What Color Bass lure/bait you should be using

Knowing which color bait to start with, can make all the difference in catching bass or not. This article will teach what you need to know to make the right choices on color selection. With countless options out there when it comes to selecting bait color, it can be overwhelming for new fisherman. As you learn to fish, you will definitely come up with your own favorites but there are definitely some basic rules you should follow as guidelines when picking.

Water Color / Clarity: This will be one of the biggest deciding factors when it comes to what color you should be fishing. For dirty, murky water I prefer using darker colors like black, blue. I consider having 1ft or less visibility murky. For clear water, I have better success with natural colors like gray, silver, brown, or green pumpkin. One wild factor color that seems to have an increased effect on bass is chartreuse for aggressive as it gives them something extremely "loud" and vibrant to focus on.

Amount of Sunlight: In sunny weather I start with more lighter translucent colors. In Cloudy weather, I stick to dark colors. Sunlight determines how well the bass can see their food.

Geographically Food Sources: The phase "match the hatch" is the perfect example of how to color bait colors. What that means is you want to use colors that closely mimic local forage. For example in California the crawfish are red, so red jigs are much more effective here than in in other regions where craws can be grey, dark brown, or even light colored. If the bass are primarily feeding on silver & white color baitfish, then that should automatically be added as a viable color choice when mimicking those types of forage.

Night Fishing Colors: When fishing at night, stick to a dark bait. The bigger the better as it will create more water movement and alert the fish of a possible meal via their lateral line. Bass do not have great night vision and that dark color allows for a better contrast between the water and lure.

Topwater Colors: When it comes to topwater baits, it is a common mistake that fisherman are drawn to a lure based on how it looks on top. What really matters is how the bait looks from the bottom because unless every other kind of lure, the fish will only see the bottom of your topwater lure. Bright orange mixed with some light grey work well. Again "match the hatch" also comes to mind here. If the your are fishing a frog, it would be great to know what the frogs around the area look like. If they have white bellows, use a white bellied frog lure.

Most Important Note: While there are a lot of guidelines that can help give you a good idea of what colors to try 1st, it should not rule out trying something against what has worked for you most of the time. Sometimes just using a different color that the bass have not been accustomed to can make all the different in going from 0 bites to 10. If you are having a slow day, it is never a bad idea to switch it up even if it just helps your own confidence level. The color guides are meant to be used an good strong starting point. Your fishing intuition will tell you the rest. Fish on!

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