Best Time to use Chartueuse

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What is the best time to use the color chartreuse? I've never really use this color because I never know what conditions are suitable for fishing it.  I would reaaly like it to become a color I can have confidence in since so many lures are offered in this color.

[mudcatwilly]

I pretty much use Chartruese as my go to spinner color.  In low light or muddy water, I like black with a big colorado blade.  At all other times (and I fish mosty clear to slightly stained water in California) I go with the chartruese or white spinner.  Sometimes in shallow water, I throw a chartruese spinner with a thin purple worm trailer.  I've gotten some crushing strikes that way.

[RoLo]

If I'm not mistaken, chartreuse made its debut as the best color

to use in muddy water. I myself use chartreuse a lot, probably too much.

I particularly like a "black-&-chartreuse" combo because it provides

both a dark and light hue and frees my mind to focus on more important matters.

[Guest camdynfish]

I use chartreuse in any condition.  There are 3 to 4 colors that I ever use and I'm sure some people will disagree but the colors I use are green pumpkin, pumpkin or pumpkin seed, and red shad.  Now with the color pumpkin or pumpkin seed it comes with the chartreuse tail.  I have the best luck with Zoom baits.  But like I said before,  these are the only colors I use in soft plastic baits.    I use the same color with gigs and spinner baits.  Just try these and see if it helps.  I'm not one to brag but I've caught alot of bass with these colors than any other.  

[KenDammit28]

I really like the effectiveness of chartreuse on cloudy days, low light days, or in highly stained to muddy water.  I think its a really good color choice for spinnerbaits in any pond.  I suppose chartreuse crankbaits could be a good choice, too.  I try to avoid any firetiger patterns, but if I can find a good bait that has a simple chartreuse and black/blue/white/whatever color pattern, I'm confident it'll catch fish.  I fished a chartreuse spinnerbait exclusively for about a month and a half (around 9 trips) at the end of this past season and never went a day without catching at least 3 fish.

[Vyron]

All the above + I like 2 use chartreuse blades for my spinnerbaits on cloudy days in case of stain and muddy water

[Guest avid]

Chartruese is a very popular and effective skirt color.  It generally is most effective when the water is stained.

[Matt Fly]

How can color be an issue in muddy water?  Fish can't see anything, they  depends on vibrations to feed.

I have always found chartruese to work when the water starts to get colder, cools off in the fall.    As winter rolls in, water clarity is at its clearest, and yellow tail and other bait fish seem to have more chartruese at this time of the year.  

Why does firetiger work best in fall and early spring and in general, not the rest of the year.  

[basspro48]

I have yet to find a situation where chart. won't catch'em, even in ultraclear water. Chart. is my staple spinnerbait color and I use a lot of chart./black back crankbaits, the only bait I don't ever use chart. is on soft plastics, I tend to use more natural colors for those.

[Will]

I put a dap of chartreuse on all my jigs and worms that are a lighter color, sometimes even on a black or purple worm. It's also a great color for smallmouth bass, I don't know if they hate it or like it but the main thing is they bite it.

[Preston]

good color for smallmouth, even in clear water

[RoLo]

How can color be an issue in muddy water? Fish can't see anything

The thinking goes:

If the fish is above the lure, as it usually is with a bottom lure,

a lighter color like chartreuse will offer the best available contrast

against the darker bottom.

[Matt Fly]

Mud is mud, no visibility.   Mud is defined as zero visibility, where rattles, scents and big blades or wide wobbling cranks are use to trigger the strikes.  

A fish can't see six inches in muddy water, much less 2 inches.  

[Rattlinrogue]

Despite their ability to see it or not,a chartruese spinnerbait in the spring is a go to lure where I'm fishing.They won't touch white.Fall is also a good time for it here,although they also like white in the fall.

[KenDammit28]

How can color be an issue in muddy water? Fish can't see anything, they depends on vibrations to feed.

I have always found chartruese to work when the water starts to get colder, cools off in the fall. As winter rolls in, water clarity is at its clearest, and yellow tail and other bait fish seem to have more chartruese at this time of the year.

Why does firetiger work best in fall and early spring and in general, not the rest of the year.

the three most popular colors in muddy water(look at it from a light penetration perspective, therefore the muddier the water, the darker it is, although not as dark as night) that I've ever been aware of are black, red, and chartreuse.  These colors just simply work where others haven't.  I am positive that it is entirely possible to catch a fish on white or some other color in muddy water, but those are surefire colors to use.  Bass will still use visibility in muddy water, even if its for just a split second when they are 1 foot or 6 inches from a lure or food source.  They will not blindly eat without knowing what it is they're trying to swallow.  A fish is also never essentially "blind", they just have reduced range.

[5bass]

I use alot of deep cranks and one that has chartreuse on it consistently catches more fish(for me).I just think chartreuse shows up better down deep.

Also,if I'm fishing heavily shaded banks with overhanging trees,or in low light,chartreuse is the color I'm throwing.

[Guest avid]

I have yet to find a situation where chart. won't catch'em, even in ultraclear water. Chart. is my staple spinnerbait color and I use a lot of chart./black back crankbaits, the only bait I don't ever use chart. is on soft plastics, I tend to use more natural colors for those.

You may know that I like to fool around with colored paints and dyes.  Well, I was using a pumpkin jig/trailer combo a few months ago.  This color often worked well, but on this day it wasn't producing.  Just on a whim I dipped the twin tails of my grub in chartruese spike it worm dye.  The result wasn't exactly chartruese but it was definitly lighter and greener than the body.  Anyway, the bass were bitin' it really well.  So good in fact that I bought a bag of chartruese twin tail grubs to use as trailers and sure 'nuff they are the "go to" bait some days.  Give that bright Chartruese plastic a try.  There are days when it is killer.

[Yankee_Bassman]

I haven't noticed that it's any better at one time or another. For spinnerbaits, I use chartreuse skirts with chartreuse blades almost exclusively; I try to get pumpkin or watermelon seed worms with chartreuse tails, and had terrific luck in the heat of August throwing those same color lizards with double chartreuse tails alongside lilypad beds and around boulders.

[phisher_d]

For largemouths I like chartreuse/blue skirted spinnerbaits in muddy water and for smallmouths chartreuse is a killer color anywhere.

[Chris]

I use that color as a whole or just a stripe on all the baits I use.

[bixbybasspro]

When the sun is out in the spring,summer,and fall in somewhat clear to stained water, and muddy water.

[.ghoti.]

I once heard, in reference to spinnerbaits, if you're not throwing chartreuse, you're not bass fishing. Don't know about that. I do know that chartreuse is my best spinnerbait color, with white a close second. And black at night. For this last year, my best producing senko was the one with the chartreuse tail. For tubes, it was blue-black first and then anything with a chartreuse tail next. I just started using spike-it this year after reading one of Chris's posts. The only color I have is charteuse. I guess that says something. I have no idea why this color produces, but it does. It looks absolutely unnatural. The only problem I've had is dipped worms. The blugills get all over them.

Having said all that, I still believe that depth and speed/presentation are much more important than color.

Good luck to all,

GK

[fisherman_54]

I live near waurika lake and i have got to say it is really muddy. I have to use chartreuse about every time i go there. chartreuse is just a great color for muddy water.