Color selection question specific to flukes and swimbaits

[CDMTJager]

Just started using flukes and swimbaits rigged weedless as the weeds are already making crankbaits unusable in my most fished lakes essentially impossible and are enjoying amazing success. My only regret is I didn't try flukes and swimbaits years ago.

As of now I am limiting my color selection to those colors recommended by YT personalities who's fishing advice in the past has worked very well for me.

 

Colors I am using that are producing bass on a regular basis have been:

#1Ghost shad worked best so far of all colors but other three worked almost as well

#2Watermelon red flake due to noticing the gills were on their beds spawning

#3Pearl flash/sight fish

#4Pearl chartreuse tail. Colors #3 and #4 worked equally well

Tried a new variation of Watermelon red called watermelon red flake pearl and it also worked well and caught 4 bass in about 90 minuets' but a quite severe thunderstorm rolling in on me caused me to call it quits.  

 

Was wondering in lakes like mine where the primary forage fish are gizzard shad, bluntnose minnow, golden shiner and the usual panfish, what colors do you more experienced guys tend to use?

[Danocaster]

Mostly pearl white - but also green pumpkin and occasionally PINK ( I have been shocked by the success of this color actually ) 

[rgasr63]

Smoking shad and baitfish colors work well also. Every body of water is different and can change without notice. When I am able to bank fish I will take a bag of flukes with me and I will take a couple of baits in that pack that are different colors. Good luck 

[Catt]

White Ice

Watermelon Neon 

Sprayed Grass

[softwateronly]

I think all your assumptions are the same as mine, I somewhat break it down into dark/light, flash/no flash.  The more aggressive the fish are, the more toward light and flash I move.  I fish Michiana as well, don't overlook 6-7" flukes.  They don't scare away the 1.5lbers and they tend to get the 3lb+ fish's attention better.  Also, nail weights and or free rigs can help you fish deeper weedlines more effectively.  Here's 2 from last weekend...

 

scott

 

 

[GreenPig]

My most used colors

Glimmer Blue

Bluegill Flash 

Houdini

White Pearl

Baitfish

Lemon Shad

Green Pumpkin 

Black occasionally 

[TOXIC]

Yamamoto’s fluke bait is called a DShad.  Just got back from Lake St Clair and in a bay filled with pencil reeds we cleaned up on largemouth, smallmouth and pike with DShads.  Below is a pic of my box and the colors I throw.  

[CDMTJager]

Thanks for the replies and sharing your colors with me.

Please bare in mind I am a shore fisherman and the lakes I fish are all (save for lake michigan) are comparatively small all under 600 acres in size and are on the shallow side none exceeding 30-35 feet in depth and I rarely can cast to water deeper than 15'.

 

So in MY opinion and experience, any bass of 2-3lbs is a quality bass and bass over 3lbs is a good above average bass and bass over 4lbs is a high quality bass. I catch a lot of bass just not alot of bass over 4lbs. Which I am certain is due to my very limited access to structure that holds bass.

 

So for a shore fisherman I feel catching 8-10 bass in under 5 hours is a very good night.

 

Had an interesting experience tonight. Wanted a weightless soft plastic jerkbait that was heavier than a Zoom super fluke I could cast farther without having to add weight as I want my bait to sink as slowly as possible during rests between jerks. So I bought some KVD Caffeine shads in pearl shad among other colors. 

Was doing very well catching bass on 5.25" Zoom Super fluke in white ice but saw just to much fish activity at the surface chasing minnows near lily pads to not try to cast to it. Unfortunately my Zoom SF didn't have the weight to cast that far, I kept landing a little less than 10 yards short. Fastest solution was replace my ZSF with a KVD/CS so I did. 15 well placed casts later no fish, not even any hits.  

 

Put the 5.25" ZSF back on waded out about 15 yards and the top of my 16" boots submerged and my boots filled with water but I could now reach the pads with my casts and proceeded to began catching bass by my 4th cast and caught 5 bass bringing my nights total to nine bass landed and released. 

 

In my opinion the KVD/CS and ZSF were nearly identical in color both when jerked darted erratically in all directions, both were nearly the same length, but the KVD/CS sank much more quickly VS the ZSF and did have a different profile but I do not know that matter as much as IMO the faster sink rate likely did. 

 

Unfortunately everyone near me is out of 90% of the most popular colors and sizes of flukes including 7" Zoom Magnum flukes so I will have to order some on line as I feel the magnum ZSF's likely will sink at about the same rate as the regular ZSF and be heavy enough to cast the 10 more yards I need.

 

I did switch to a 7'3" MHF spinning rod used 30lb Sufex 8 strand 832 braid a sampo BB swivel and 15lb Yo-Zuri copolymer leader. No more losing (along with my heart) fish in the weeds for me. 

