Jig color...which school of thought are you in???

I, like every crappie fisherman, have always been very interested in choosing the right color jig for the situation at hand. There are obviously many factors that go into choosing which color you should go with (forage available, size of forage, season/weather, etc...), but there seem to be two completely different general rules to go by. Theory 1) Use bright colored jigs in bright water, and dark colored jigs in dark water, or Theory 2) Use darker or more natural colors in clear water, and brighter colors in darker water. I'm wondering which way everyone leans on this. Below is a link to an article I came across on the subject.

The Best Crappie Jig Colors for Any Situation | Crappie Fisher

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Originally Posted by atnipjd

I'm wondering which way everyone leans on this.

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I lean on jig color not being as important as depth and speed. Gimme the wrong color in the right place anytime.

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Originally Posted by deathb4disco

I lean on jig color not being as important as depth and speed. Gimme the wrong color in the right place anytime.

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I agree with you completely. When you are choosing your color though, would you say you prescribe to either of these rules?

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Originally Posted by atnipjd

I agree with you completely. When you are choosing your color though, would you say you prescribe to either of these rules?

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I use white in clear water and chartreuse if the water has some color. That simple rule has served me well.

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Originally Posted by deathb4disco

I use white in clear water and chartreuse if the water has some color. That simple rule has served me well.

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Mr. Crappie says he always starts with white and chartreuse colors since that works on any lake. I'm sort of particular to black as well I guess since most of what I fish is always stained. Black/Chartreuse would be my #1 pick.

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Originally Posted by SuperDave336

Mr. Crappie says he always starts with white and chartreuse colors since that works on any lake.

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I agree. They're universal colors. They work great in saltwater, too. One of the best saltwater flies is a chartreuse-and-white Clouser minnow.

I’m no pro on the subject by any means. But I’ve caught more and bigger fish on a black and chartreuse crazy tail slider than anything else I’ve tried. In clear and stained water and spring and fall. So for that reason that’s what I start with no matter the conditions.


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Black chartreuse, don't forget some pink. I use most any color & do not let the water conditions change my offerings much. I do let the fish change my mind. my 2cts.

You just never know. We didn’t buy 2,000 different colors and combinations just for fun, did we? :Rofl

I’m with trypman, black/chartreuse is always in my starting lineup ( I love to spider rig ) my second favorite is electric chicken. Pumpkin/chartreuse works well for me also. The water I fish in the delta is usually stained and often muddy. That said I believe when the fish are in the mood to feed the color is not a big deal you just have to locate them. But I am far from an expert and pretty much a novice [emoji16]. Although I have fished all my life, commercial and recreational, I just started catching white perch/ crappie/ sac au lait the last 5 years or so when I moved away from the coast. Boy Howdy it is a blast [emoji123]

Anything as long as it's got some chartreuse with it.

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Anybody else ever read the theory and study behind the Color C-lector. Interesting read. Light available plays a big part on selection as well as water visibility. Maybe I will see if I can drag it up.

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The file exceeds the sites allowed size. Here it is your interested.
United States Patent 4693028.


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Start with monkey milk and work my way down !

Any color works fine for any water as long as it’s chartreuse

The muddier the water,the darker the colors I go with and adjust from there and always chartreuse tails. But I always start out with 3 or 4 different colors to start with.

So I subscribe to even a different philosophy when it comes to color selections with jigs. I like a contrasting jig head with the body/plastic on the jig. Usually bright colors in muddy water. The gamete in clear water. I agree that current conditions and wind determine size/wt of jig heads.

I like the color the fish will bite!

I always use natural colors for clear water and bright colors for muddy water. I'm not that good at catching them so I don't know of it works or not.

Dark /dark, stained /light , clear / blues, white . The thing I did wrong for years was not having the 1/100, 1/80 and 1/32 heads . Also use translucent colors in bright water if they are slow to hit solid bright colors . Another trick of the trade is to "dead stick " a bait for 30 seconds before changing colors . I change colors ever 20 min. if at least one fish is caught , On really tough days I always fish double colors with purple/ chartreuse , followed by red/ chartreuse ect . All this is used single pole fishing and pulling cranks (to some degree ) . Spider rigging it is still used but a big ole gawky minnow "will" be going on a ride as well . I fished 30 yrs. for crappie before realizing head size should go down if water is drinking water clear . Most that can't catch fish in state lakes ,this is the remedy. My best advise is to go early and stay late . :fish fish on .

I start with black and chartreuse on most poles everytime. I think jig head makes a big difference as well. I think both make a huge difference and you can dramatically improve your catch if you find what they want. Ive had way to many days where I caught a limit but only on a certain color.

The best color of jig body, and jig head color is the one you have the most confidents in. All colors work at some point in time, but if you have confidence in a certain color you will keep it in the water longer. I am like some others on here that believe in depth and speed, are more important.


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To me, my color preference means naught, and the crappie's preference is everything. By that I mean it is silly for me to have favorites - no one is fishing for ME with those things. So I have a bag of many colors and try to find what the crappie prefers the best on any given day, and I'm not biased, I try them all. I generally concede that dirty or stained water requires a different starting selection than clear water, and maybe my starting color is based on what worked before, or rather, what crappie have preferred previously in similar conditions. What do I know?

A thousand different colors catch the fishermen. $$$$$

A few colors catch the fish.

That's like asking me what my favorite bible verse is? The one that is currently speaking to me😎 I'm a jig maker and I have probably 30 color combinations. White is hard to beat. Anything with chartreuse in it .