Choosing the right jerkbait could mean the difference between a full cooler and going home empty-handed. When the fish just aren’t biting there are a few tricks that are sure to change things up. Dialing in the correct size lure, cadence and suspension will do a lot, but it’s hard to beat changing up your color. Since most of the time bass feed by sight choosing the right color is extremely important. Whenever you start to feel extended pauses you might just want to change up your jerkbait color.
Choosing The Best Jerkbait Color
There really is no single right answer when it comes to color selection. When sizing up the lake you should first start to think about what the primary forage is. It wouldn’t make sense to fish with a jerkbait that isn’t found in the water. Most of the time forage will remain pretty much the same in certain areas. If you’re having a lot of luck with bluegill or shad colored jerkbaits one year you’ll probably have luck the next. Whenever I fish areas up north I like to have in abundance of shad and bluegill colored lures. (Especially during the bluegill and shad spawn) Strike King’s Sexy Shad and Natural Bream have long been a favorite among fisherman
What’s Right For Your Fishing Hole?
You really should analyze what’s going to be best for your given situation. Most of the time I’m going to be fishing larger lakes that have an abundance of shad and bluegill. In larger lakes I like to carry a few of each color so that I can change things. What you bring along is going to depend on the season, water clarity and weather. You’ll even notice a difference between to similarly located fishing spots. In smaller lakes you might notice a serious lack of shad and minnows. Without a large shad population bluegills are going to thrive. So you’re going to want to switch things up and use bluegill colored lures.
When you get into bigger water like the Great Lakes you might want to change things up a bit. Around the great lakes you’ll have a lot of luck fishing perch colored jerkbaits. I’ve had a lot of luck using the Rapala X-Rap Perch Jerkbait.
Make Your Bait Stand Out
Most of the time I try to make all my baits stand out so that they attract a little bit of attention. There really is a fine line between too much and too little attention. You need to try and distinguish your bait from the natural forage without making it look completely unnatural. Where most fishermen start with smaller 3 1/2 jerkbaits I like to go a little bit bigger. Anything from foreign a half to five and should work really well. Figure baits also give you a little bit of extra weight to throw around. You can really work it like a square bill spinnerbaits and move a lot of water.
Which is The Best Jerkbait Color?
I like to keep my color choices fairly simple with slight variations throughout each theme. As a general rule you’re going to want to use clear baits in clear water and opaque baits in cloudy water.
- Clear Water: when water’s extremely clear I’m gonna want to go with an extremely translucent bait. The clearer the jerkbait the better. I like to use a
- Clear With Some Color: whenever the water starts to take on a little bit of color I go towards the medium ground lures. Go with a little bit more flash while still maintaining some transparency. These are going to be great all around lures that you can use whenever you feel unsure. Most of the time I choose a shadow bluegill colored jerkbait with a little bit of flair.
- 2-5 Foot of Clarity: clarity gets down to a few feet you’re going to want to use some old-school charm. Stick to your classic color schemes that have a lot of contrast. Something like a Chartreuse Shad or Chrome Sexy Shad will really stand out.
Keep an eye on The Sky
Not only should you look at the water clarity you should also keep an eye on the sky above. Light penetration plays a crucial role when deciding which jerkbaits are going to work. You’re going to work under the same basic rules while remembering that light will penetrate farther on bright days. So if it’s cloudy in the sky use colors that will work better in cloudier water.
Bring a Few Different Options
There really is no guarantee when it comes to fishing so you’re going to need to bring a few different options. After a few months of using the same colored jerkbaits bass tend to get a little hesitant around common colors. When you’re sexy Shad that’s been working all day starts to slow down throw in something with little shock value. Try and find something with a splash of color that you wouldn’t normally see. It’s all about experimentation.