07-28-08, 10:11 AM | #1 |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Central NY - Finger Lakes
Posts: 1,307
|
Bait color vs. water 'color'
I've seen it written a lot that for stained or muddy/dark water to use a dark bait color - often black and for clear water, to use light/bright colors.
Seems to me that in dark water a dark lure becomes nearly invisible - what's the logic behind this? |
07-28-08, 10:26 AM | #2 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 490
|
In muddy or stained water I use a dark bait like blue/black or black/chartreuse. The fish can silhouette these darker baits more easily and home in on it I think. Our club fishes a weekly tournament on a really muddy lake and almost everyone is throwing black, blue/black or chartruese. In clear(er) water I like to match the water color because I don't like the fish to get too good a look at my phony offering. I want them to just sense that it's something that looks like a meal.
|
07-28-08, 10:39 AM | #3 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kansas City, MO.
Posts: 131
|
I often wonder about this with bait color. I wonder sometimes if it is better to match the colors of the food sources as much as water color influence. There is a small lake I fish a lot they main forage for bass is sunfish. I always seem to do better when using a orange or yellow bait there. Any one else have any thoughts on this?
|
07-28-08, 10:58 AM | #4 |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: San Diego, CA
Posts: 2,928
|
I feel that matching the natural prey is more important than the water. That being said, most of your bait fish have adapted to the water. That is why shades of shad and bluegill can change from lake to lake. I am not trying to start a Darwin discussion here, but it is a fact that those who are able to be hidden the best are the ones who don't get eaten. These coloration traits are passed on to their young.
Of course, this never explains why IKA and Kreatures make great bait. In those cases, try to match the water and vegitation as well as you can. Jigger nailed it when he said that he didn't want the fish to get too good of a look. I will say however, if everyone in a tourney is throwing the same thing, I might throw a different color just to see if the fish have become insensitive to the main one.
__________________
If you have ever wondered if you should retie, the answer is yes. |
07-28-08, 12:12 PM | #5 |
BassFishin.Com Premier Elite
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: cedar bluff, alabama
Posts: 15,292
|
i hear what you're saing abbysdad, no it don't make sense.....but it is what it is. i tried to use a really bright colored worm in real muddy water once, nuthin. then i put on a brown worm as close as i could to the wter color...BAM! hooked a 4 pounder at the SAME HOLE! logic says one thing, the fish say another.
|
07-28-08, 01:34 PM | #6 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Mid Michigan
Posts: 249
|
Chartuese is not a dark color though as mentioned above by a Jigger.
I typically think a pressured water is going to see common colors, so i have actually had the best luck with a chartuese senko for soft plastic worms. Then probably the more logical color choices. That being said I am paying more attention to color combos and personally find that a the overhead colors sometimes help me out. I like to throw a daker color at night, and if it is overcast and there are a lot of white clouds or greyness above I have good luck with white baits.
__________________
-Josh |
07-28-08, 01:42 PM | #7 |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Thomaston CT
Posts: 3,862
|
although it has been said , when the water is very clear your earth toned baits come into play greens,browns, and so on and then darken as the water does . For clear to semi clear water i almost always throw a white spinner with willow blades and a pumkinseed colored worm and even though it goes against the suggested colors worms in tequila sunrise have also work in those conditions .
__________________
In memory of Zooker 1/11/73-7/2/2010. You will be sorely missed and never forgotten. |
07-28-08, 06:12 PM | #8 |
BassFishin.Com Premier Elite
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: denton nc
Posts: 13,441
|
logic is a space time and space that is really nonsense.. here is the real questions
why in the dead of summer on a lake with 8-10 feet of vizability you can catch fish on an black trick worm? why do my fire tiger crank baits catch bass in clear water 90% of the time? why is it at night a bass will grab a 12" black worm but wont touch it in the same spot in the day time?? this why is the reason what we are trying to figure out when we are fishing...also why we own enough tackle to sink a cruise ship.. zooker
__________________
the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09 |
07-28-08, 08:11 PM | #9 |
BassFishin.Com Premier Elite
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: cedar bluff, alabama
Posts: 15,292
|
correct-a-mundo zooker my friend. just goes to show us that a bass will eat anything. on a given time and day. and he is a verydistant kin to the bait monkey too.
