Jigs and jig heads

So over the years I have solely used shiners when I have been crappie fishing and I have always had very good luck but I would like to start throwing jigs into the mix. I looked through old posts and havent really found anything like what Im asking, maybe Ive missed something but excuse me if this has been a big topic in the past. Anyways, how are yall going about picking the right jig head color vs. the jig color itself. Are you matching the jig head color to the jig or just getting close or just kind of randomly trying new things to find something that works?

Im just seeing if theres a rule of thumb for it I guess. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks

You going to get all kinds of answers. Me I'm a contrast person, I like to use a jig head color that contrasts with the body I use. Pink head Chartruse, yellow body. Orange with Chartruse or brown colored body, Chartruse head black or blue body, then red or black head with different color's. Some will say no paint at all some say same as body. Don't think any of it makes a big difference. My personal feeling is the smaller you go the more difference it makes. Just my opinion.

See that is what Im looking for, whether people like to use contrast or similarities. My thinking is, is that if you use contrast, you're using more of the color spectrum at once to cover more ground to figure out what they are biting.

Thanks for the input

Sometimes contrast is key sometimes not , the fish tend to tell you and lots of times experimenting is the way to figure it out . Crappie can be extra finicky and might want matched up natural colors or they might be quite the opposite and want something quite odd ....there is no golden rule with these devils .
Spring fish like anything bold and bright it seems to me and summer fish it’s frequently a bit more natural and in the winter natural from what I can tell you .
Also many water bodies have different water clarities and that has play in it as well

Every lake is different and every lake can be the same. Best bet is to ask the locals what has been working. Next best bet is to bring a bunch of colors and jig heads in different sizes and TEST it at the lake you are fishing. Most crappie will eat what is in the lake and abundant this time of year. Matching the profile (size) and color you will have more bites and more luck catching. Water movement makes a difference as well. If the water is moving hard a heavier jig head may help to get it down and stay there. Less water movement and the lighter heads are better.
Take a day that you will plan and execute to test all your colors and heads. Bring some minnows as well since you are confident with them. Minnows are crappie natural food so they will bite. Once you find them with minnows switch to jigs. I have found that to be the best way to catch crappie continuously. I use minnows to find them on my lakes and once I do I switch to my hand ties or use Bobby Garland baits in different colors. In my experience black/chartreuse and blue/white are great colors to start with in Texas. Try a size jig head and color for 5 minutes, switch out color and test some more. Do this for an hour in a location you know has crappie and you will figure it out on your own I guarantee! Tight lines.

I've found that monkey milk works as well. My go to color, but do like the blue/white combo as well. As far as jig head colors, I've always just used unpainted heads. Maybe being a neutral color they don't seem to notice it.

First let me say I don't have a lot of faith that jig head colors are as important as the rest of the jig! I do think it can make a difference at times though!

Best thing I can do is show you my favorite colors and maybe add a few words so here we go and these are Roadrunners that I use in spring and fall.

Colors and when I use which ones........also need to say for me to have a number to identify is important so let me first tell you what I use for water clarity.
If I can see my jig 3 feet or more down, I call that clear! If I can't see my jig down 3 feet I call it stained. If we have a hard rain and runoff so you can see the jig down say less than 2 feet, I call that either muddy or very stained.

So based on the above info here will be my choices.

Lets start with stained water, my choice here will be first #4, next #1 and 3rd will be #3 (there is one more jig that I like a lot not pictured here and that is Silver/FL YellowChartreuse/FL Blue.

If the water is clear my choice will be either #5 or #6.

Then it rained last night hard and I can only see down 1 to 2 feet so there is only one choice for me as I have proved this to me and that is #2 jig. There may well be more just as good, I just have not used them.

Skip

Lets just number the jigs in this picture, 1 through 6 starting at the top!
Attachment 292784

Awesome, thanks for the tips people. Seems like the water clarity rule of thumb is pretty well the same as I use that for bass fishing also. Ill just play around with them when I get back on land from this rig and see what I can come up with. I picked up a few packs or monkey milk and thunder chicken colors to try also. Ive been looking at nymph baits to try and see if I can get any luck on those also. Ill let yall know how it went when I go!

Thanks again for the help!

I just throw lead and they hit it
I dontget emotional about fishing
Fish arent entitled like so much of the populous these days
You want eyes on a lead head use a sharpie

Dont really care if the crappie are entitled or hard working. They all eat the same to me. Im just looking for pointers that work for jigs. The way I see it, if jigs dont work, I know shiners will.