Total for less than four hours fishing was 13 bass on nine landed and released, had three go airborne and get off, one my leader broke, missed at least 5 possibly 6 fish due to setting the hook to quickly after they hit.  Most of the fish I set the hook to quickly on literally turned my fluke inside out pulling my 3/0 Owner screw lock hook completely through the fluke. I was astonished and at a loss to explain as how that could happen but I didn't hook the fish. 

Interesting educational and productive night.

13 hours ago, TOXIC said:

Yamamoto’s fluke bait is called a DShad.  Just got back from Lake St Clair and in a bay filled with pencil reeds we cleaned up on largemouth, smallmouth and pike with DShads.  Below is a pic of my box and the colors I throw.  

Just kicks butt owning a fishing boat like yours.

[TOXIC]

Also, the DShad is made from the same plastic as a Senko and as a result is heavier than most other fluke style baits.  I can cast it a country mile weightless but I throw it on straight 6lb mono.  

[CDMTJager]

2 hours ago, TOXIC said:

Also, the DShad is made from the same plastic as a Senko and as a result is heavier than most other fluke style baits.  I can cast it a country mile weightless but I throw it on straight 6lb mono.  

Thank you will order some today as the cabela's and BPS near my home are out of 90% of all popular soft plastic jerkbaits, 100% in best colors (especially my faves) and and 100% out of even Zoom speed worms.

I WISH I could use 6 or 8lb test but I'm a shore fisherman and weeds in my lakes since mid April make that impossible. Yes you can use <10lb test, just be prepared to have your heart crushed when a boss hoss is hooked. I mentioned in a different post in just ONE evening, I lost two (for my lakes) much bigger than average bass and one VERY large bass unquestionably would have been my biggest of the year and a potential PB for that lake using T-rigged 5.25" ZSF because they crashed dived into the weeds and my setup didn't have the ability to horse them out of the weeds. 

I'd LOVE to give finesse fishing a try, even invested $200+ in a finesse specific rod and reel but all of the lakes nearest my home I fish on a daily basis  are so full of weeds shore fishing with 6lb test is just begging to get your heart broken.

I did stumble onto a great deal on a very stable kayak so I will give that a try.

Since that soul crushing night went to a much stouter rod and line.

[Bankbeater]

White Pearl

Watermelonseed

Baby Bass

Bubblegum in early spring

[ChrisD46]

8 hours ago, CDMTJager said:

Thank you will order some today as the cabela's and BPS near my home are out of 90% of all popular soft plastic jerkbaits, 100% in best colors (especially my faves) and and 100% out of even Zoom speed worms.

I WISH I could use 6 or 8lb test but I'm a shore fisherman and weeds in my lakes since mid April make that impossible. Yes you can use <10lb test, just be prepared to have your heart crushed when a boss hoss is hooked. I mentioned in a different post in just ONE evening, I lost two (for my lakes) much bigger than average bass and one VERY large bass unquestionably would have been my biggest of the year and a potential PB for that lake using T-rigged 5.25" ZSF because they crashed dived into the weeds and my setup didn't have the ability to horse them out of the weeds. 

I'd LOVE to give finesse fishing a try, even invested $200+ in a finesse specific rod and reel but all of the lakes nearest my home I fish on a daily basis  are so full of weeds shore fishing with 6lb test is just begging to get your heart broken.

I did stumble onto a great deal on a very stable kayak so I will give that a try.

Since that soul crushing night went to a much stouter rod and line.

I understand your situation being a shore fisherman and the water conditions you face . Consider dropping back to #20 lb. braid and drop back on your leader size to #12 lb. Yozuri Hybrid come-poly line . It’s stronger than you think and you will gain casting distance as well (10+ more yards) . 

[CDMTJager]

23 minutes ago, ChrisD46 said:

I understand your situation being a shore fisherman and the water conditions you face . Consider dropping back to #20 lb. braid and drop back on your leader size to #12 lb. Yozuri Hybrid come-poly line . It’s stronger than you think and you will gain casting distance as well (10+ more yards) . 

Great well appreciated advice.

Just so happens I have the EXACT setup you suggest, I plan on giving it a try for the exact reason you stated to gain another 10-15 yards casting distance as 15 more yards casting will give me access to a very considerable additional amount of pads and weeds. First cast and first bass last evening, I had to go in up to my knees over the top of my 16" high boots to get out a big bass (IMO just shy of 5lbs) who got badly dug into the cattails so figured WTH boots are full feet are soaked might as well wade out another 15 yards. Ended up getting me an additional five bass three were just under 3lbs two were undoubtedly over 3lbs. For this lake any bass over 2lbs is a higher quality bass.