Is there a system for matching lure color to water conditions?

Andrew, I think your comment about red becoming black is exactly why it works in muddy water.

In low light conditions, you want a darker bait to provide a greater profile.

Something I've never really understood though is this, if the light penetration is really low, once you get beyond the light, everything is "invisible" so at that point color won't matter at all. As long as there is some light for you to shilouette against, then darker colors will provide that best shilouette, I believe. And on another note, how badly did I spell that word, shilouette?? ha ha

Danny

LMAO....and can't stop. I didn't even know you misspelled it until you mentioned it, so it can't be far off. I won't try to spell it I'll just use your version.

well one thing i do know about lure color is that every lure comes in 100 different shades and every magazine article i've ever read about color suggests that pros stick mostly to 6 or 8. ever wonder why we have a thousand colors in our boxes but we always seem to grab the same ones time after time? we know what works and when it works and we confidence in some colors more than we do others. i know what i like and when i like it. thats just me and my opinion. i think lure manufactures have so much of a selection just because they know we'll buy it. but when its all said and done we always seem to reach for the same colors over and over.

This color discussion reminds me of an article I read way back when I first got into bass fishing. The article revolved around why purple worms were so effective. At that time, they were incredibly popular. Someone explained the science behind it. Purple is a combination of red and blue. Red has the shortest wavelength and blue has the longest. Because of this, red light penetrates only to a shallow depth but blue goes much deeper. Therefore purple is visible at the greatest range of depth.

Heck hairball I wish you would hve told us this earlier, it makes total sense, especially since the best jigs on Ky lake are black/blue, black/blue, black/blue, black/blue, and someone once told me that I should try black/blue.
Don't tell Renegade this, they may go up on their purple worms, they are the only company I can still find a purple worm. Good info.

Don't fall for them. Anyone who's been around fishing for a while remembers when these things came out in the 80's. They were the thing to have to help choose your bait color. Just like red hooks today, IMO. They'll fall out of style in the next year or 2 and make a big comeback in 2029. People will think it's the new, hot thing to buy to catch more fish... The next KVD at that time will promote it like crazy and the sponsorship will love it!

Back to lure color... Keep it simple. Start with dark or bright colors when the water is dirty. Go as natural as possible when the water is clear... I often choose the dirty water colors when the water is clear but I'm fishing on an overcast day. It's all about trying new things some days too.

I remember one day, my buddy Jon, threaded a bright chartruse trailer on a black spinnerbait. I thought he was nuts until he proceeded to catch 3 bass over 5 pounds that day. I use that combo frequently now. Some days it works and some days it blanks.

I try to use the KISS method. KISS, Keep It Simple Stupid. I am the Stupid part of this equation. Dark or bright colors for stained or muddy waters, natural colors for clear water. I still think depth, presentation and CONFIDENCE are way more important than color. When I tie on a Black and Blue jig or Green Pumpkin Tube my CONFIDENCE goes way up for I know they have produced in the past. I don't care if it is muddy, clear, overcast, high blue skies...... I will work the bait with much more precision for I know it will catch fish. Maybe this is one of the big factors between the really good fishermen and a hacker(golf term) like me. They have CONFIDENCE in every bait they tie on from the first cast. I don't. This is also why my boat deck is littered with bait after bait after bait when the fish are not biting for I will keep those Palomar knots coming until I run across something they want. Tied so many that I can tie on a 1/8 oz jig from start to finish in about 15 seconds at night, no lie ask NETBOY.

Tight Lines

ask the crappie fisherman if color matters. when they are pulling cranks for crappie, they will start with 8 to 10 different colors spread out till they find witch colors are working that day then change the rest over to them.

[QUOTE=rooster;557337]ask the crappie fisherman if color matters. when they are pulling cranks for crappie, they will start with 8 to 10 different colors spread out till they find witch colors are working that day then change the rest over to them.[/QUOTE]


You're more or less right about that, Rooster. I'm just curious how this 10yr old thread got revived ?? LOL !!


... pappy

[QUOTE=crappiepappy;557340]You're more or less right about that, Rooster. I'm just curious how this 10yr old thread got revived ?? LOL !!


... pappy[/QUOTE]
I suspect some automated spambot commented on it, bringing it to the top. Then Peter prolly deleted the spammy post but it was still at the top. Happens with a board I run.

[QUOTE=jcb;557343]I suspect some automated spambot commented on it, bringing it to the top. Then Peter prolly deleted the spammy post but it was still at the top. Happens with a board I run.[/QUOTE]

You're probably right, JCB .... there was a post after Elnut's, but it didn't show up when I opened this thread the other day. I thought that was kinda curious, and figured that was what had happened.

The water temps have cooled off quite a bit the last week or so. What are you you guys using now? Lures and colors. My neighbor caught a good one on an orange roostertail Saturday