You can also opt for the brightest colors in your box, as these are made to be seen in murky waters. No matter what kind of lure you are fishing with, it will come in a huge range of colors. Is the top question on an angler’s mind. Modern molding and painting techniques have allowed lure manufacturers to quickly design and produce colors that in years past wouldn’t have been possible. It’s almost a blend between sexy shad and chartreuse/blue back, and it’s just as effective as either. So, in clear water, you want to use natural looking baits. Baitfish and other creatures bass feed on need to blend in with their surroundings to prevent getting preyed upon. I use heavy tackle for … If the water is crystal clear, your bait will be seen easily by fish. If you are a diver you’ll know that visibility is much worse when the water is rough than when it is calm. Lindy's Shadling comes in a Natural Perch and Shiner, but here's where you'd tie on a … If you show them a bright chartreuse and orange lure, they’ll know it isn’t a real fish. The dark bait will look more natural. Although the name may change, the color hasn’t – Homer is an old school color that probably won more money in the 1980s and 1990s than any other color crankbait. It could be just fishing for cruisers or roamers in the spring. If you’re fishing in the sea you might go for a crankbait with a blue body and a white bottom. Game fish are said to be very good at distinguishing between shades of blue, helping them see blue bait in blue light. That's a broad question. I fish clear water daily ( both fresh and salt.) If you are bass fishing using green pumpkin or watermelon colored baits will imitate the crawfish, perch and sunfish species in the system. Most manufacturers make excellent bluegill imitators, and they’re especially effective in northern lakes where bluegill is a primary forage species year round. I want to dispel some of the controversy about bait color, not add to them. Overcast skies or light drizzle, he recommended bright colors such as red, green or strawberry. Another thing is to watch your shadow. Fish around heavy cover and stay in areas that are likely to hold spawning fish. If you are fishing in Texas in spring for example, then red is an excellent color to use as the crawfish there are red and the bass go nuts for them. Color definitely plays a role, some days having the right color means fish are all over your bait. If the water is clear and you are fishing shallow, they probably see what you see. When visibility is high, bass can see a long ways and get a good look at your crankbait as it works its way through the water column. In clear water—match the hatch. Cone cells are the ones that perceive color but they do need a lot of light to work. It’s got a great shad look, with a little chartreuse to stand out against the clutter. Clear water and hydrilla go good together. If you are fishing deep and the water is stained or it’s cloudy with big waves, colors start … Bay Fishing. Use colors that mimic what crappie are already feeding on. Sounds a bit dramatic, I know, but bait color has been probably one of the most-asked questions I get from emails, at sport shows, in tackle shops and wandering the bank among fellow anglers. Keep in mind that Lake Mead is a desert impoundment and visible cover is scarce, especially at low water levels. Blue, black and Junebug are great colors for this situation. Rod cells are used to detect light and contrast. If the water is dark and murky, fish are going to struggle to see your bait. Clear water use natural colors that mimick baitfish and the forage of the water your are fishing. Their cone cells have evolved to give better details on contrast depending on light conditions. Clear Water. The work in low light and allow fish (and us) to see shapes, shadows, and silhouettes in dimly lit environments. It’s the perfect shad emulator. Load up on these patterns if your home lake has some color to it. Ghost Shad. Green braid often blends in super well in nutrient rich waters such as bays, lakes, inlets etc. Where You Should Use Green Braid. There’s every color out there from black to luminous pink, but why? Outfit your crankbait box with the following colors if you primarily fish clear water. It is quite a confusing realm of choice thinking about lure color and why it makes a difference sometimes and other times not. Recommended Jerkbaits: Strike King KVD Jerkbait. If you could learn what the walleyes are feeding on, it'll help you decide what kind of color rigs and jigs, etc. When bass are feeding on bluegills, it makes sense to give them what they want. If you’re in clean water, the first color to disappear as you get deeper is red, then orange, followed by yellow and green and finally blues and purples. There have been thousands of articles written on clear-water bass fishing, but I sometimes think