Jerkbait colors

[pauldconyers]

A lot of people seem to like translucent colors on jerkbaits. Because light is obviously more prevalent higher in the water column versus the lower would translucent colors be more successful shallower and if I'm looking at buying some deeper jerkbaits should I go with louder colors that are seen easier?

[Finessegenics]

I believe that the same logic used for selecting a plastic color can be used for jerkbaits. If your water is muddy, or its an overcast day, go with solid or flashy colors. Most of the water I fish is pretty dirty so I use a firetiger or gold/black pattern to imitate yellow perch. In clearer and/or shallower water, I can still imitate yellow perch with a more natural and translucent color like Rapala's "yellow perch" which is lot less flashy than firetiger or gold. 

 

The same can be applied using shad patterns if thats your forage. A ghost chartreuse or plain ghost in clearer water, and and a chrome blue or black in murkier/deeper water. I think the most important thing is to match the hatch. 

[jbsoonerfan]

I think the most important thing is to throw them where the fish are.

[Dens228]

A translucent, a natural, one that includes gold coloring.........that pretty much covers all my needs.

Deep colors depend on clarity, but for the most part it hasn't really mattered between natural and translucent. I think it's the sound/vibration that brings them in.  

[pauldconyers]

I was just wondering with less visibility when buying a deeper jerkbait if you might want to adjust what colors you go with versus a traditional shallow JB presentation.

[Sam]

Silver, like a shad.

[Angry John]

3 colors. A solid. A clearish and a reflective like silver or gold.  After that get a different bait.  Action is the most important part of a jerkbait.

[Munkin]

I use 3 colors of jerkbaits; translucent, reflective,  and opaque. 

 

Clear water no sun= translucent 

Clear water with sun= reflective

Stained water= opaque 

Muddy water= use something else

 

This is my starting point and it seems to hold true most of the time. 

 

Allen 

[Michigan Finesse]

If there is wind, sun, and clear water, I pull out a Jerkbait. They excel in these conditions for me. If I'm fishing a Jerkbait, 80% of the time its perch colored, because that's the forage in my neck of the woods. I will put out the translucent occasionally. I have never had a bass hit a Jerkbait in less than 1ft of visibility, at that point, I reach into the tackle box for something more suitable. You also said that you were looking for some deeper Jerkbaits, but deep Jerkbaits rarely hit much deeper than 10-12ft, so at that depth, there's still good light penetration in clear- stained water so,  I wouldn't worry about different colors for deep jerks. Hope this helps.

-Brad