Colors For Deep Diving Crankbaits

[cjam93]

Hey guys so I am interested in getting started throwing deep diving crankbaits. I mean things like the 6th Sense 500dd and the 10xd. I am not really sure though what colors to use as I have not thrown a crank that deep before. I read in an article before that divers went down 20ft and watched blue back chartreuse sided crankbaits and reported that 20ft down they look to have a black back and a white body. That makes me wonder just how well something like sexy shad stands out down that deep. 

 

I live in NC so a lot of my water is not very clear due to red dirt banks. I usually have somewhere between 2-4ft of water clarity. 4ft maybe being a bit generous. Thanks for the help!

[Joe H.]

I don't know what the fish see, but any variation of sexy shad/chartreuse sexy shad/summer sexy shad etc. works for me.

[cjam93]

I just saw this is in the wrong section, sorry about that guys!

Ok thanks!

[*Hank]

I agree that Sexy Shad colored cranks work well.

[fishballer06]

As with any crankbait, buy one that you have confidence in that fits your range, in the 4 standard colors: Bluegill, Chartruese, Craw, Shad.

 

From there, experiment with what the fish like. 

[Jrob78]

I usually go with a shad pattern or a chartreuse pattern, depending on water clarity. I will also throw a barfish pattern if I'm on a lake with yellow bass.

[WRB]

If your lake has a population of Shad then use Shad colors. If the lake doesn't have Shad or herring then bluegill colors are good. All bass lakes have a population of crawdads, so crawdad colors are always good.

There are more colors available in crankbaits then you can use. Red/black combo is a good crawdad color, Fire Tiger good bluegill color, pearl white or charteuse with silver flash sides and green or blue or purple or gray back all are good shad colors. Pearl white is better in clear water, charteuse in off color water for Shad colors. Sexy Shad is a combination of pearl white and chartreuse and good for your average water clarity of 4'-6'.

Hope this helps to focus on fewer colors.

Tom

[iceintheveins]

1. Bluegill

2. Natural Shad

3. Sexy Shad/Chartreuse Sexy Shad

4. Red Craw

5. Firetiger

6. Brown or Green Natural Craw

7. Chartreuse/yellow

 

Those should do you on any fishery from crystal clear to murky. The clearer the water, the better you need to match the forage. The murkier, the more you need to stand out, by going bigger, brighter, and louder.

[FishTank]

Chartreuse shad is my favorite.  Not sure why this works for me.  It must just be a confidence thing. 

[cjam93]

This is a lot of help thanks guys!

[ww2farmer]

In the last 10 years or so since I have started to get serious about deep cranking, the overwhelming theme for me is.......................something with a little (sometimes a lot) of chartruse in it it out fish's any other deep crank color I have had by a wide margin. I have also found that the colors I like for shallow, mid depth, and lipless cranks, are next to useless in deep cranks, and vice-versa. About the only color that works for me in ALL cranking situations isChart. Sexy Shad, .............then again, I tend to only have success on that color shallow cranking in dirty water, but deep cranking it works fine in dirty AND clear water...go figure. My best producing shallow cranks are bluegill/perch/sunfish and  red/orange craw colored baits, yet deep cranking they haul water (most of the time). So through a long trial and error process, I now only carry and use (I own every color of the rainbow...I'm just as much of a tackle junkie as the next guy LOL) for deep cranking these colors for these situations......(all SK 3xd's, 5xd's and 6xd's BTW):

 

Chart. Sexy Shad: #1 go to color anytime, any where, if they are not biting this, they are likely NOT on a deep crank bite.

 

Chart. Blue/Back: This is my change up bait when they ARE biting on #1, before I declare the bite is over, I like to run this around for a bit in the areas I was getting bit on #1...

 

Chart. Belly Craw: When I am tossing a deep crank into the weeds and ripping it out, this bait seems to shine over the other two for some reasons I don't know, but I can't argue with what the results,so I roll with it.

 

Sexy Ghost Minnow: Ultra clear water stuff when you have to "burn" a deep diving crank. It is translucent, so they don't get that great look at it or big splash of color in their face, but has just "enough" chart. in it to keep the theme of "chart = deep cranking success" theme going.

 

And the one odd ball to my whole chart. based deal....Rootbeer.............smallmouth love this freaking color.

