Jig Trailer Accent Color?

[5/0]

Does the type of accent color on a trailer have an impact on how bass see the jig? For example you have a black jig and use a black and blue trailer. What determines when the blue accent should be a flake, swirl, or on tips only?

Joe

[J Francho]

I don't think anyone can say.  I use a jig trailer that looks good to me. 

[WRB]

Trail and error.

My habit is using a trailer that has one of the skirts colors.

Fishing pork trailers that are 1 color not multiple colors it was simple. I still prefer the same logic with soft plastic trailer like to use predominately the same colors; brown, purple and black with highlight colors in the multiple color silicone skirt. 

I will tie on 2 jigs, 1 that matches and the other with contrast and fish both until the bass react more to one then other.

To answer the ? Black with blue highlights I would a black jig with blue high lites in the skirt and a blue trailer or a blue skirt with black high lites and black trailer.

Tom

[ajschn06]

25 minutes ago, 5/0 said:

Does the type of accent color on a trailer have an impact on how bass see the jig? For example you have a black jig and use a black and blue trailer. What determines when the blue accent should be a flake, swirl, or on tips only?

Joe

I'm always trying to match the trailer to the jig- and in your situation- for me it will depend on the jig.  If I'm going for black and blue and I feel like there's already a solid amount of blue on the jig, I'll go for the flake or swirl (talking strike king here as those two patterns are a more muted black and blue).  If I have a jig that doesn't have a lot of blue accent in it, I'll go for the 'blue bug' trailer color since it has more of the bright blue.  I'll occassionally throw the blue bug on if it's brighter out as well but thats just a personal preference...

[roadwarrior]

Wow!  I guess it's winter...Maybe just pick the one YOU like.

 

[Michigander]

33 minutes ago, roadwarrior said:

Wow!  I guess it's winter...Maybe just pick the one YOU like.

 

Gonna be a rough one this year, we're only a week into December. LoL

 

One thing you could do is catch one of whatever you are attempting to imitate and hold your jig and trailer up to it to see if it is a reasonable match.

 

Other than that, fish interrogation is clearly the only way.

 

[moguy1973]

A good video from Jason Christie on how he mixes things up to make it stand out.

 

(296) Why Use Contrasting Jig and Trailer Combinations - YouTube

[DitchPanda]

For me the only thing I do is trailer with a color that's close or matching. Green pumpkin jig with a green or brown trailer...blackblue jig with a black,blue or June bug trailer. I never do black jig green trailer or vice versa...some guys swear by it.

[5/0]

Thanks for the responses!

[Choporoz]

I got some Struke King RT Craws in "Road Kill" (I think from Siebert Outdoors). Its a great color because it can pass for dark green or blue....it goes on any jig.  Their Blue Craw is similar 

[Bankbeater]

I start off with the trailer matching the skirt. If that doesn’t work I‘ll change the trailer to give the bait a little contrast. 

[Munkin]

About 90% of my trailers are either GP or solid black. Now like all other fishermen I own 23 different colors buy those 2 get used the most. 

 

Allen

[Luke Barnes]

I'm terrible at jig fishing but I put these together and think they look cool. Some match and the green pumpkin with black and blue is way different. Havent used them yet but should be interesting. 

[Hawgfinder]

While agree black blue works or green pumpkin colors but geez balls everyone and their cuzin uses the same colors I’m pretty sure the fish get accustomed to the same thing ripping their lips off especially on small lakes.  Just sayin. And Luke your jigs look great

[GetFishorDieTryin]

4 hours ago, moguy1973 said:

A good video from Jason Christie on how he mixes things up to make it stand out.

 

(296) Why Use Contrasting Jig and Trailer Combinations - YouTube

Contrast is important, I liked using straight black over blk/blue just because it looked more natural to me.  Years ago I was fishing with a buddy in a sand wash and he kept asking, "does my jig look ok? Im not getting bit."  The water was gin clear, so it wasn't hard to find his black brown amber jig when it was close to the boat.  A couple minutes later he goes, "what's your jig look like?"  Once it was close to the boat, I looked and i couldn't see it.  I followed the line into the water with my eyes, began dragging it and then I saw the black jig with the tramp stamp colored trailer.  If it wasn't moving it would have been awful hard to find against the dark bottom.  I think that little bit of blue, chartreuse, orange or whatever mixed with a natural color jig or trailer can help the fish key in on it.  I would imagine its more important in the winter when Im just dragging it slowly across the bottom 6 inches at a time.       

[Log Catcher]

I always try to match the jig and trailer colors. The only thing in which trailer I use is the water temp and how much action it has.

