When choosing fishing gear, many people neglect to consider the color of their lures. After all, you might think, fish are fish, they don’t care about colors and such, right?
However, experience shows that some colored lures are actually more effective than others for catching fish. While lure color may not be as important as location and fish mood, it is still something that can affect your overall fishing experience and something you should consider. Since lures are available in virtually every color under the sun, it can be hard to know which is the right choice. We here at fishinggearforbass.com offer some tips on how to pick the right lure color
As a general rule of thumb, light-colored lures like frog lures work best for muddy and dingy water while more subtle colors work better in clear water. The main idea is that muddy water obscures the fish’s vision so a bright colored lure helps them pick out the bait amongst the murk. Alternatively, when water conditions are clear, they are more likely to see less vibrant, more subtle colors.
Geography
The specific location you are fishing is si one thing that should affect your lure choice. The simple reason being that different ecosystems have different wildlife, and the fish there may be more attuned to certain colors over others. For example, in Texas, red lures are very effective at catching bass because they mimic the color of crawfish, a delicacy for bass. Conversely, in the Northeast, blue is a better color for fishing as that tends to be the color of things the fish eat. Make sure to check with the locals to get their ideas of what color lure to use.
By the same token, if you know what kinds of things the fish you are trying to catch regularly eat, then you should pick a lure that matches that color scheme.
Water Clarity
One may think that brightly colored lures are better in all water conditions, but this is not correct. True, brighter colored lures like chartreuse yellow or hot rod red are better when water conditions are murky and dark as that helps the fish see the lure better. However, in clear water, everything is already bright, so the fish are less likely to notice a brightly colored lure. That is why subtler colors are better for clear water; they help the lure stand out more against the background.
Depth of Water
For the same reason that water clarity is important, the depth of water should be relevant to your choice of lure color. When fishing in deeper darker waters, go with brighter colored lures. For topwater fishing, bright lures are normally the best option.
Time of Day
The time of day is also important. Despite what you may think, using darker lures at night time is more effective. The logic is that the darker colors stand out against the lighter color of the background water during the night. In other words, darker lures make a more noticeable silhouette than light lures at night time. During the day when visibility is good, bright colored lures are the better choice, dependent on the depth and clarity of the water.
Conclusions
There are really no universal rules to choosing a lure color, but ideally, theses guidelines should set you on the right path. As always, you should experiment with different color combinations and find the ones that work best for you. Consider stocking your tackle box with a few lures of different colors, find which ones work best, and stick with those.
The most effective fishing lures on the market!
The Dirty Troll Trolling Spinners by SCB