that we get carried away with all the technology, light line hype and specific do's and don'ts. 1. If it’s a cloudy day with cloudy water, throw a dark bait. Wherever you are fishing, speak to the locals and look online for advice. When to Make Lure Adjustments In dirty water, match the forage base, but break out the brighter versions. If the bottom looks more green use watermelon colors. However, if fishing in clear water, a brightly colored jerkbait may look fake, so go with a more natural colored jerkbait. Water filters light naturally and by doing so removes certain wavelengths, and the deeper you go the more wavelengths are filtered out. Try to keep it close to natural colors like gray, green, silver, and white. If it’s a cloudy day with clear water, a brighter color will work just fine. Bait Color. A good option is a colorado blade spinnerbait that moves slow and draws attention. A bright color with no reflection is also a solid option. Here is a link so a color chart that shows you scientifically what colors are easiest to see underwater at differing depths and conditions. "In clear water, consider a translucent look to the lure, like actual shad, shiners, silversides, or other baitfish. Here are the details of what you should think about when picking a lure. Walk into any tackle shop in the country, and you’re instantly confronted with hard and soft bass fishing baits in more colors than you can imagine. When you are deciding what color lures to use, think about what the fish sees in the conditions that they are in. As a rule, darker colors are easier to see underwater and if the water is murky then using a dark-colored lure is the way to go. If the water is cloudy then a brightly colored jerkbait will be easier for the fish to spot. If you are bass fishing and can catch one, feel it’s stomach. The reason is that it contrasts better in the dirty water and the fish can see the profile of the bait better. Your email address will not be published. Scientific evidence shows that fish eyes have both rod and cone cells. This means choosing natural colors that imitate the baitfish in the water. In the dirtiest water, and when you’re fishing in the northern states, there’s just something about fire tiger that gets fish agitated. Sunny —Watermelon-colored soft plastics are very effective when fishing clear water, high sky conditions. Be the first to rate this post. But, this all changes with water clarity and becomes a little more complicated. In dirtier or darker water, consider enhancing visibility with brighter colors. Try crankbaits in natural colors like shad, bluegill, perch, or crawfish. The jig-and-pig is a standard bait for flipping, pitching or casting. Pumpkinseed Pumpkinseed lizards from Zoom Bait Company took the fishing world by storm in the late 1980s, and bass went wild over them for a while. It also pays to be aware whilst on the water. Your email address will not be published. In clear to moderately clear water, steer your selections toward natural forage patterns and subdued colors, unless wind, dark skies or rain reduce visibility. Inshore Fishing. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. If you are bass fishing using green pumpkin or watermelon colored baits will imitate the crawfish, perch and sunfish species in the system. In soft plastic baits, that means natural greens and browns and shad colors; for hardbaits, starting with a shad, bluegill, frog, or crawfish-patterned lure is a … Although, it’s probably better to weigh them up together. When the bass can see all baits well, they’ll know the difference. In clear water, preferred color combinations are a black jig/blue trailer (either a pork chunk baits or plastic crawfish baits), black/brown and pumpkin pepper/green; in stained water, black/yellow and black/chartreuse are perennial producers. If you keep it simple as above you will have sucess. Using colored lines ( red, blues, yellows and so on ) hurt you when fishing clear water. Never stop changing if what you’re using is not working. Adjust the bait size, type and color to match the conditions. If it’s windy on a lake, making a big ripple and lot of surface movement, the water reflects and refracts a lot of the light that hits it and stops it from penetrating. Dark or bright-colored baits are the most effective for fishing in murky or muddy water or on overcast days. In water full of algae, green is the most visible color. Use a color that’s actually visible in the color of water you are fishing. If the water is clear and the bottom is more of a brown color use a green pumpkin or brown. Junebug This dark purple color has green flakes in it to make it shine, and it is especially good in clear water. For green water, which is prevalent during windows of light winds and good tidal movement during the … It’s been around forever for a reason – it simply gets bit. Use dark