|
07-28-08, 10:56 PM | #10 | |
BassFishin.Com Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Bellevue ohio
Posts: 11
|
Quote:
|
|
07-29-08, 10:21 AM | #11 | |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Central NY - Finger Lakes
Posts: 1,307
|
Quote:
Having 'sad' that, I saw an Outdoor show recently where a fella was fishing some fairly virgin waters way up North. The brook trout kept hitting his pink fly, even though it's likely those fish never ever saw a pink fly before! So maybe it's gotta look like food and be easy prey if the fish isn't all that hungry, but it the fish is really hungry or something like a shad run has created a feeding frensy anything that's small enuff to eat and moves is likely to get hit???? |
|
07-29-08, 10:54 AM | #12 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kansas City, MO.
Posts: 131
|
Had an hour and a half to kill last night so I went to a local pond. Water was stained but not real bad. A front had moved through earlier and cooled it down to mid 80's. They would not look at dark colors even though it was overcast. Started catching small 10 inch & below bass on a bright robo worm. I then put on a bright orange one and below was the result. I transplanted him to a new pond behind my house after the pic.
|
07-29-08, 11:13 AM | #13 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Norris Tennessee
Posts: 469
|
If the water looks like chocolate milk use red. If t is normal muddy use black or purple. Example Muddy water black spinnerbait with big gold blades. Chocolate milke or coffee with cream Texas red crankbait or big eye. Stained with no more than 2 feet of visibility Chartreuse or chartruse blue or black. Fish2win
__________________
Norris Tennessee set the hook! They dont have hands. |
07-29-08, 11:22 AM | #14 |
BassFishin.Com Premier Elite
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 8,655
|
Nice fish brent!
|
07-29-08, 11:33 AM | #15 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kansas City, MO.
Posts: 131
|
Thanks..... my wife went to a bible study and I snuck off for a little while. I love these old subdivision and farm ponds around Kansas City.
|
07-29-08, 01:47 PM | #16 | |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 1,030
|
Quote:
Lure color has a place in the list of things I look for when selecting a bait for a given water temperature, water clarity and weather conditions, lure color is right at the bottom of that list of things I look for. |
|
07-29-08, 04:54 PM | #17 | |
BassFishin.Com Premier Elite
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: denton nc
Posts: 13,441
|
Quote:
belive it or not bass in lake wylie here in nc prefure some wild colors. bright orange and blood red being the two that work very consitantly in clear water.. why i have no idea... zooker
__________________
the godfather.. aml in remission since 7-20-09 |
|
07-30-08, 09:54 AM | #18 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Mid Michigan
Posts: 249
|
What did that one weigh or what was the length Bmuskin?
__________________
-Josh |
07-30-08, 11:11 AM | #19 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kansas City, MO.
Posts: 131
|
23 3/4 inches. My el cheapo scale said 6 pounds 10 ounces.
|
07-30-08, 02:11 PM | #20 |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Central NY - Finger Lakes
Posts: 1,307
|
|
07-30-08, 02:31 PM | #21 |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Missouri
Posts: 1,322
|
It's reffered to as PH balance & it does play a big part in your success.
|
07-30-08, 03:19 PM | #22 |
BassFishin.Com Super Veteran
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Central NY - Finger Lakes
Posts: 1,307
|
|
07-30-08, 04:08 PM | #23 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Norris Tennessee
Posts: 469
|
Red can be a good color at gin clear Norris also ZOOK.I think its all a matter of visability and light penetration. Fish2win
__________________
Norris Tennessee set the hook! They dont have hands. |
07-30-08, 04:15 PM | #24 |
BassFishin.Com Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Roseville, MN
Posts: 2
|
Its true dark water dark bait. Clear water can often go either way depending on if you are fishing docks and structure or running along a weed line. One thing I know for sure dark water dark bait. The same holds true in heavy cover, if there is low amounts of light again throw something dark.
TMS |
07-30-08, 05:13 PM | #25 |
BassFishin.Com Active Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Kansas City, MO.
Posts: 131
|
Be like me throw everything till they hit.
|
Disclosure / Disclaimer
Before acting on the content posted, you should know that BassFishin.Com may benefit financially and otherwise from content, advertising, links or otherwise from anything you click on, read, or look at on our website. Click here to read our Disclosure Policy and Disclaimer. |
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | |
|
|