please explain about colors

[BassMamma1054]

I'm a little confused about this color thing. From what I've read, light colors are best for clear/clean water, while dark colors are best for muddy/stained water. I would think it would be opposite. Wouldn't it be easier for the fish to see a light color in muddy water? It an issue of camoflage for the worm? Please educate me...I'm a Newbie  ???

[GobbleDog]

Color doesn't matter..... much.

But the general rule is: stick with natural colors in clear water and flashier colors in darker water.

[gamblerOH]

In muddy water the fish are focused more on sound and usually only see a outline of their prey, so the darker colors give mostly an outline. I agree with most of your post if  I were worm or jig fishing but when spinnerbait or crankbait fishing in muddy water I usually go with a chartruese so I may be all wrong but it works for me. For me muddy water, dark colored jigs,tubes,worms or lizards. and bright colors on anything that a fish has to chase to eat such as crankbaits or spinnerbaits.

[GobbleDog]

usually only see a outline of their prey, so the darker colors give mostly an outline.

I've heard that too.  You'd think darker colors would disappear in dark water, but not true. The outline of the worm becomes easier to see.

[BassMamma1054]

Thanks  

In this area, the lakes and streams are stained from all the cedars, so they have a reddish color to them.

[Raul]

You can follow two paths Mamma: imitate the surroundings by matching the color of the bait to them ( ex green water = green baits ) or make the bait stand out from the surroundings by choosing either dark baits ( black, red, purple ) or with hot/flashy colors alone or with flakes ( chartreuse, methiolate, pink ) . If imitating the surroundings doesn 't work then make the bait stand out.

[BassMaster]

colors do matter when fishing in certain areas where the bass are very particular in what they eat.  like ponds and small lakes open only on weekends, color does matter.  think of it this way, if you have a clear lure in muddy water, all you're gonna see is what's on the other side of the lure... it becomes invisible, you're not gonna be able to see any outlines or anything, just muddy water on the other side.  but if you have a dark lure in muddy water, the lure makes a silhouette, thus you (and the fish) will be able to see it.  in clear water, you want the most natural colors.  bass get easily spooked in clear water and you don't want anything unnatural to scare the fish. the 2 most basic natural colors are pumpkinseed and watermelon seed.  there are other great natural colors, but those two will keep you covered no matter where you fish.

[bigbill]

First Colors do matter the bass can only see certain colors at certain times beacuse of the hues in the water and the conditions of light too. Anyone that has used a Color C Lector or Combo C Lector will know this. Bill Dance had a Combo C lector on one of his shows and he explained how it works. There is an article here about it too. There is also an article on the net about Dr. Loren Hill he is the guy who made the Combo C Lector and his tests about bass and colors are on the net somewhere too.

In clear water condition; Its smaller sized natural colored baits fished faster.

In stained water conditions; Its medium sized brighter colored baits fished slower.

In muddy water conditions; Its the largest sized brightest colored baits fished the slowest.

In low light conditions like cloudy overcast days and at dusk either in the early mornings or late evenings I have used brighter colored baits with great success. So the condition of the light will influence color too.

Somedays I have used red cranks and only red worked, somedays I have used green cranks and only green worked another day it was brown cranks and brown was the only color that worked. Other days all three colors worked. I was fishing the same place everytime so my test of the Combo C Lector was fair.

KVD uses a combo c lector sometimes too.

I'm a believer in the color thing with bass too while one color may put a few bass in your livewell picking the right color just may load the boat. Never be happy with a few bass, experment with colors too and you will find out what i'm saying is true. BB

If a natural colored bait is working for you and its getting dark as it becomes dusk and the bite slows down just switch to a firetiger or chartruese and the action will continue. They can't see the color you used when it was lighter because the conditions changed.

QUOTE:  Bill Dance once said if the bass could see all of the colors all of the time there wouldn't be a minnow left in the place.

Now i gave you the color thing but the weather (barometer)and the PH is just as important too, just as the moon phases are too.  

[Shad_Master]

The debate about color is almost as popular as what kind of line is best.  One thing that I read years ago is that you have to think of things from the fishes perspective.  We sit up here in the world where the lake is a dark mysterious place and we measure the clarity of the water by how far we can see into it.  Fish on the otherhand, live in the water and see everything with the wide open sky as the back drop.  If the sky is clear, light will penetrate further into the lake and allow the fish to see colors like chartruese, white, etc.  But if the sky or water is dingy they need a darker color to make out what they are seeing.  To really understand this, think of a full moon night.  The fish are looking up and see the back drop caused by the light reflected from the moon.  But to us it is just less dark than normal.  At these times, a bait like a black buzz bait or a black worm can work great because they will standout from the overall "brightness" that the fish sees.

[Glenn]

Here's some great articles about color selection:

http://bassresource.com/beginner/color_fishing.html

http://bassresource.com/beginner/Choosing_Colors_selection.html

Enjoy!  ;D

[BassMamma1054]

Thanks, Glenn!

I read both articles, and found them helpful.

I've been fishing a private lake in my development.

I have no idea how deep the water is, but it is stained by cedars. I've had good luck here with "bubblegum" .  My son and I will be trying a near-by reservoir soon (also stained). See what happens  

[BD]

Best of luck, please let us know what happens.

[SENKOSAM]

Color, in my opinion, confirms lure form and dimensions.

Lure action (vibration) and form, are lateral-line specific and are usually the first detected by a fish's senses.

For example, you hear a train approaching in the dark, but until you see it emerge, you can't be sure it's not just a recorded, amplified sound. It's a wait and see proposition.

A fish hears a splash and is alerted to an object's subsurface vibrations once the object moves vertically or horizontally. It faces the object and may swim over to investigate within visual range.

The object's color or shading, contrasts against a background and helps the fish confirm it's dimensions and action once within visual range. Now the fish can use sight and sound to target the object.

Can color be as much a provocation as lure vibration and action? Are some colors better than others in a few instances and for certain lures?

I believe so, as do many that have had anecdotal experiences and that have been repeated year after year.

If given the choice between a black grub and a chartreuse grub with black flakes, I prefer the latter 100% of the time. I pour my own Senko knockoffs and prefer any color than black for any conditions.

Do anglers catch fish on black grubs or Senkos. Sure they do! Could they catch fish on them in my local waters? Yep! But my experiences just about force me to have confidence only in colors I believe contrast and standout, even if only clear with flash.

Cloudy days have seen a bunch of fish caught on white or florescent colors, but bright days and murky water see me using any lure they will bite on, regardless of color, which is secondary and never a universal choice or rule.

My suggestion is to keep color choices simple for where you fish and keep in mind that today's wonder color or lure may be ignored for years to come. Light, dark and in between. The choice is yours, more so than the fish's.