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

[dpage70]

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.

[hairball]

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.

[BassBest]

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.

[smljaw]

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.