Favorite Crankbait Color

[Kenny Yi]

Chartreuse/black back, maybe throw a little red on the belly

[Spankey]

I’m a bit old school. Many many basic and simple patterns from Bomber, Rebel, Mann’s, Rapala, Heddon, Bandit, Storm and Norman can’t be had anymore. Stuff that was long time proven. 
 

Like anything in business, keep current, provide guys what they want or get buried. 
 

But I’ve been successfully fishing newer CB manufacturers like 6th Sense, Lucky Craft, and Spro for quite some time now. 

Confidence and taking the dareing chance to fish some nasty cover with them is needed. Gotta Feel good and having confidence in what you picked out to throw. Or your just chucking and winding. Reaction bait so it should get bit eventually but I guess odds will go up if you believe in it. 
 

I think back in the day pros use to call them idiots baits and would say anyone could fish them. 
 

 

[J._Bricker]

5 hours ago, A-Jay said:

I love this ~

Find what works and run with it !

A-Jay

It is called “Delta Red” and I do fish the delta ?

[A-Jay]

Just now, J._Bricker said:

It is called “Delta Red” and I do fish the delta ?

Do Tell ~ 

 

A-Jay 

[Bankbeater]

Sexy Shad, firetiger, shad, and craw pattern have all produced this year.

[J._Bricker]

These are some favorites as well. Seems like everyone wants to make ‘em and get in on the action ?

[scaleface]

I have like three red crankbaits . An old Bagleys Balsa B , a Berkely War Pig  and a Rapala Crankin Rap .

[Munkin]

Rivers = crayfish pattern 

Lakes= Copper perch or a shad pattern. 

 

Sunfish patterns do excel at certain times but day in and out the above has worked best for me. 

 

Allen 

[Columbia Craw]

Surprise!

If you look closely you can see a couple of Speed Taps are sun bleached.  They are models made in Hood River. 

[Mbirdsley]

I have many favorites depends on conditions 

 

March- late April shad raps rule!!!
 

These have been my biggest consistent crank producers so far this year.  The spro flat sides were killer late April-mid June.  The single strike king has been killer the last few weeks in clear and ultra clear water 

 

basically clear water and sunny: I've been running flashy silvers and green/root beer  

 

clear and over cast: black 

 

Sunny and dirty water: flashy silver, sexy shad, or chart 

 

dirty water and over cast: black 

my biggest regret was not purchasing spro’s sooner.  Little bit more money but, worth it. 

 

 

[Wprich]

Chartruese/black back is my favorite followed by a chrome shad

[Bluebasser86]

My favorite crankbait is one I don't have to fish, but if I had to pick one, it would be one a local guy does that he calls River Shad.

[T-Billy]

Citrus shad. Clear to stained, warm or cold it catches them.

[bulldog1935]

Growing up fishing clear, deep hill country reservoirs, it had to be chrome shad.  

We use a lot of blend colors in water that often has 50' visibility.  

One exception - trolling up the river channel with Pico Texas trailer, a white-bass-marked Bomber brought the most attention to the spinner-trailer.  

 

A shad in cover is lost and easy pickings for prey.  A bluegill in open water is lost and easy pickings for prey.  

 

The 400-acre no-motors reservoir I kayak now is the first thing high in the hill country, and there are no shad, so my go-to crankbait is bluegill.  

 

 

Different place, my favorite YoZuri wakebait is "real gizzard shad" - it reflects green and transmits pink - just what you want at sunrise.  

[BassinCNY]

Ghost bluegill is my favorite.

[king fisher]

My wife watched me take this picture.  She asked why I had so many chartreuse lures.  I told her that color was what worked best.  She replied, if that is the case why do you have so many other colors.  I told her there are  days when I try chartreuse and it doesn't work.  Her reply was on those days why don't you simply come home early, it isn't like you have to catch bass, you don't even keep the bass for dinner.  Hard to argue with logic like that.

[Drew03cmc]

Duo Realis Kabuki 55SR in citrus shad is the one crank I feel most confident in. 

[ajschn06]

Chartreuse Black Back

[Ski]

Chartreuse Black Back

[papajoe222]

The majority of my cranks are shad or red craw colored.  Nutter Shad was my go to for years and I still have a few. FYI, John Nutter operated a shop doing reel repairs and custom rods for many of the pros back in the 80's and 90's. He made my first custom built rod.

[Scott804]

For LM and Spots I like Luckycraft's American Shad

 

For SM I like Luckycraft's Pink Dragon Gill

[jbsoonerfan]

Squarebill = Firetiger

Deeper = Shad imitator

Lipless = Red

 

Simple as I can answer without a lot of specifics

[Big Hands]

On 8/28/2021 at 11:32 AM, ATA said:

Yes they surface time to time on ebay.

Amongst other places. . .

 

 

I can say that I have caught more bass on a 'shad' color crankbait and my PB came on a shad colored crankbait, but I have also been in many situations where they were definitely interested more in other colors. Thus, I don't really have a definitive favorite color for a crankbait. Whatever they're eating is my favorite color that day.