Lure Colors

Choosing fishing lure colors can be difficult. Many people believe that color was nothing to do with ability to catch fish while others believe lure color is  the difference between a bountiful haul and possibly catching nothing.

Weather conditions are a major factor in making a jig color selection. For instance, if it is a sunny or bright sky you may wish to choose light shade jigs. If it is over-cast and a dark sky you may wish to use dark shade jigs. This is only a suggestion, trial and error will help guide your choice. Having a decent selection of lure in your tackle box is a good idea.

The most important factor governing crappies feeding activities is water color. Because they primarily feed by sight, if they don't see the bait they won't strike it. Studies have found that in different water clarity; also in changing light levels fish see colors differently.

Certain lure colors can be highly visible at one point in the day and particular water clarity, and can become almost invisible during another time with different water clarity. It is believed that when fish stop hitting a lure that was catching fish, the ambient light or water clarity was changed and fish can no longer see the lure.

Knowing that the color of water, depth of water, and water clarity have the ability to change the color of a lure in the lake. The most effective way to pick the color of your lure is using the weather as well as water clarity. The color of a lure under water greatly depends on how much light is available to the fish within the water. Gloomy dark days don't provide much light within the water depths while sunny days offers a clear water setting and a different tactic.

The general rules for selecting jigs are:

•    In clear water, use clear jigs.
•    In dark water, use dark jigs and dark combinations of colors.
•    If it’s muddy, use dark jigs.

Whenever you’re fishing in clear water on sunny or cloudy days, it is important to fish a lure that looks like the natural foods the fish eats. Try lighter, more natural and translucent colors such as Silver/White combinations with sparkles that will mimics baitfish. Browns and greens for are good to mimic bottom fish.

In order to get your lure noticed in dark waters make use of lures that vibrate and be sure they are bright/shiny lures because dark waters block the light.

When water is stained affecting visibility, use bright colors, white, orange, or yellow. As you experience greater visibility loss use brighter colors, fluorescents and hi-vis type shades. If water is stained dark green or maybe brown; color combinations work well, like black/chartreuse.

In muddy water, crappie are dependent more upon sound, vibrations and also odor to discover food. So, they commonly respond easier to live baits, since they can target their scent. Fishing with jigs; use attractants like Berkley Crappie Nibbles or Kodiak paste. Choose dark jigs; Black, Brown, Dark Blue.

In many instances you can determine what color lure to use even before you leave home just by looking at the sky. Best lure colors for sunny days have silver, chartreuse or sparkles because as the sun rays catch the lure it produces flashes of color that attract fish. When its cloudy lure color choices can be difficult, a combination of light and dark should be productive with the contrast catching the eye of your prey.

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