walleye colors

[fishintime]

what seems to be the best colors for jigs in rivers for walleye.

[T-rig]

Most people say very bright colors but i also catch them on dark colors.

it all depends on water clarity.

[boondocks]

I have always stuck with charteuse whether the water is clear or stained. I am guessing you will be tipping the jig with a minnow, crawler or some sort of live bait. There really is nothing set in stone when it comes to jig color. The jigs purpose in walleye fishing in most cases is just a tool used to present the live bait.  You want to use the smallest jig you can get away with while still being able to keep in contact with the bottom. I Use bright jigs just to catch the eye of the fish and bring attention to what ever live bait I am using. Its probably more of a confidence thing than anything.

I have heard of people that just use plain lead colored jigs no matter the water color all year long and have excellent luck. I have also heard people say in early spring they use white or glow, late spring and all summer use chartuese, and then in the fall use orange. I pretty much use chartuese all year unless the other person in the boat is useing chartuese, than I'll try I different color. But it seems I always go back to that color.

Chartuese is a good confidence color for me and you will catch fish using it, but even more so I'd say if you ain't confident in this color use one that you are confident in. But seriously. I can't stress enough how of little importance jig color is.

[Bronze12]

Boondocks is right about the chartreuse, it is always a good go-to color.  I have always been a fan of straight white or black jigs.  There colors often have good contrast to the background the fish will be looking into (I don't know if that actually has anything to do with it or not though).  I have always had good luck with these two colors.  

Also, a lot of research shows that walleyes' eyes are best adapted to seeing the color orange.  If you are in a river that kicks up a lot of debris or is slightly stained, this might not be a bad color to try.  I do not have a lot experience with this color on rivers though.

My fall back colors when the white and black aren't doing it; chartreuse and green.  A lot of the time, color won't really make a difference but I have seen many instances where one color would produce over another color hands-down.   These are all good colors to start with and, as always, don't be afriad to try something different.  Also, I find the size and profile of the lure to be the most important factor so make sure to take these into consideration (what will be on the end of the jig?).

[fishintime]

i will be tipping it with a worm. what are the best size jigs to use. i know jig heads differ from moving water and depth but what size seems to work best in what situations

[boondocks]

It all depends on how strong of current you're fishing when fishing rivers. I fish the Missouri River a lot and it has a pretty strong current in areas. Usually when fishing rivers for walleyes you try finding some slack water right off the main current. 1/4oz to 1/2oz is usaully what I use. Are you fishing in a boat? The main thing about slipping with the current in a boat is keeping your jig in contact with the bottom. That usually means keeping your line as vertical as possible.

In lakes you can get by with lighter jigs in the spring, I'll use 1/8oz. When the water warms you can go as heavy as 1/2oz, reason being sometimes a faster fall rate will trigger some strikes and allows you to cover water faster. 1/2oz is getting a little on the heavy side though for lake fishing, I usaully fish a 1/4oz when the water warms.

Are you fishing a river or lake? Boat or shore? It would be of big help to know this.

[T-rig]

He's fishing rivers!

[boondocks]

Oops, I should have opened my eyes.

[future pro]

chartruese is good, also a lime green cause they can see that best or close to it, but also dark colors like black

[chitwnbass]

Walley's eyes are very rod cell heavy.  This allows them to have improved night vision but impares thier ability to distingush color.  Contrast is the key in a walley's sight.  Not only are thier eyes more in tune with contrast but they are more in tune with detecting motion.