Simplifying color choices-list your "go to" colors

[Shadcranker]

I've developed a "system" of sorts for basic colors that work in almost all conditions, so as to keep the bait monkey at bay.

It's very intimitating trying to have every possible shade of color in every type of bait (much less figure out a way to pack and store all the crap in your boat).

Here's what I do. Please share your ideas too:

Crankbaits:

Craw colors -in Winter / Spring time shallow and med deep models (shad raps, bandit 200's, etc.)

Shad patterns -(just go for TN shad looking most of the time)- own it in every size and depth range (this should be the staple of your cranking arsenal).

Chartreuse baits- own very few in smaller winter / spring baits. Own several in DD 14 and DD 22, for offshore summer time ledge fishing. Go to color is chart w/ blue back.

Jerkbaits / topwaters:

2 basic colors- shad or bone and a chart pattern

Rattle traps:

2 colors- red and chrome and blue

Spinnerbaits / buzzbaits:

Buy 95 % white or chart and white. Then have a small supply of spare blades and skirts to change on the lake if needed. Only other colors I buy are chart, and wh/chart/blue (except for night fishing, and that's another issue all together).

Soft Plastics: basicaly just trying ot have a dark and light color in each type. Only "third" color class would be pearl or shad color, used primarily in flukes, swimming worms, and senkos. Also, buy a jar of chart dippin dye to customize as needed.

Grubs:

Buy three basic colors- smoke, watrmelon green, and chart. This covers it all.

Tubes:

two primary colors- green (watermelon or green pumpkin) and one dark (usually black n blue or junebug).

Worms:

Two basic colors- red (red shad or red bug) and purple. Only exception would be trick worms, where you'd want some white, green, and bright colors.

Craws:

One light (green) and one dark (black based)

Jig trailers:

3 basic colors- watermelon, green pumpkin, and black / blue

Senkos:

3 basic colors:

white, watermelon, junebug or one dark

Creatures:

two colors- one green based and one dark (junebug)

Toads:

2 colors-white and green/black of some sort (my go to color is Catapila)

Finesse Worms:

3 basic colors- watermelon, green pumpkin, and junebug

Sweet Beavers:

2 colors- Watermelon and black n blue

Lizards:

Two basic colors- watermelon and pumpkin pepper

You should pick your own go to color in each basic color group (white, chart, green, and dark). Mine for instance are:

white= pearl

chart cranks= chart and blue

shad cranks= TN shad

green= watermelon

dark=junebug

What I've found is that now when the monkey grabs me, I end up buying two of the bait instead of four or five. Saves $$, confusion, and space in the boat.

With those basic colors, I feel like I could fish on any lake I need to and do fine.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

Lipped Cranks - I like cranks with dark backs .... Probably the 3 main patterns I use are Chartreuse with black back, a shad pattern, and firetiger.

Lipless Cranks - Chrome and Blue

All Plastics - Green Pumpkin, Green Watermelon, Black

Jigs - Various shades a green, brown and black

Jerkbaits- white, baby bass, clown

Spinnerbaits/Buzzbaits - I hard EVER use them, but when I do it's usually Chartreuse and White

Over the past couple years I have really tried to simplify my color selection and am firmly starting to believe that color is way over rated.

[CJ]

There's been alot of talk about lure colors and their effect.I still just can't simplify them.It may be a confidence thing but I think the right color selection for a paticular lake,on that day,can give you an edge.Drop-shot for example,color seems to factor in clear lakes with this technique.JMO

[jdw174]

Jerkbaits/lipless cranks.............Chrome/blk back

Crankbaits...............................shad color/parrot

soft plastics..............................red shad/watermelon/root beer/junebug

jigs/trailers...............................black/blue, brown/black

Anything else is like a baloney sammich.....Ok to have but not a necessity

[castaway]

I use Shad colored cranks and they work well,even though there are no shad in the lakes that I fish ?  I think its more of having the right lure presentation than it is a color thing. Ivan

[Brad_Coovert]

My basic colors for baits are some variation of these colors, depending on brand:

Crankbaits and topwaters:

Chrome/Blue

Gold/Black

Firetiger

Bluegill

Solid shad color

Translucent shad color

Spinnerbaits:

White

White/Chartreuse

Chartreuse/Green

Jigs:

Browns

Blacks

Greens

Whites

Soft plastics:

Watermelons

Green Pumpkins

Blacks

Purples

Pumpkins

Reds

Brad

[Catt]

Plastics:

Cinnamon Pepper Neon/June Bug Laminated (Camouflage)

Starry Night

Junebug/Blue Tail

Black Blue

Black Neon

Watermelon Neon

Spinner Baits: White Skirt Double Gold Willow Leaf

Lipless Crank Bait:

Red Chrome

Gold/Black Back /Orange Belly

Jerk bait: Gold/Black Back /Orange Belly

Top Water: Bone

Buzz Bait: White Skirt/Gold Blade

Jig:

Black Blue

Black Neon

Bream Flashes

[roadwarrior]

Is this too simple?

