I am always confused to choose the right lure colors for bass in all seasons. Whether the water is clear or muddy, depends on the lure color to catch the target. After a few years of practice, I come to know certain things to follow for bass anglers. It may be fairly easy to choose the right colors for bass fishing if you know how. The two most important influences are water purity and sunshine conditions, but seasonal effects do contribute.
When the water is transparent and well-lit, fish with natural colors that are invisible will mimic baitfish. Go with solid designs and less flash when the visibility of the water decreases. Choose white or chartreuse colors in murkier water to stand out to bass and entice large bites. Anglers require a set of standards to use when choosing the colors of lures to tie on because lures are available in every hue and mixture conceivable. Research demonstrates that some colors work better than alternatives.
Lure Colors that make targeting Bass easier
Bass will take almost any color lure, but I like to classify them into three groups: natural, strong, and bold. Start with natural “ghost” colors, move on to solid colors, and finally, if the water gets stained and the fish aren’t responding to the previous two color groups, try whites or chartreuse.
I’m trying to fool fish when I refer to natural color. I’m searching for a style that seems as natural as possible. The best colors are ghostly. These are those transparent, perceived through” hues that genuinely resemble a baitfish in calm water.
Effect of Solid Lure Color on Catching Bass
If your bait doesn’t have a lot of dimensions, stick to solid colors. Even though they are solid shades of blue, green, and black, they are not “ghosts.” They block out your view. Even though these baits don’t appear realistic to the unaided eye, fish will be able to distinguish their shape in murky or highly discolored water. When the lake’s water clarity has decreased and the bass is not anymore catching ghost designs, solid-colored baits perform best.
Choose white or chartreuse when the clarity of the water severely deteriorates in discolored or dirty water. If you are fishing in stained water, these colors will surely help you. If you choose a lure color like chartreuse shad, you have chosen the perfect one. Sexy shad, which has a simple chartreuse horizontal line and a fairly realistic appearance, can work well in clear or slightly tinted waters.
Effect of Realistic Lure Color for Catching Bass
The best lures to use when trying to deceive a fish into biting are realistic ones. You want to use colored bait that closely resembles the genuine thing in both appearance and movement. Natural hues include hues like those found in watermelons, greenery, and transparent ghost colors.
Particularly on transparent waters or when finesse fishing, these lifelike colors can bring in a tonne of bass. A natural appearance is especially important when finesse fishing since bass have a lot of time to examine a bait before biting. Your brighter colors are those that are bold.
Choose a suitable Lure Color in Clear Water
You should use a softly colored translucent lure in clear water to prevent fish from becoming startled when they receive a good look at your bait. If you prefer to choose a Senko in Baby Bass or a Zoom Trick Worm in Watermelon are both suitable options. Maintain it as close to natural hues as possible, such as white, grey, green, and silver.
Choose a suitable Lure Color for Marky Water
You should choose a brighter, more substantial presentation for stained or dark water so that people can find it simpler and so that it contrasts the water that was dark. A solid dark color would also work well because it will generate contrast. Orange, pink, or chartreuse are some suitable options for vibrant hues. Consider black, blue, or purple if you opt to go dark.
Underwater Visibility for Lure Colors
Bass can be caught in water that is either crystal clear or has the consistency of chocolate milk. They are prevalent in a wide variety of habitats. The extent to which you can see underwater—or how far fish can see—is referred to as underwater visibility. It is a factor that is influenced by the climate, sunlight, kind of bottom, and water clarity. And it’s definitely essential to take into account when choosing a lure color.
Additionally, it is erratic. A body of water’s underwater visibility may be excellent one day and poor the next. This fluctuating character also relies on the particular water under consideration. Some rivers and lakes will have continuous visibility all year, while others will vary seasonally. Take into account the fact that bass stays on the bottom. Select the lure color according to its residency and keep a check on where you can see your lure’s position. What color you should use depends on the underwater visibility of the lure. Let’s investigate the categories on which lure color depends upon.
Suitable Lure Colors for High Underwater Visibility
Foraging species native to the region should be as closely matched as feasible to achieve the colors that work best in clear water. These hues often consist of:
In clear water, particularly deep water with little light permeability, bright colors can also be effective. Personal suggestions are as follows:
Suitable Lure Colors for Medium Underwater Visibility
To attain the best bass colors you have to attain a balance between realistic colors and colors that pop out. This will be sufficient for you to see bass in case of medium water visibility. Light and dark-colored lures will pop further in stained water and will aid in putting greater numbers of bass on the shore. Good choices consist of;
Suitable Lure Colors for Low Underwater Visibility
The choice of color for poor underwater visibility can range from very dark to very brilliant. While bright colors like white or chartreuse are just going to be more visible, dark colors are going to stick out as shadows in murky water. Examples comprise the following hues:
Universal Bass Lure Colors to catch the target
While researching I found some of the lure colors for bass are repeating in all underwater visibilities. Potentially, I concluded that these hues can be applied anywhere. These are the colors you ought to constantly have on hand if you are a bass angler. You are free to choose the wonderful options to get acquainted with if you are navigating a new body of water for the first time.
Although bass fishing line also matters a lot while catching bass once you take the right color in suitable water conditions, success will meet you.
Significant Factors to Take into Account for Underwater Visibility
Impact of Water Clarity on Lure Colors
When choosing colors, water purity is the most crucial consideration. Overall, clear water should be targeted with natural colors, and stained water that has lower visibility should be targeted with solid colors. Water that has little visibility should be caught with white or chartreuse. Now keep in mind that water clarity varies.
