What color should I use?
We ask ourselves this question all the time.
To keep things simple, a productive lure color can be determined by answering two questions.
#1 What are the fish feeding on?
Before selecting a lure color it's best to have an understanding of what the fish are actually feeding on in your local fishery.
Are they feeding on bluegill, shad, crawfish, etc.?
Each of the above listed food sources have unique color distinctions. Use the below picture as a guide.
Shad and baitfish (left) tend to have a white color base, bluegill (middle) tend to have an earthy, green and brown base with hints of blue or purple while crawfish (right) tend to have a good mix of brown and red as their predominate colors.
Think about that when choosing your lure color.
Regardless of time of day or water clarity, fish will remain more prone to strike a lure that resembles their natural, every day food source.
Here's a simple example to drive the point...
Let's say someone plops a blue T-bone steak down in front of you... Is your first instinct to start chowing down?
Probably not.
But if that same person brings you out a different steak with a darkened sear on it and checkered grill marks, you're probably not even going to hesitate.
The same strategy should be applied to fishing when selecting your lure color.
Start off with keeping your lure color natural by closely mimicking the food source of the fishery.
#2 What's the water clarity?
Is the water stained (<4ft visibility) or relatively clear (>4ft visibility)?
TIP: An easy way to determine water clarity and visibility can be accomplished by using your fishing rod and a sinking lure. With your rod tip at the waters surface, release your spool allowing your lure to fall. Engage your spool just before losing sight of your lure and measure the amount of line between your lure and rod tip. Just like that, you've roughly estimated the water visibility!
Once you have an idea on what the water clarity and overall water visibility is, you can use that information to potentially make a color change that fits your situation.
Darker colors tend to work best in dirtier, stained water whereas natural, earthy colors excel in clear water.
The Case for Dark Lure Colors
Dark colors are going to be your black & blue, junebug, and so forth.
It's said by many of the best in the business that dark colored lures in stained water helps out the angler in two ways:
Darker lures provide better contrast in dirty water making them easier to be seen by the fish
Dark, bold color profiles make for better lure shadows and silhouettes
Did you catch that?
It all has to do with the fish being able to better see your lure.
In dirtier water, a bass is more likely to rely on it's lateral line for situational awareness and feeding.
The color contrast between your lure and the water in addition to the bold profile of a darker lure opens up the opportunity for a bass to not only feel the presence of your lure but also see your lure.
Clear Water & Natural Lure Colors
Echoing off the above argument, bass rely on sight and their lateral line for survival.
If a bass isn't triggered to strike your lure by "feeling" it thanks to its lateral line, it has to strike based on what it sees.
This is why it's so important to present the fish with a natural colored lure when given clear water conditions. Think back to the T-bone steak example above.
Clear water and natural color selection goes hand-in-hand with question #1.
Natural colors that have remained reliable for decades are green pumpkin, watermelon, and pearl (when imitating shad).
In Closing
The fishing industry has been flooded nowadays with lures and what seems like a million different color options to choose from.
It can be overwhelming, to say the least.
With that being said, you can save yourself a lot of headaches and money by sticking to your gut and asking yourself the above two questions first.
And don't just take our word for it...
As a confidence builder, get on YouTube and check out videos of your favorite pro and what they have in their tackle box. It's a good chance you'll find that they also use a similar color selection process...
Natural colors that imitate the food source (shad, bluegill, crawfish, etc.)
Dark colors for when water clarity and visibility is low
Don't be surprised if you see a third color as well... chartreuse (a situational color that deserves its own article).
Time to go catch em'!