Riddle Me This Batman

[Columbia Craw]

In the vast majority of videos I’ve watched about summertime lures, there is a push to use June bug for worms of all sizes and swing head jig trailers.  Rare if at all, is that color mentioned for jigs or jig applications. I still don’t grasp why this is the case.  I’d like to hear your thoughts.

[Pat Brown]

Because color doesn't matter. (that way)

[Sasquatch]

I’ve come to the conclusion color matters less to the fish than to the angler. I’ve consolidated my plastics to having a natural and dark color to each. Rarely do I get a situation where a specific color makes a difference. Dark water dark plastic clear water more natural. 

[Columbia Craw]

These tubers act like it’s June or die. I’m not a June bug fan, 

[Susky River Rat]

I throw colors I like. 

[Jig Man]

I haven’t seen many videos about that.  Personally I haven’t found June bug to be a very good color.  One of my fishing buddies uses it quite often but his success rate hasn’t made me put one on more than a couple of times.

[Ski]

Definitely the color of choice here in Fl. when fishing Tannic water.

[Tennessee Boy]

I cast better when I’m using a pretty color.  😆

[MickD]

Color doesn't matter.   Sometimes.  But at times it matters a great deal.  And the best colors for LMB are not the same colors that are best for SMB.  Plus, water clarity gets into it.  Color is simply one of the many factors that determine whether a fish will eat the lure or not.  

 

If one believes that color doesn't matter, ever, then they'd better have only one color in their box.  Otherwise they are not being honest with themselves.

[Swamp Girl]

I've not used Junebug because I didn't know that I was supposed to use Junebug and I catch a few without it. I don't know if color matters or not. I think @MickD is right, that color doesn't matter until it does. I know I burned through my only six-pack of Crush City's The Mayor in red craw last week and wished I had more. They did seem to prefer it, but who knows? Not me.

[rgasr63]

Junebug,redbug and plum work well in warm tannic water in S.C. as long as there is a dark muck bottom. If the bottom of the lake is rock or sand then not as much so. Color is about confidence with the angler also. That is why the soft plastics wall at the bait shop is the largest display in the whole shop. Jigs are different though my favorite jig is black and yellow. 

[N Florida Mike]

June bug is a top color around here. I do better with it in lower light conditions though. Watermelon red on a sunnier day. Watermelon seed on a cloudy day. Of course , this is in part relying on water clarity. Around here ,  most water is somewhat stained, more clear than murky.

I think colors matter, but maybe not as much as some would like us to think.And if you are more confident in one color over another you will fish it better which = more fish . 😉

[Pat Brown]

3 hours ago, Susky River Rat said:

I throw colors I like. 

 

 

Same.  I just throw colors that match what I see for confidence.  I don't think most bass are gonna care.  I do think sometimes it can help get an extra bite but probably it's usually not the color that makes them eat a lure - all other elements considered.

 

Colors are a confidence thing and sometimes a conditions thing and that's about it.

 

Junebug in the summer?  Heck yeah!

 

It's a good color.  

 

Junebug in the winter?  Heck yeah!

 

It's still a good color.

 

Junebug jigs?  Yep - they work fine.

[TnRiver46]

5 hours ago, Columbia Craw said:

. I’m not a June bug fan, 

I thought we were friends 

[Bankc]

I often pair June bug plastics with black and blue jigs.  They work pretty well around here in our dark, red, stained water.

 

While I think color is important, it's not THAT important.  To me, there are only two colors.  Natural and high contrast.  In clear water, natural colors seem to work better.  In muddy waters, high contrast colors seem to work better.  June bug is just a dark color that provides a good silhouette against the sky, or a good shadow on the bottom.  It works about the same as any other dark color, though I do think the sparkly flakes might help over a straight black sometimes. 

 

Though there are exceptions to every rule, and sometimes the fish prefer exactly what they're not supposed to according to theory.  The fish are the experts on what they want, not the books, forums, or YouTubes.  So listen to the fish. 

[Mobasser]

Junebug works good for me. But, I don't put any stock in the dark/ water, dark/ color theory. I fish clear water mostly, and have caught bass on junebug, black, watermelon, and light purple.  They've all worked, it just depends on the day.

