Do you ever get lost in all the fishing lure color options? There’s such a variety of lure colors to choose from, and so many look terrific. If you’re having trouble deciding what color Bomber Fat Free Shad to tie on, a great way to get started is to consider a few basic questions. And it’s helpful to consider possible answers to these questions while you’re still at home, so you can be well stocked with the colors you need when you are at the lake.
What Color is the Water?
Water color leads the list of determining factors in the minds of most bass and walleye pros. Clear water, generally speaking, calls for muted tones and colors that match natural forage. Modest stain calls for more opaque colors, and dirty water demands something highly visible. In really dirty water, veteran anglers like really dark colors or ultra-bright colors, especially chartreuse. Looking at
YUM Mega Tube colors as an example, an angler’s go-to selection might include
Ozark smoke for clear water,
green pumpkin copper flake for modest stain and
black neon for muddy water.
How About the Skies?
Skies affect color choices in a similar way and must be considered in conjunction with water color. Generally speaking, bright skies dictate light, natural colors and dark skies suggest dark colors. Even in very clear water, an angler might choose a dark color on a dismal day when thick clouds and misty rain are keeping much light from penetrating the water column.
What’s on the Menu?
It’s important to consider whether the bass are likely to be eating in the specific area where you are putting your baits. Many anglers automatically throw shad colors if they know a lake has a lot of shad in it. However, if you are fishing a
Cotton Cordell Super Spot over a shallow grass bed, the bass in that grass are far more likely to be eating crawfish than shad. Therefore, copper craw or Texas red would be a much better color selection than chrome/blue or something else that imitates a shad.
What Have You Heard?
Don’t discount local colors or recent “hot” colors. Often there’s something subtle about the coloration of the bluegills, the behavior of a certain type of forage or the color of the bottom or the water that causes particular color (or range of colors) to shine in a lake. If you hear the lake you’re planning to fish is a “green lake” be sure to stock up on your favorite
YUM baits in colors like watermelon seed and green pumpkin.
Are the Fish Telling You Anything?
Finally, be willing to experiment and let the fish dictate what they want. Switch colors periodically without changing any other variables, and pay attention to details when the fish hit. Trolling anglers, whether they are pulling
Cotton Cordell Grappler Shads for walleyes or
YUM Wooly Beavertails for crappie, commonly start out with a mix of colors, and often a single rod gets all the action until they begin amending the spread to add in more of the “color of the day.”