swim jig you really are trying to match the hatch so to speak, so lots of color options become more important.

[Fin Stalker]

I like three basic color/ combos for jigs I flip n pitch.

Green Pumpkin

Black n Blue

Texas Craw basically blk,brn and char

Swim Jigs/ Bladed Jigs

Bream Patterns

Char/White

White

Black at night. I truly believe that fishing blk at night is more about me than the fish though. It's a confidence thing.

[basswrangler83]

Smalljaw, thanks for the insight.

[basswrangler83]

Turtle, exactly my thoughts. That's why I asked the question.

[basswrangler83]

Cgolf, I have made myself a bluegill colored swim jig that has caught me fish. Blue, white and chartreuse with a white twin tail twister. I'm more worried about flippin jigs or football jigs. I do agree with you about swim jig colors though. I only need the one because every lake I fish has bluegill in it.

[bigbill]

The best color? The one that catches fish at that moment.

Your favorite color will catch a few bass but the correct color can load the boat. So it's a few bass vs a bushel of bass.

[Matthew2000]

Haha, filling up a 496 big block isn't easy on the wallet. Neither is getting 8 mpg. That's not to mention the very hefty monthly payment.

Ouch.

[bigbill]

I feel is you can afford the monthly payment you can afford the gas.

My Subaru goes two weeks on a tank of gas. My jeep can't pass a gas station it's getting juice every 4 days. We drive the Subie.