With so many different lures on the market it’s difficult to pick the right one. Not only do you have to learn about all the different styles of baits, you also have to choose between hundreds of different colors. With so many options first-time anglers choose a throw shit at the wall and see what sticks mentality. It can be downright overwhelming when you don’t know the first thing about color selection. Specific color schemes are going to work better depending on where and when you fish. Hopefully this guide will help you choose the bright color on your next fishing trip.
Fishing Lure Color Selection
Fishing lure color selection is going to come down to four basic things. It’s going to come down to water clarity, ambient weather, geography and natural food sources. You are going to want to balance these four characteristics to get the broadest range of fish.
Quick Tips:
- Brighter Colors look dull and drab in deeper water
- Use lures in the red color spectrum in shallow water and blues in deeper water
- Flashy lures work best on bright and sunny days
Water Clarity
The first thing you’re going to need to do is determine what type of water you’re going to be fishing. You’re going to need a separate set of colors for murky water than you do with clear water. When fishing darker water you’re going to want to stick to your dull color lures and extremely flashy lures. Both extremes should have a place in your tackle box. Something as basic as the Ol’ Bass Rebel PopR or classic style silver Rapala X-Rap jerkbait will work wonders. If that just isn’t working for you you might want to try the other extreme. Look for baits like the hot steel xrap or Strike King Orange Bream Square Bill. It really is a game of cat and mouse trying to find what works best on any given day.
In clearer water you are going to want to try and imitate your surroundings as best you can. Aim for lures that look like the surrounding baitfish. I like to stick close to the bluegill or shad color lures. Choose clear colors and darker colors to match your baitfish and surrounding foliage. If it stands out unnaturally to you in the water it’s most likely going to stand out to game fish.
Geography and Natural Food Source
Always remember the works for someone up in Ohio may not work for you down in southern Florida. Make sure you match your bait with the surrounding areas. If you’re fishing dark water swamps or cypress groves you’re going to need a different lure then someone fish in a small pond in Michigan. The key is to match your color with the local food source. If your primary food source is shad choose lighter blues and whites, whereas during the bluegill spawn you might want to stick to greens and browns. If you have a lot of crawfish in the area red will most likely be a hot color.
Ambient Weather
The bright sun or lack thereof is going to be an important factor in choosing the proper lure color. This partially ties in the water clarity, but it’s well worth its own section. The brighter the day the more light will get into the water. A bright day with really Clear water means you’re probably going to have to be modest about your color selection. You’re going to want to stick to muted tones like whites, light greens and grays. If it looks dull and drab it will probably work on a sunny day. On a cloudy day are going to have to go with a completely different approach. It’s just like in cloudy water you’re going to want to go with more solid colors that stand out. What works in the morning may not work once the sun gets to its highest point around 11am-3pm. Just try and get a feel for the fish and adjust accordingly.
Topwater Lure Color Selection
Everything you learned above should also work with top water lures, with one major exception. With a top water lure you should really pay attention to the bottom of the lure. I don’t know when major manufacturers will start putting more effort into the bottom of their lures. I notice a lot with poppers that the tops are extremely flashy while the bottoms are dull and drab. I’ve had a lot of success with lures like the Gold Rapalla Skitter Walk and the silver shad Rebel Pop-R. The little bit of extra color really attracts a ton of monster bass.