Everything dark plus a few white, white/chartreuse, silver and silver/black.

My "go-to" color is green.

[ww2farmer]

Soft plastics: Green pumpkin, watermelon, watermelon w/red flake, red shad, pumpkin seed, june bug, black, black w/blue flake, white (two exceptions to this are: I like to use zoom bubble gum trick worms, and zoom baby bass flukes)

Spinner/buzz baits: White, Chart.+white, chart., fire tiger, and black

cranks (lipless, shallow, and diving): baby bass, bluegill, perch, firetiger, red craw,

brown craw, green craw, chrome/blue, chrome/black, gold and black

jerk baits(suspending and floating): silver/black, gold/black, perch, fire tiger, clown, baby bass

jigs: green pumpkin, brown, black/blue

top waters: baby bass, silver/black, perch, frog, fire tiger

Those would be the basic's IMHO, even though I have a million more colors ;D

[.ghoti.]

Simple.

Plastics, dark

Spinnerbaits, white

Cranks, natural

That's all folks.

Cheers,

GK

[Dan:]

I usually like to keep it simple with a dark color, a light color and then maybe an in between. then if I feel like it, i'll experiment with a red/blue/etc...

[Fish Man]

plastics:tequilla sunrise,pumpkin,watermelon gold flake

spinnerbaits:chartruese,gold shiner

in line spinners:frog,gold shiner,yellow

cranks:baby bass,gold shiner

topwater:baby bass,bull frog

buzzbait:chartruese

i love my greens,golds,an yellows  ;D

[Raul]

Any color is fine ----> as long as it is black

But, hey, who can resist all those pretty colors the manufactures have on their baits ? not me, I 'm a sucker for brightly colored baits.  

[KenDammit28]

lol, I thought it was funny that the topic is "simplifying" colors and then the posts have 40 different things listed for colors.  Not pickin on you guys, just got a chuckle out of it.

Simple colors

Green, Black, White, Blue

everything I own and use is some sort of combination of those 4 colors with the odd red flake or something like that in soft plastics(I don't count those as "colors", so to speak)

All my crankbaits are patterned after things like crawdads, bluegill, bass(I only own 5)...my topwaters are mostly bullfrog(green) with some yellow, or they are black or white.

the oddest colored thing I own is a red spinnerbait and that ain't too odd.

[Raul]

Hey Ken, you 've got to be more specific, "red" spinnerbait doesn 't tell us anything ..... what hue of red ?  

[KenDammit28]

well, its a little bit of a crimson color with gold sparkles in it and the skirt has a "scale" pattern on some of the strands and some are also that shiny plastic type(forget the name of the material at the moment).  

[Maxximus Redneckus]

I've developed a "system" of sorts for basic colors that work in almost all conditions, so as to keep the bait monkey at bay.

It's very intimitating trying to have every possible shade of color in every type of bait (much less figure out a way to pack and store all the crap in your boat).

Here's what I do. Please share your ideas too:

Crankbaits:

Craw colors -in Winter / Spring time shallow and med deep models (shad raps, bandit 200's, etc.)

Shad patterns -(just go for TN shad looking most of the time)- own it in every size and depth range (this should be the staple of your cranking arsenal).

Chartreuse baits- own very few in smaller winter / spring baits. Own several in DD 14 and DD 22, for offshore summer time ledge fishing. Go to color is chart w/ blue back.

Jerkbaits / topwaters:

2 basic colors- shad or bone and a chart pattern

Rattle traps:

2 colors- red and chrome and blue

Spinnerbaits / buzzbaits:

Buy 95 % white or chart and white. Then have a small supply of spare blades and skirts to change on the lake if needed. Only other colors I buy are chart, and wh/chart/blue (except for night fishing, and that's another issue all together).

Soft Plastics: basicaly just trying ot have a dark and light color in each type. Only "third" color class would be pearl or shad color, used primarily in flukes, swimming worms, and senkos. Also, buy a jar of chart dippin dye to customize as needed.

Grubs:

Buy three basic colors- smoke, watrmelon green, and chart. This covers it all.

Tubes:

two primary colors- green (watermelon or green pumpkin) and one dark (usually black n blue or junebug).

