Alex.m

I know this is a old post but I wanted to share some of my knowledge. Color is not nearly as important for smallmouth as it if for other fish in my experience. I've seen fish eat pink and chartreuse and all manner of color in the clearest water imaginable, and they sometimes eat it better than more natural color. It comes down to pressure and clarity, color means more to fish that see lures more often, and it's probably a good idea to match the forage as closely as possible with them. Less pressured fish don't seem to care, and for me I just try to pick colors that are most visible in the water conditions. So silver, white, pink, whatever you want in the clearer water. I've seen smallmouth swim from like 30ft away to eat something, and they rely way more on their sight than their largemouth counterparts. Murkier water and lowlight conditions is where darker colors come in because their silhouette is way easier to spot in the water. So I guess is what I'm trying to say is don't sweat color for unpressured fish, smallmouth are still just fish and they aren't too bright. More "educated" or pressured fish, I would be more concerned with using lighter lines and the most natural presentations.