Thread: Do you think color matters?

Originally Posted by eagle 1

I think it can make a difference but also think size of bait should have equal consideration . I used to fish mainly 1/8 during the spawn but have discovered that trying different size has triggered more bites than color change . Fishing 1/100 jigs at bay springs and could not get a bite on a 1/32 made me rethink what I had been doing for years . We all have jigs we start with according to water clarity so I change size on my 3rd color change as a rule now . jmo .

Very well said....i think color does matter to some degree but to me presentation and the size matter even more i have believed that for years but it was drove home to me on a few early trips this year our lake was low due to drawdown and i could see my stakebeds and was tightlining the small stingers i make and would catch a fish or two on each spot and this same thing happened on several beds i knew the fish were there so i decided to try my tiny grubs(i just had gotten the mold and this was the first time i tried them)and it was a bonanza after that i would pitch that small bait into the same beds i had fished with a slightly larger bait and we must have caught 100 or so fish in short order.Not only does a person need to play with colors on a given day but if you know fish are there and won't bite what your using try to switch up styles and sizes also you might just get a surprise.....

Originally Posted by kickingback

Colors reflect what type of bait the fish are hitting. Sometimes they are chasing shad, sometimes minnows, sometimes other predator fish. They are all different colors too. You have to experiment and see what the fish are eating. Sometimes they just can't stand ANY color around them so they bite out of aggression trying to get the jig out of their territory. I firmly believe the UV factor makes a difference on the jigs as well. The sun can make the jig look like gold under whater with the right colors. That's why some people use UV paint to draw a bite. You have to use all the colors you can to find the right bite.

I agree with the different colors of baitfish etc and the reaction bites, but Most fish have been proven to see in the same color spectrum as us except at night...then fish like Crappie and Wallleye see in HD black and White....Recent research has shown that fish do not see UV light and most researchers have jumped off the UV coating bandwagon!
On thing I have notice is that the Dye I use is suppose to have UV BLAST in it (????) but it does make the Fluorescent colors brighter.

I fish with other buddies that fish exactly the way that I do....the good thing about that is that I have been able to experiment with different things while we are out...and this helped us all.
Once we are catching fish, I will start experimenting with different colors, shapes, and sizes to see if they work during different patterns. We also track craws, baitfish size, hatches of insects, and what's in Crappie bellies, etc.
It is true that they will key in on certain colors, they key in on certain shapes and sizes also.
In early Spring (AT OUR LAKE, 2500 acres, stained) they will key in on small 2 inch natural minnows, so a smoke Silver Glitter or Bluegill color works best....then as the water warms they will start feeding on 3 inch Shad, so Shad Colors start coming into play....during the Spawn ANYTHING will work, I have thrown paper bits, foil, and bits of plastic bags on my hook and caught fish just to prove points. After the spawn craws are out heavy, shad, and other baitfish are eaten to recover from the spawn, again they will hit about anything!
Then when the heat hits, things start to slow down in the day time and you have to down-size. This is when I fish at night, they will feed heavy at night and vibration, smell, etc, takes over from color...some days glow colors work also!
When the shad fry are about and inch, they start keying in on those colors, they will take other fry, but the smell of shad just calls out sushi to them!
In-between all of this, you have freshwater shrimp hatches in certain states, insect and larval hatches, and worms....so besides all the feeding bite colors, you have reaction bite colors also.
If you can pattern your lake, like we have, it cuts down on what you have to carry throughout the year!

Good Fishing!

Originally Posted by scrat

I hope color matters or I have bought a bunch of different color jigs and lures this week for nothing. I did see a video on youtube were a man said he used only two colors of jigs. One was black/chartreuse and the other white/ chartreuse. He said that by using these two he would start with the black/char and if they didn't bite he would go to the white/char. He said by doing this he went from one light spectrum to the absolute other spectrum. I don't know so I am going to set back now and read what others say.