Worms:

Two basic colors- red (red shad or red bug) and purple. Only exception would be trick worms, where you'd want some white, green, and bright colors.

Craws:

One light (green) and one dark (black based)

Jig trailers:

3 basic colors- watermelon, green pumpkin, and black / blue

Senkos:

3 basic colors:

white, watermelon, junebug or one dark

Creatures:

two colors- one green based and one dark (junebug)

Toads:

2 colors-white and green/black of some sort (my go to color is Catapila)

Finesse Worms:

3 basic colors- watermelon, green pumpkin, and junebug

Sweet Beavers:

2 colors- Watermelon and black n blue

Lizards:

Two basic colors- watermelon and pumpkin pepper

You should pick your own go to color in each basic color group (white, chart, green, and dark). Mine for instance are:

white= pearl

chart cranks= chart and blue

shad cranks= TN shad

green= watermelon

dark=junebug

What I've found is that now when the monkey grabs me, I end up buying two of the bait instead of four or five. Saves $$, confusion, and space in the boat.

With those basic colors, I feel like I could fish on any lake I need to and do fine.

 man you been lookin in my tackle boxes but you didnt see my PEARL WHITE grubs

[roadwarrior]

lol, I thought it was funny that the topic is "simplifying" colors and then the posts have 40 different things listed for colors. Not pickin on you guys, just got a chuckle out of it.

Simple colors

Green, Black, White, Blue

everything I own and use is some sort of combination of those 4 colors with the odd red flake or something like that in soft plastics(I don't count those as "colors", so to speak)

All my crankbaits are patterned after things like crawdads, bluegill, bass(I only own 5)...my topwaters are mostly bullfrog(green) with some yellow, or they are black or white.

the oddest colored thing I own is a red spinnerbait and that ain't too odd.

You left out chartreuse and silver, otherwise I agree!

[Alpster]

My philosophy is that fish don't have a color chart and my baits of all types are some shade of black/gray, white/silver or chartruse/green. I think that fish respond more to contrast, flash and sillouettes than specific colors.  JMHO

Ronnie

[Bassn Blvd]

Worms:  Only 3 colors I use. Period.  Watermelon seed, june bug and red shad

Traps. Chrome with black top or with a blue top. Period.

Cranks:  Shad color or brim color.  Period

Topwater plugs:  Gold or silver Rapala or frog colored Chug Bug. Period.

Spinner baits:  White, chartreuse.  Period

ENOUGH SAID  > > > > > >

[TrickyVT1887]

I find its great to simplify colors to your go to colors such as watermelon seed or red shad or black all the colors listed by everyone work for them and they have confidence, but one other way to simplify your tackle choices is to analyze your condition or where you are fishing, instead of bringing all your tackle find out what the conditions are going to be like if there is a cold front bring things that are more conducive to the condition, or if you are familiar with the body of water your going to fish prepare a tackle bag especially for that body of water.

[dink]

Bassin nailed it.  Now, I do have favorite or "go-to" colors, but they differ from lake to lake.  And, I have fished lakes all across the country, so I guess my go-to colors would start with the entire Zoom color chart. ;D

Agreed, if green pumpkin were the only color soft plastic made people would still catch fish.  Yet, that would also take out one of the "fun factors" of fishing, "Hmmmmm..which color do they want today?"  Also, green pumpkin (only used as an example due to its popularity) can be outperformed on any given day by the thousands of other colors made.  So why not keep a bunch of colors?  If having fun is contingent on catching fish then I say pick one or two "go-to" colors.  But if 'just fishing' is what you like to do, then color up.

[Bud]

Shadcranker

You have hit it right on the head.    Bud

[KenDammit28]

lol, I thought it was funny that the topic is "simplifying" colors and then the posts have 40 different things listed for colors. Not pickin on you guys, just got a chuckle out of it.

Simple colors

Green, Black, White, Blue

everything I own and use is some sort of combination of those 4 colors with the odd red flake or something like that in soft plastics(I don't count those as "colors", so to speak)

All my crankbaits are patterned after things like crawdads, bluegill, bass(I only own 5)...my topwaters are mostly bullfrog(green) with some yellow, or they are black or white.

the oddest colored thing I own is a red spinnerbait and that ain't too odd.

You left out chartreuse and silver, otherwise I agree!

I'd consider them to be aember of the green and white family  

[Lil Baby Cousin Ray-Ray]

how mucn does color really matter. im not sure about how fish pick up the light spectrum but i know that for humans yellow-green is the easiest color to see. there must be a color like that for fish.