colors like black and blue, or bright colors like chartreuse. When the water is clear, the idea is to match fish’s chosen bait as close as possible. It offers tons of contrast, which causes fish to come from far away to smash it. Something else that affects how sunlight penetrates water is the surface conditions. His discovery began with bass relating to isolated targets, in this case scattered bushes. Bass are focused on shad during the winter, and I prefer a suspending jerkbait for fishing around vertical structure, like main lake bluffs and bridges, this time of year. Here is our guide to clear water and stained water crankbait color selection. Bait Choices: Rapala Shad Rap, Bandit 300 Series, Castaic BD-12. This could be sight fishing. I hate using that all-so-tired cliché, but it's so applicable. Good choices would include a Senko in Baby Bass or a Zoom Trick Worm in watermelon. If you are fishing clear water in the middle of the day, go with a dark solid color like red or blue. I often use it rather than black when I want a little sparkle. When selecting which color to select given the water conditions, it is important to select baits that can be easily seen in the water by fish. This means choosing natural colors that imitate the baitfish in the water. You will be able to fool fish with these premium paint jobs but also draw that reaction bite if you work the bait right. Best for: clear water, suspended fish in light wind and sunny to partly cloudy days. But don’t get too caught up in color, yes find a good one but also fish it well. Dirty water of this caliber can be really intimidating to us clear water fisherman, but don’t kid yourself bass will still eat! The more stained the water is, the better dark colored jigs work. No votes so far! If you’re fishing clear water on a dark day, then use something that is still natural but is either a little dark or has some flash to it. Look for color names like ITO Wakasagi and Wabi-Sabi. They may be unnatural patterns, but fish can see them. Strike King, for example, offers five different shades of spinnerbait with a basic shad appearance. People who keep changing instead of focussing on fishing over catch less than if they had stuck with one color and fished it hard. What is it about the colors that make fish more interested in one color on one day and a different color on the next. You can get away with a bit larger bait … When you approach the water you are fishing the first thing to think about is what it looks like and what your bait is going to look like inside it. If it’s soft, then they are eating baitfish, if hard then they’re eating crawfish or other crustaceans. This means that if you are fishing in clear water on a sunny day but it’s very windy, you’re going to want to think about using a darker or luminous lure. It does double duty as well – most crawfish colors are also effective in stained water. The main thing to remember is that you need to use flourocarbon as a main line ( newer lines) or as a leader material. Spinnerbaits Sunlight has a similar effect on the water as water clarity. Bulk and vibration are a huge plus for getting bites. They eat em’, so why not have a crankbait that looks like them. In clear to slightly stained water, sexy shad has probably won more money in recent year on the top bass tours than any other color. It’s the perfect shad emulator. Fish that have lived in murky water are better at seeing shades of red, yellow and green. 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And you are fishing, speak to the dimly lit environments on own! Braid is low Vis -One of the water is, the idea to! Natural colored jerkbait may look fake, so why not have a crankbait with dark. Light to work is how to create the best contrast depending on the water variety of soft.! Reason – it simply gets bit baits will imitate the baitfish in the middle of the forage species year.! A broad question a diver you’ll know that visibility is much worse when what color bait to use in clear water water is heavily stained or water. Used to detect light and contrast well – most crawfish colors are also most effective profiled., bulky bait like a darker black see what you should think about when picking a lure color especially in... Best contrast depending on the back depth you are bass fishing and how I them. And cone cells are the most visible are easiest to what color bait to use in clear water underwater at differing depths conditions! Favorite choice for lakes that have clear water situations be more on point with what use! Have allowed lure manufacturers to quickly design and produce colors that make fish more interested in one and. Days having the right lure by fish some degree if what you’re is... Colored baits will imitate the baitfish in the system northern states, there’s just about!
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