[Reel]

Most of the time for jigs it is deconstructed: ie... blue + purple + green

And like it was said, good in tannic water.

Its what the fish see in certain conditions that is important.  If it corresponds to colors of things often seen and often eaten.. usually they will go for it.

 

Bains work like that... even for humans.

 

[JackstrawIII]

I did an experiment the other morning at a lake where catching bass is usually pretty easy. 

 

I fished the same lure (Keitech Swing Impact Fat) in 3 different colors: green pumpkin shad (matches the forage in this lake), junebug, and white. Caught fish on all 3... but significantly more on the natural "match the hatch" color. 

 

So does it matter? No, since you can catch fish on anything but ultimately yes, cuz you'll catch more if the color is right. 

 

Regarding the OP, the only type of lures where I really like junebug type colors are stickbaits and craws. 

[Choporoz]

I fish five different VA and NC lakes and one tidal river 'regularly'.  I have very nearly 100% confidence in green pumpkin plastics, followed by watermelon variations.  I have zero confidence in junebug.  In one of those lakes, I have developed nearly 100% confidence in plum, which sounds weird to me, but the results are there.  I do throw a black and blue jig at times, which might be sort of june-buggish, but again, I almost always start with GP jig and trailer.

[SC53]

Junebug has always been a consistent color here in Florida regardless of what body of water you fish. It’s color was derived from a color called black grape ( I think Producto lures made the first black grape worm) that they added green flake to. I prefer it with a blue tail myself. The other colors I rely on are okeechobee craw, watermelon red and black blue. For jigs it’s black blue, bluegill and white ( during the Shad spawn). 

[DitchPanda]

46 minutes ago, JackstrawIII said:

I did an experiment the other morning at a lake where catching bass is usually pretty easy. 

 

I fished the same lure (Keitech Swing Impact Fat) in 3 different colors: green pumpkin shad (matches the forage in this lake), junebug, and white. Caught fish on all 3... but significantly more on the natural "match the hatch" color. 

 

So does it matter? No, since you can catch fish on anything but ultimately yes, cuz you'll catch more if the color is right. 

 

Regarding the OP, the only type of lures where I really like junebug type colors are stickbaits and craws. 

This is a perfect example of lots of things work but few are "the thing". To me its the bait equivalency of spot on a spot.

[Team9nine]

10 hours ago, Columbia Craw said:

there is a push to use June bug for worms of all sizes and swing head jig trailers.  Rare if at all, is that color mentioned for jigs or jig applications. I still don’t grasp why this is the case.  I’d like to hear your thoughts.

I’m going with “tradition” and mental hurdles. “Junebug” just doesn’t compute (mentally or physically) as a great base jig color. I’ve seen it as a good looking accent color in some PBJ mixes, as well as a good trailer color in some combination, but an ‘all Junebug’ metalflake skirt just ‘looks’ wrong - lol - but I’ve tried them and caught bass using them…it just ‘felt’ wrong 

[king fisher]

I fish two colors of worms.  Junebug and Green pumpkin.  If one of those colors doesn't work, I fish some other lure.  I often fish jigs, spinnerbaits, and crankbaits that are purple or have purple in them.  Why?  Because I always have.  I was catching bass on purple spinnerbaits long before I found out all spinnerbaits should be white.  Black would probably work just as well, but after only having  black and white TV clear in to the late 80's, I always prefer to have color, and it might as well be purple.

 

Now that I fish lakes where the primary forage is white, I do fish white spinnerbaits, but I still have some purple ones.  One lake I fish the crawfish are black and blue so  black and blue jigs work well, but I'm going to give some jigs with purple a try.

 

I like some purple on my crankbaits, and I don't know why.

[GRiver]

11 hours ago, Ski said:

Definitely the color of choice here in Fl. when fishing Tannic water.

 

9 hours ago, N Florida Mike said:

June bug is a top color around here.

I use it all the time, that and Okeechobee 

[Columbia Craw]

Thanks for all the comments. I can’t explain it. If it has green metal flake it’s like kryptonite on the waters I fish. There are too many productive color schemes to fret over it. I’m just curious by nature.