[Hawgfinder]

I try and match color scheme I like to use smaller profile jigs like Riot Baits and tantrum trailers, mouth covered emoji!! 

Just now, Hawgfinder said:

I try and match color scheme I like to use smaller profile jigs like Riot Baits and tantrum trailers, mouth covered emoji!! 

My dad always said there are no dumb questions,, just yours are

[Munkin]

1 hour ago, Luke Barnes said:

I'm terrible at jig fishing but I put these together and think they look cool. Some match and the green pumpkin with black and blue is way different. Havent used them yet but should be interesting. 

 

The one on the left I would go with a GP trailer.

 

Allen

[WRB]

What I learned the hard way is force feeding bass what you like ends up poorly. Give the a choice, they usually surprise you.

Tom

 

[Luke Barnes]

5 minutes ago, Munkin said:

 

The one on the left I would go with a GP trailer.

 

Allen

Only two colors of Zman TRD Crawz that I have so took a pick for something different.

[WRB]

The human eye can only see 3 primary colors plus black and white. All colors are based on primary colors, shades by adding black or white.

What colors do bass see??? We don’t know.

The most contrast in colors is black vs white, everything else is red, yellow and blue and blends of those primary colors.

Brown is a mix red and black, purple a mix of blue and red, green is yellow and blue. Our eye mixes the primary color dots into all the colors we see.

How a bass brain mixes colors is unknown. 

How a angler can interpret what a bass prefers regarding colors by matching the hatch isn’t possible. We simply select color combination that look good to us without a clue what that looks good to the bass. I call it confidence colors, nothing more.

My most productive color combination came from my desire to match 3 colors of pork rind without having to make 3 separate colors of hair jigs. So my confident pink colors were black, brown and purple. SoI made up a hair jig with black back, purple center and brown belly. I could use the same jig and change colors of the pork rind until I caught bass.

the pork often changed during the day with different colors working in the morning vs afternoon. I. Learned. Not to get stuck on what I wanted but instead changed pork colors to see if the bite picked up.

Lesson learned be versatile.

Tom

 

[Dens228]

2 hours ago, Hawgfinder said:

While agree black blue works or green pumpkin colors but geez balls everyone and their cuzin uses the same colors I’m pretty sure the fish get accustomed to the same thing ripping their lips off especially on small lakes.  Just sayin. And Luke your jigs look great

I think you are giving the bass too much brain power credit. 

[J Francho]

5 minutes ago, WRB said:

The human eye can only see 3 primary colors plus black and white. All colors are based on primary colors, shades by adding black or white.

Not exactly accurate.  The colors you see on the screen you are looking are created not by primary colors, but Red, Green, and Blue (RGB).  The human eye can detect colors on a spectrum, which includes grey scale.  the white on your screen is not a shade, but a combination of the maximum values of RGB.  Most printing is based on a different set, (C)yan, (M)agenta, (Y)ellow, Blac(K) or CMYK, which makes colors via a subtractive process.  But I digress...the rest of your post explains why the leap to what a bass can or can't see doesn't work.  This is just stuff I have an interest in from another hobby.

7 minutes ago, WRB said:

What colors do bass see??? We don’t know.

This part is true.  We only know about the apparatus that detects light, and even this is not fully known.  I'm pretty sure they don't "see" the way we do and more that sense triggers a response.  I'd be willing to bet all this is in tandem with a lateral line, triggering a strike.  I just can't believe a fish has the mental capacity to paint a picture of a pretty bait.

[Luke Barnes]

I remember reading somewhere that some scientist dissected a bass eye and studied the rods and comes. From what the study said, wait, wait.... Im quoting the study. No idea if its true nor am I a scientist or optometrist. Anyways, the study said they see red and green for color, then light and dark. It said basically light as in chartreuse and white look the same, black and a dark purple like junebug look the same. So lighter, darker, green, red. Again not sure if its true. I'll work on providing a link. 

[WRB]

Agree, we evolved above water with sunlight only defused by atmospheric conditions and night time. Fish like predators that feed by sight evolved underwater with defused light and see colors differently to be able to find prey by sight and their highly tuned senses.

Eye construction doesn’t explain brain interpolation of color spectrum. 

Zank a local young tournament angler came up with using moth or butterfly blue neon powder in his hand poured soft plastics. Zank was dominating the local events and demand for his baits was intense. He was beating the likes of Aaron Martins, Don Iovino and Dick Trask. 

I caught bass on Zank’s sculpin 4” clear blue neon in 60’ of water and nothing else worked that deep. Obviously bass could see the blue neon color.

Zank tried to satisfy the market demand and couldn’t with all the back orders. John was a better angler then a business man. 

Tom