Rain as well as wind may pull in material from adjacent terrain or stir up silt and trash at the bottom. Water clarity is also influenced by the makeup of the bottom. Rock-bottomed bass lakes with crystal-clear water are common in the northern US. Some even boast underwater visibility of more than 10 feet! In other words, due to their sandy bottoms and sporadic flooding, lakes, and rivers related to marshes frequently have low water quality.
Impact of water depth on Lure Colors
Undoubtedly, the darkness and lack of light increase as one descends lower. This finally implies that the visibility underwater decreases as you fish deeper. Fishing below 20 feet is unusual for the majority of bass fishing approaches. Having said that, keep depth in mind as you choose the color of your lure.
Light and dark colors on Bottom
Underwater visibility will also be affected by the color of the bottom; light-colored bottoms will improve transparency while dark-colored bottoms will worsen it. Your lure ought to stand out against the bottom to help the bass find it. It will, however, appear out of character and stop the bass from biting if there is too much variance.
The bottom will typically be composed of either translucent sand or particles, grey rocks or rocks, green plants, or dark sludge and muck. These bottom kinds can frequently be found in just one type of water, so having a variety of lure colors can guarantee you’re constantly prepared.
Sunlight Conditions – Impact on Lure Color
On the color of the bait you choose, sunlight does have some influence. On a bright day, you would see a lot of light bouncing off baitfish as they moved through the water, notably shad, shiners, and silversides. On the other side, you wouldn’t detect much, if any, flash emanating beneath a cloudy sky. Bass is undoubtedly intelligent. Particularly on lakes where there is heavy fishing stress, they will be seeking those obvious signals the bait is genuine.
You should throw something that emits flash on sunny days. For instance, American shad makes a great jerk bait color. When using soft plastics for fishing, seek flakes and glossy colors that will glitter and resemble real fish. You must be careful when using bladed baits, though. A little flash may make a big difference. In pure water, use silver blades; in muddy or dirty water, employ gold blades.
A large blade can emit an excessive amount of flash in clear water with the sunlight shining overhead, which will scare away fish. However, start fishing with smaller blades at first and then increase the size as necessary. Flashing occasionally is OK, but swimming with LED light is not.
Best ways of Choosing the right color for Bass
Crankbaits, jerk baits, and spoons are provided in the best colors for bass fishing. There are even some with absurd appearances. But in reality, choosing the appropriate color can seem difficult because there are so many different hues and paint applications available. The first thing you have to check is the clarity of the water and then the amount of sunlight. This is suitable to choose more naturalistic colors if the water is extremely clear.
You may choose solid colors for bass that will help you stand out to fish. This is much helpful if you are fishing in the water which is discolored and has less clarity. If you are fishing in murky or dirty water where the bass is trouble detecting prey, the best lure color is white and chartreuse. On days of sunshine, choose baits with some flash because the sun’s rays continue to catch off baitfish in the same way. Flash is ineffective on foggy or overcast days and may appear strange.
Best Lure Colors for Bass – A Complete Seasonal Guide
It is necessary to ensure anglers for the best lure colors for all seasons throughout the year. I am glad to inform you of my experience in all seasons for targeting bass, you may follow the given tips.
Lure Colors for Winter Season – Use Ned Rigs and Blade Baits
You should move much more slowly and fish finesse in the winter. Ned rigs and blade baits are my two favorite fishing techniques. According to the water clarity and lighting circumstances, use morning dawn, green pumpkin, black, or opaque shad for Ned rigs. Choose gold or chartreuse for blade baits in murky water and natural baitfish colors in clear water. For the majority of the winter, it should be your routine. When February arrives, begin throwing craw designs. To capture those bass eating on craws, use realistic ghost reds and browns.
Lure Colors for Summer Season – Use Painted Natural Patterns
Bass will either do either of the two things following the end of the spawn. Some will diverge and go far. The remainder will continue to be shallow throughout the summer. Shad, trout, and kokanee will be the main foods for bass that dive deep. Fish for this bass at the beginning of spring with large swimbaits and the rest of summertime with deep diving crankbaits, flutter spoons, or swimbaits.
I tend to use realistically painted natural patterns while angling for this bass. Consider what other bait is still shallow if the bass is still there. I mostly consider frogs, crawfish, bluegill, and crappie. I advise you to attack them with those techniques. All throughout the summer, those hues will be stunning.
Lure Colors for Autumn Season – Throw Big Flukes and Jerkbaits
Bass consumes largely schooling baitfish in the autumn. I will add here that some bass will focus on crawfish in the early autumn. But from the time the autumn shift occurs through the end of autumn, the majority of bass will primarily rely on shad as well as other swimming baitfish for food. Stick to the colors of a ghost shad. Throw some bigger flukes and jerk baits as well. If you are fishing with Zoom Super Flukes, I advise Smoking Shad.
Lure Colors for Spring Season – Use Bluegill in a Preferred Design
As spring advances, bass will suddenly start striking firehouse or stronger orange patterns more effectively than the original ghost reds. In order to break up the schools and nutrition, bass will start schooling up and driving baitfish into bottlenecks, such as along ledges, into deeper coves, or into the interiors of shallow bays. When this occurs during the pre-spawn, use colors of baitfish such as emerald shiner, sexy shad, or naturalistic shad.
Bass will be in shallow waters during the spawn in late April and will react best to bed robbers. Bass mostly target bluegills, crawfish, and salamanders for extinction. A bluegill design is my preferred design. Choose a swimbait or jig that is bluegill-colored, and slowly work it into the bed. The strong male will be the initial one to eat the bait, but the huge female you’re really chasing will need a little more persuasion.
Wrapping it up!
In other words, I have provided my best knowledge for choosing the best lure colors for bass in all seasons. You may not get bright success for the very first time if you are a novice. However, I assure you that you will get a good experience the next time. Take care of the certain conditions that are necessary to take into account while targeting bass.