 

NOW..............after that long winded post....I'll add this....these are the deep cranking lessons I have learned on my home waters, and apply to the late  spring- late fall period. For some reason, early spring, or in the fall after the water has gone into the low 50's..........the chart. based stuff tapers off, and that's when the red or orange craw colored deep cranks (despite what I said previously) have a little window of jumping ahead of the ones listed above.

[WRB]

The 500DD claims to be a 20'-28' deep diver, so let's say it can dive to 20'.

What baitfish are at that depth where your depth of light to 4'?....none!

So my guess is the depth of light is deeper, baitfish rarely go deeper than they can see.

You are either fishing way to deeper or the water has better clarity then you think.

Since baitfish don't change color, use a color that matches those fish.

500DD look at Wild Herring Shad.

Tom

[Raul]

Here's my take: don't mind about color, don't worry about color, erase from your mind the subject of color. Size, shape, wiggle/wobble, water displacement, rattling or silent, shiny, those are the things I would worry about, BASS DO NOT NEED TO SEE THE BAIT IN ORDER TO FIND & BITE THE BAIT, the fish can hear and feel the bait, SIGHT IS NOT THE ONLY SENSE THE ANIMAL HAS, and those senses are enhanced when sight is diminished either by depth or by turbidity. Which colors for deep cranks ? Choose the ones you like as long as you pick fat, noisy, shiny, strong vibrating and so on you'll be fine.

[scaleface]

I have similar success as wwII farmer

 

. I use to employ a light / temperature meter that really taught me a lot .In the stained waters I fish ,  the thermocline was always at the depth where temperature and light plummeted. It was so predictable that I quit using it and just looked for the thermocline on a depth finder . I did not fish past that point. I pretty much know where light will  disappear and fish the same depths after turnover .  Last day I went fishing the thermocline was only 12 foot. I caught fish on a chartreuse Wiggle Wart at about 8 foot. Shallower water I caught them on a bluegill colored spinnerbait .

[cjam93]

Thanks guys!  Haha ww2farmer it is funny you mention chart sexy shad being your favorite color. So far most of my fishing has been with a 5xd, but that has already become my top confidence color in the sk line.

 

The 500DD claims to be a 20'-28' deep diver, so let's say it can dive to 20'.
What baitfish are at that depth where your depth of light to 4'?....none!
So my guess is the depth of light is deeper, baitfish rarely go deeper than they can see.
You are either fishing way to deeper or the water has better clarity then you think.
Since baitfish don't change color, use a color that matches those fish.
500DD look at Wild Herring Shad.
Tom

I just want to make sure I understand what you are saying, if we are fishing deeper than the light will travel down then we are fishing to deep? How can we know how far down the light actually goes, or did I misunderstand? thanks for all the help I appreciate it!

[WRB]

If you are fishing from a boat with a sonar unit, you can meter how deep baitfish are located. Most bait fish in man made impoundments south of the Mason- Dixon line have some specie of Shad or herring as "bait fish", unless trout are considered "bait fish". The reason you don't find Shad or herring in deep water at night is they can't see, so they move shallow into or under cover in the darker low light.

Depth of light or shallower where those bait fish are located. Bass can be deeper feeding on bottom dwellers of some sort like crawdads, sculpin, suckers,etc. if the bass are deeper then schools of baitfish, then use darker crawdad color crank baits.

Bass can use the lateral line as a early warning detection that something is moving the water giving off vibrations, as the "something gets close the relay on eye sight or if the can't see well they use the close range hearing. A crank bait puts off a lot of vibrations or noise bass feel, but something moving fast is difficult for bass to strike without seeing it. All the senses are very important, sight is number 1. Bass can survive with 1 eye blind, not both eyes blind.

Tom

[deep]

..

 

Tom how would your answer change if only demersal baitfish (plus crappies) are present?

[WRB]

Tom how would your answer change if only demersal baitfish (plus crappies) are present?

Demersal baitfish live in cover and near the bottom so non-Shad colors like fire tiger and crawdads are the colors of choice.

Crappie are actually pelagic fish that live off shore most of the year and spawn in and around cover before bass spawn. Crappie color crank baits with spots or dots, not bars and swimbaits are over looked and a very effective color choice.

Tom