Seasonal Bait Color Choices

[Cdn Angler]

 

I'm in Ontario Canada and in terms of natural colours that exist red isn't much of a thing. Our crayfish are brown 99% of the time.  We don't have shad, but there are plenty of white/silver coloured minnows. Perch do have a lot of yellow in them. 

 

In terms of colours you are best off going with greens, white/silver, a bit of chartreuse, then brown for craws. That said we get far less fishing pressure so often just having making a lure as colourful as possible will get a bite, so it isn't stupid to fish an all yellow/pink/orange/red pattern depending on the circumstance. But that's usually if you know they are going to be bitey. Typically that is as close to bass-opener as possible, so you might have a 1-2 week window where flashy colours are best. 

 

IMO this doesn't happen again until fall and even then it's usually a 3-8pm deal when fish are active.   

 

Pike/muskie are different beasts and could be year round for gaudy colours. 

[roadwarrior]

Pick your favorite color, it will be just fine. Otherwise, green pumpkin and some silver/ white 

are universal patterns.  I like purple.

[cyclops2]

Can not prove it buuutt.

I only use the lures with the BRIGHT RED slash on the belly. Seems to catch more / faster.

[Basser2021]

On 1/28/2022 at 3:03 PM, FishinBuck07 said:

Spring I tend to use craw patterns more, but will fish bluegill and shad patterns.  Summer I fish more bluegill patterns and some shad, and fall I fish more shad patterns and some craw patterns!  Don't know why that is just the way I have done it, feel like in the spring crawfish are the main forage they are eating, the summer I believe they eat more bluegill and the fall more shad.  I may be completely out of my mind but it usually works for me.

Same here