You can bet your bottom dollar that it matters as long as you have chartreuse in the lure and fish it on a pink jig head. Fish it V-E-R-Y slow and then slow down your retrieve some more. As Bugman said, size matters. I stick with 1/16th and 1/32nd jig heads fished on four pound Stren HI Vis yellow line. These are all you really need. Works for me.

chartreuse and chartreuse
chartreuse and white
chartreuse and pink
chartreuse and aqua
chartreuse and black
chartreuse and flo orange

Very interesting discussion! In all my years of fishing, I've always been of the mind set that the primary factors to fishing success are depth and speed control (Buck Perry's concept from the 60's). And I've always treated color as the 3rd or 4th. in terms of importance. However, with these darn fish that we are here about - crappie mainly - I've re-thought this factor.

Take yesterday for instance. In my post in the New England States Forum here, all those fish we caught were on mainly one color combination - pink & chartreuse straight tails. Switching to just plain chartreuse or pink, your hit ratio went down dramatically. Tried white, red, motor oil in straight & twister tails. NADA! Going back to the pink & chartreuse and you got nailed on almost every cast. Go figure!

Originally Posted by scrat

I did see a video on youtube were a man said he used only two colors of jigs. One was black/chartreuse and the other white/ chartreuse. He said that by using these two he would start with the black/char and if they didn't bite he would go to the white/char. He said by doing this he went from one light spectrum to the absolute other spectrum.

A lot of good replies so far that I am in agreement with. Color is a 3rd or 4th consideration after depth, speed, etc. Some days it matters, others it doesn't. I think the main reason for color preferences on a given day is the water color and lighting conditions. What's most important is that they can SEE it. That's why this Black/White dichotomy works. I do the exact same thing. I have found that I can usually catch them on black-chart. or white-chart. I use the black with clear water and the white with muddy water. I use other colors, but that dark/light tradeoff is usually the first step to narrowing in on what they want (or what they can see well). If they are picky, I have to continue narrowing it down from there, but I often don't make it past that.

Color definitely matters as does other factors. It called developing a pattern. Jig size, color, presentation, speed, depth, the type of bait, weight along with many other factors have to be considered when developing a pattern. With crappie, time of day can be a factor and current. Stage of the spawn maybe your issue. My hey may have started leaving spawning areas scattering back along staging areas to recover from spawn. I see you are in LA. Is this tidal waters. If not tidal or having a natural current, you may have an artificial current being created by the wind. This will cause fish to stage in different areas to ambush bait. Color does matter, but they're also many other factors to be considered. Sometimes tipping your jig with a power nibble or live bait such as a minnow or grass shrimp can be the extra ticket. To me the fun is in the challenge of finding the right pattern. Then the satisfaction is the benefit of catching.

To leave you with one last tip: When bass fishing always keep a ultralight in the boat in case you happen onto a hungry panfish.

Definately - although it can change during the day. The right presentation and size and depth also factor in. I've seen times with trout 1" deeper and you'd be catching otherwise not. Plus being in the North and the winter being as bad as it was powder coating gave me some time to try some mix's I'd seen here on the board. I use a small duo-lock snap for quick changes and never had a problem with them.

Originally Posted by shipahoy41

You can bet your bottom dollar that it matters as long as you have chartreuse in the lure and fish it on a pink jig head. Fish it V-E-R-Y slow and then slow down your retrieve some more. As Bugman said, size matters. I stick with 1/16th and 1/32nd jig heads fished on four pound Stren HI Vis yellow line. These are all you really need. Works for me.

chartreuse and chartreuse
chartreuse and white
chartreuse and pink
chartreuse and aqua
chartreuse and black
chartreuse and flo orange

Research has shown that when filming or viewing Chartreuse underwater that it is muted into a gold shade...Most if not all baitfish have some gold coloration from light reflecting off their scales, and predator fish are keyed in on that.
Other colors also mute in water also, so what we are seeing in the store can be a lot different when underwater to a fish.
True Fluorescent colors tend to hold their brightness more than regular hues and are recommended to use on super bright (Bluebird) days.....differences in bites at different times and patterns, have been shown from changing from Regular Chartreuse to Fluorescent Chartreuse.