Crankbait colors up north

[Bandersnatch]

What color crankbaits do you use up north? Micgian, Ontario Canada. 

[Mbirdsley]

I mean it’s kinda the same any where you go. I would pre-pair for a lot of deep clear lakes.  A root beer 300 bandit has worked in clear and dirtier lakes.  Maybe get some perch colored ones.  There are a lot shad in lakes and anything connected to the Great Lakes will have gobies 

[Reel]

In my part of the world (Eastern Canada) there are not a lot of shad.  The main forage is perch.  The colors I use the most are perch and crawfish.

[FryDog62]

2 minutes ago, Reel said:

In my part of the world (Eastern Canada) there are not a lot of shad.  The main forage is perch.  The colors I use the most are perch and crawfish.

Same here in Minnesota... Perch #1

[Dens228]

A natural color in clear water, something with chartreuse in murky water.   This year I've added a couple of "ghost" translucent cranks for clear water/very sunny to try out. 

[A-Jay]

While there's always a few 'special' colors and or patterns in my crankbaits that seem better in just one or two of the northern MI bodies of water I frequent, the vast majority of my most effective baits, lean toward natural stuff that's based off perch, panfish & crayfish colors.

 

 

 

 

 

A-Jay

 

[MIbassyaker]

In Michigan inland lakes at least, the presence of shad is pretty variable and usually depends on connecting access to the great lakes by a large river.  Almost none of the inland lakes I fish have shad. One has gizzard. A few of the deeper ones have cisco. Shiners are reasonably common. In most of my waters the bass are predominantly bluegill/sunfish, perch and crayfish eaters.

 

I'm not convinced crankbait color is that important most of the time (profile, speed, depth, and action first), but I don't think you can do wrong with any of the various craw, 'gill, perch, and baby bass-like colors.

 

 

[MN Fisher]

23 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

While there's always a few 'special' colors and or patterns in my crankbaits that seem better in just one or two of the northern MI bodies of water I frequent, the vast majority of my most effective baits, lean toward natural stuff that's based off perch, panfish & crayfish colors.

 

Minnesota - same thing. I do have the occasional Shad and one Firetiger in my crankbait-box...the rest are the colors of the main forage up here. Baby Bass, Perch, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Crawfish, etc.

[A-Jay]

25 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Minnesota - same thing. I do have the occasional Shad and one Firetiger in my crankbait-box...the rest are the colors of the main forage up here. Baby Bass, Perch, Bluegill, Pumpkinseed, Crawfish, etc.

The "Productive" selections offered represent - let's just call it "a portion" 

of the baits tucked away in the Pro-V Bass each trip.

How much of a portion, I am not at liberty to say . . . . 

A-Jay

[fishballer06]

Most of my crankbaits are bluegill/perch colored here. In clearer body water, I'll throw natural clearer looking baitfish colors, and in muddy water I'll throw chartruese. Crawfish colors come into play a lot in the spring time. But those bluegill/perch colors are in play year round. 

[MN Fisher]

14 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

The "Productive" selections offered represent - let's just call it "a portion" 

of the baits tucked away in the Pro-V Bass each trip.

How much of a portion, I am not at liberty to say . . . . 

A-Jay

Ya, well, you got just a wee bit more room in the Pro-V than I have in the canoe. :P

[A-Jay]

8 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Ya, well, you got just a wee bit more room in the Pro-V than I have in the canoe.

Clearly.

I was an Old Town angler only for over a decade myself.

Still hauled too much gear.

A-Jay 

[Tizi]

Perch, trout, ghost and bluegill colors all work well up here.

[Cgolf]

I have done good with a lot of different colors in N WI on a clear water lake. 

 

Orange Craw, Bluegill (strike king version), yellow perch, Purple pearl, sexy shad, etc.

 

The one color that I have found to work in both clear and dirty water in WI is firetiger. This pattern has it all in one. There are some perch, bluegill, and pumpkinseed colors in that bait. I think that is why it gets bit so often because it matches all the forage just enough to fool the bass into biting.

[Vilas15]

Perch, craw, gold (flashy/reflective) are my best. Dont do so well on firetiger or clown, not sure why. I fish 10' water clarity down to around 2' clarity.

[Fallser]

I go up to Northern Ontario.  The colors are pretty much the same.   Perch, Crayfish, Fire Tiger all work.  Other colors, black and silver, blue and silver, purple and silver.  Main forage in the lake are perch, whitefish, crayfish, rock bass and various minnows.  The odd color is a mackerel pattern I brought for salt water.  Not sure why it works but it does.   

[RoLo]

 

Seth Feider often chooses a pattern that matches 'no' common prey,

a pattern that all other anglers are not throwing (I concur with Seth).

My color choices hinge mostly on enhancing or degrading underwater visibility.

 

Roger

[detroit1]

I am the same as most others..perch / bluegill / craw, but also like white, although no shad in my lakes. After killin' them on a friends bladed jig with a "firecraw" skirt and bluegill zipper trailer, I don't take colors too seriously these days...