Crankbait colors for lower visibility

[Pogues2300]

Went to a new lake today and actually did pretty well. The water looks like someone made a green smoothie and threw in some chocolate however lol. When I dropped in a white bait just to test the vis I’d say it was between 1-2 feet depending on where I was. I want to throw crankbaits there in a couple weeks (fall) what colors would you throw. It’s a Minneapolis/metro area natural lake. Thanks. Bluegill I’m sure must be the main forage. 

[Pat Brown]

Never did bad in clear or dirty water with a shad pattern!  I like black chartreuse when it's really muddy but 90% of the time I use a transparent shad pattern even if there's no 'shad around ' for water clarity from gin clear down to 1 foot of visibility.

 

Generally speaking - crankbaits seem more situational and work best when it's windy and fish are very active and most importantly when fish haven't seen a ton of crankbaits 😉

[Pogues2300]

13 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

Never did bad in clear or dirty water with a shad pattern!  I like black chartreuse when it's really muddy but 90% of the time I use a transparent shad pattern even if there's no 'shad around ' for water clarity from gin clear down to 1 foot of visibility.

 

Generally speaking - crankbaits seem more situational and work best when it's windy and fish are very active and most importantly when fish haven't seen a ton of crankbaits 😉

Thanks, yeah it’s a weekday but was pleasantly surprised to just see one other boat in the time I was there. Smaller lake with motor restriction helps.

[king fisher]

I would start with something Chartreuse, if that doesn't work throw something in a shad pattern, if that doesn't work try a different bait.  Crankbaits are one of my favorite baits to fish, and I use them every time I go bass fishing.  That said, if they are going to bite a crankbait it doesn't take long to find out.  If they don't bite right away I try some other type of lure.  If I get a few bites but I am not satisfied with the numbers or size of the bass, and the conditions look good for crankbaits, I will try switching size, make, and color in that order to see if I can find a crankbait that works best.

 

In the past I have stuck with crankbaits for far to long trying to find the magic one.  I am a more diverse angle now, and have learned to let the bass tell me what they want instead of me trying to force them to want crankbaits when they are not in the mood.   

[gim]

I like white and/or chartreuse in that water clarity too.

 

I can't believe you were fishing in this sultry humidity @Pogues2300.  Its nasty out there today!  That's probably why you only saw one other person out there lol

[Pogues2300]

5 minutes ago, gimruis said:

I like white and/or chartreuse in that water clarity too.

 

I can't believe you were fishing in this sultry humidity @Pogues2300.  Its nasty out there today!  That's probably why you only saw one other person out there lol

lol I was there before sunrise…. And still sweat through a shirt lol. Always a good sign when you have to wipe down your windows to drive even though it didn’t rain!

[scaleface]

Fire Tiger is a good choice too.

[casts_by_fly]

If it’s a bluegill based lake, chartreuse with a black back is a go to for that color of water. 

[WRB]

Natural lake this time of year would think the aquatic plants would be an issue using crankbaits, that is where the bluegill and crawdads should be.

Colors are usually lake specific and the bass have no problem finding prey that are camouflaged to the ecosystem.

With crankbaits my 1st thought isn’t color its size and running depth followed by color that gives me confidence. At night and very low light conditions bass have developed keen senses of lateral line nerves to detect creatures moving, close contact hearing, odors and vision to track down prey. Most important the lures needs to be able to perform without snagging.

I find lures with contrasting colors work good most of the time in off color water and purple highlited are good in green water.

Tom

[KP Duty]

Like @Pat Brown, I like Shad colors in nearly all water conditions.  I've read bass see chartruese as a bright white, but bass can't tell me for sure. My favorite in situations like yours is chartreuse shad by Lucky Craft.  Hard to beat a BDS1 or BDS2 in Summer.

[Bazoo]

Bass can see 5x better than we can. I always have had luck with normal colors regardless of water clarity or light conditions. I sometimes will try chartreuse, but not solely because of dingy water.

[Pogues2300]

Thanks all. I guess I knew when I posed the question I would get the responses bass can find natural colors… lol I get they eat forage designed to hide…. I knew I had no chance to phrase the question to avoid this. Seems like a good lake, I’ll try a variety in the coming weeks when fall sets in. 

[J Francho]

I like Lucky Craft MS American Shad, or whatever other companies call their version, in all water clarity and color.  It has just about every color in the spectrum, looks natural, is highly reflective, and simply does well for me.  It's what I'd call a "safe bet" color.

[fishballer06]

39 minutes ago, J Francho said:

I like Lucky Craft MS American Shad

 

I really like their Table Rock Shad for dirty water conditions as well  

[FishTank]

Chartreuse Blue Back, Silver (something reflective), and a bright craw color. Usually one of these three will get bit but the action of the lure sometimes plays a bigger part than the color. Sound, or the lack thereof, can make a difference as well.

 

Also, a white or bone colored crank will git bit in shallow dirty water for me.

[Lottabass]

The lakes I fish have 6 inches of visibility and forage is bluegill.  Use colors mentioned but catch more on black, second choice is black, third choice is black.

[Glenn]

 

[txchaser]

Black makes a really good bluegill imitator in water like that. Craw too. So yeah, some bright white and chart stuff, but black can be the deal. Might try a fire craw or rayburn red color too. 

In crankbaits, I have more really big shallow fish on those colors than any others.

[Columbia Craw]

Size, sound and water displacement are important.  Chartreuse with a blue back is my starting point in that water type.

[Bankbeater]

I fish with chartreuse, black, or a crawfish color with a lot of orange in it. Most of the time around here they are near some type of cover. 

[Pogues2300]

Thanks a bunch for the suggestions. Hopefully going back to that lake tomorrow and I do have several of the suggestions luckily. 

[Scott F]

I’d pay more attention to the vibration and sound the lure makes than the color.  The fish will follow the vibrations they feel.

[Munkin]

Chartreuse or white with a dark back would be my starting point. Rattling baits if the water is unusually murky.

 

Allen

[Pat Brown]

On 8/27/2024 at 10:20 AM, Lottabass said:

The lakes I fish have 6 inches of visibility and forage is bluegill.  Use colors mentioned but catch more on black, second choice is black, third choice is black.

 

 

When it's 12" or less - hard to beat black!

 

Oddly enough also a fantastic color for very clear water.

 

I don't do great in typical stained water with black unless it's got some red/purple/chartreuse/blue accents.

[Team9nine]