Learned something today.

[Bird]

Been fishing for many years and after watching MANY fishing videos today, I've realized that what I always thought was right, was actually wrong. ?

 

Love throwing Spinnerbaits and swim baits on an underspin.

Most of the lakes I fish are gin clear so always thought gold blades were the ticket but every video today recommended the opposite.

 

Gold for overcast, dingy water.

Silver for sunny clear water.

 

Yes, still caught fish but how many more could I have caught following the recommendations of the authors of all these videos.

 

What's your experience regarding blade color?

[BigAngus752]

We don't have any water that anyone could believably describe as "clear" around here and still I make sure that use silver for sunny days and gold/dark for cloudy days or really dirty water.  Dirty water, cloudy days, or colder water also bring out the Indianas and Colorados faster. 

 

Same thing for crankbaits.  A chrome crankbait on a sunny day is most likely going to be the thing.  Cloudy/dirty in the summer?  Shad colored crankbaits.  Cloudy/dirty in the spring or late fall?  Red or chartruese cranks.  

[king fisher]

If fishing a spinnerbait with two blades, one will be gold and the other will be silver.  If the water has less than a foot of visibility I fish painted blades.

[Deleted account]

I don't think the fish care between gold and silver, the size, type, and combination much more important IMNSHO, that being said, gold (and tarnished copper) are my confidence colors.

[DitchPanda]

I will say this I've noticed when throwing a kastmaster for trout or skip jack silver is better on sunny days and gold is better on cloudy days.

[Koz]

On some days I think "match the hatch" plays a role in it. On others I think the fish are attracted by something completely different.

 

The problem is that the fish rarely confide in me as to what they are planning for that day.

[WRB]

So gold blades reflect more light then nickel or silver blades under low light conditions....who believes that?

Tom

[islandbass]

5 hours ago, Bird said:

Been fishing for many years and after watching MANY fishing videos today, I've realized that what I always thought was right, was actually wrong. ?

 

Love throwing Spinnerbaits and swim baits on an underspin.

Most of the lakes I fish are gin clear so always thought gold blades were the ticket but every video today recommended the opposite.

 

Gold for overcast, dingy water.

Silver for sunny clear water.

 

Yes, still caught fish but how many more could I have caught following the recommendations of the authors of all these videos.

 

What's your experience regarding blade color?

I can’t agree with you that you’re “wrong” and  they’ve been “right”. Why? Because I don’t think you’re “wrong.” I believe you know what works for you. 
 

While the experts in those videos you watched might have shared some good information, it does not mean they’re “right”. They are merely sharing what has worked for them based on their personal experience. 
 

You have the experience you’ve gained through paying your dues. What I’d do if I watched those videos is take those nuggets and see if they will work for me. Keep what  works and put on the back burner what does not, because some day it might work for me. 
 

This gold blade when it’s sunny and silver blade when it’s overcast? Really? I bet those blades would work in opposite conditions at times. The moral of the story is be flexible to try whatever color is necessary to catch fish. Don’t put yourself in a box from the start.

 

In addition to that, not all “gold” or all “silver” colored blades are equal based on color visually. A true silver plated blade does not reflect light exactly the same as a nickel plated blade, which incidentally looks like silver.  Brass when shiny can look like gold. What are we going to do then, lol? (My source: spinner fishing for salmon, trout and steelhead by Jed Davis.) 

 

From my personal experience blade color can make a difference depending on the light conditions and water clarity, but so do the vibration the blades give and even the wire diameter has some influence.

 

I love fishing with in-line spinners for many species including bass and I rejoiced when I finally “cracked the code” using spinnerbaits after a very long period of paying my dues. 

 

 

[TnRiver46]

If you heard it on the internet it must be true 

[scaleface]

I almost always use gold as the main blade . In extremely muddy water I use copper . I dont want maximum flash . When the bass hones in on the bait I  want it hitting the hook not the blades  .   A gold copper combination works well for me . I use it a lot when  bluegills are being targeted or around beds .

[Catt]

What about brass vs copper vs gold

 

What about silver vs nickle vs non plated

 

What about painted vs ultraviolet vs crystalline

 

What about hammered vs smooth vs rippled 

 

What about tannic water clarity 

 

What about various light conditions 

 

Someone used all of the above in various combinations & caught fish. 

[LrgmouthShad]

38 minutes ago, Catt said:

What about brass vs copper vs gold

 

What about silver vs nickle vs non plated

 

What about painted vs ultraviolet vs crystalline

 

What about hammered vs smooth vs rippled 

 

What about tannic water clarity 

 

What about various light conditions 

 

Someone used all of the above in various combinations & caught fish. 

That’s too complicated for me Catt. 

[Deleted account]

12 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

I will say this I've noticed when throwing a kastmaster for trout or skip jack silver is better on sunny days and gold is better on cloudy days.

Oh yeah, unlike bass, trout do care about color most days.

[LrgmouthShad]

Nickel blades were a big deal in the clear NY water I fished for a while. Whether or not that extends to other places with clear water, I will not venture to say. 

[TnRiver46]

21 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Nickel blades were a big deal in the clear NY water I fished for a while. Whether or not that extends to other places with clear water, I will not venture to say. 

How’s your chicken wing? 

[Mobasser]

I fish clear water also. I've tried many bigger spinnerbaits in all blade/ skirt colors with little success.                                             I've had bass follow these baits, then turn away for deep water. Smaller spinners have worked well, fished deeper. 1/4 oz Beetlespin or smaller underspin.                                            I think in clear water, too much flash and vibration can put bass off. They're interested in these baits, and will hit them sometimes but it's easy to spook them away with large flashy blades.

[Deleted account]

10 hours ago, WRB said:

So gold blades reflect more light then nickel or silver blades under low light conditions....who believes that?

Tom

Well, according to the latest physics Nobel prize winners, they don't actually reflect light at all, we just think they do...  

[LrgmouthShad]

3 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

How’s your chicken wing? 

Lol. That’s about accurate description of how it feels sometimes. It’s okay, thanks for asking! Think we’re making progress. I’ve done some really slow fishing with very few casts and not much luck. Shoulder is pretty strong, can see that in physical therapy. Just still bothers me doing certain motions. 
 

I’ve gotten a lot busier very quickly though. Fishing hasn’t been at the forefront of my mind 

[Jar11591]

I typically throw double willow Spinnerbaits, and they are usually some combination of copper, silver and gold. I’ll throw all silver in very clear water sometimes. Generally darker water gets a copper or gold blade with a silver tandem. 

[Bluebasser86]

Gold, copper or painted in stained to dirty water or cloudy conditions.

 

Silver in clear water with sunny conditions

 

That's my very simplified breakdown of what blades I choose but the bass don't always follow the rules. 

 

 

[Columbia Craw]

What is the purpose of the spinning blade on the given lure.  Answer that and blade selection becomes a little easier.

[txchaser]

My understanding of the gold color was to have -less- flash, since bright flash on a cloudy day would be out of the ordinary.  /shrug