I guess every crankbait maker makes their baits in both chrome black and chrome blue. If you have one, do you really need the other?

Not really but I still carry both. Add a gold black and you have one helluva tro!

I personally don't think so - especially if the bass first sees the bait from any angle except from above (and bass have a pretty big blind spot in their downward vision). Even then, does that little bit of color matter? I think it's the flash of the chrome on the side that's getting their attention.

 

My LMB PB was caught on a blue over chrome lipless crank, but I think I would have had just as good a chance to catch that bass had it been a black over chrome.

 

I bet you get lots of different opinions on this...

Not really but I still carry both. Add a gold black and you have one helluva tro!

I have all 3 and don't catch any on them. But if I toss a chartreuse lure....bam. I get bit.

There are hundreds of versions of chartreuse also. On those I just pick the ones I like best. On the chrome I'm leaning towards the blue, I just like it better. Honestly, I figure a lot of times color isn't nearly as important as we think. But sometimes it is. Just wondered how you all went on this particular choice.

I think its probably more of a confidence thing, especially with reaction type baits.

generally chrome blue for sunny days, and chrome black on cloudy days.  does not always hold true, but does more times than not.

 

bo

I know on the lipless cranks it matters some. Sometimes a bit of blue is all I can get bit on. That said I only have a few of the chrome blue. I get my hits on them swimming the crank and just stopping, letting it drop to the bottom and ripping it straight up. It think in that case the blue comes into play

Yes.

 

Black  back for cloudy days.

 

Blue back for sunny skies.

For me chrome cranks of any kind = northern pike magnet I honestly think my bass:pike ratio with them is like 1:10 and them bass come from areas with no pike lol.

Iv never noticed a difference in chrome/black or chrome/blue I just grab which ever I see first.

Yes.

 

Black  back for cloudy days.

 

Blue back for sunny skies.

This was my first thought also but didn't know for sure. I just reasoned it but I tend to second guess myself on bait selections a lot.

I understand the logic behind black back on cloudy days and blue back on sunny days...but how does that fit into another color mantra that says you use chrome baits on sunny days and natural or brighter colors (like chartreuse) on cloudy days. Is it "natural" to have that much flash from a chrome bait on cloudy days when there's no sun.....

 

How much of this is science...and how much is art...and how much is just the bait monkey?  

I understand the logic behind black back on cloudy days and blue back on sunny days...but how does that fit into another color mantra that says you use chrome baits on sunny days and natural or brighter colors (like chartreuse) on cloudy days. Is it "natural" to have that much flash from a chrome bait on cloudy days when there's no sun.....

 

How much of this is science...and how much is art...and how much is just the bait monkey?  

 

I think it is the bait monkey calling...

 

I have all three colors, and can't tell any differences.

I understand the logic behind black back on cloudy days and blue back on sunny days...but how does that fit into another color mantra that says you use chrome baits on sunny days and natural or brighter colors (like chartreuse) on cloudy days. Is it "natural" to have that much flash from a chrome bait on cloudy days when there's no sun.....

How much of this is science...and how much is art...and how much is just the bait monkey?

Is it natural for a crankbait to be swimming around looking like a tropical fish in firetiger colors in eastern KY? Fish still eat 'em, though. Haha. I'd say on a cloudy, gray day there won't be as much flash anyway, at least no more than would come from a live shiner. I'd think the bait would reflect more of its surroundings and actually blend in and appear more dark than flashy.

Chrome blue and gold black.

Well, this 3.6lb fish obviously didn't get the memo. Caught it this evening under a cloudy sky - dark enough for the camera flash to fire.  Hard to tell from the glare in the photo but it's blue over chrome. Dang, I should have followed the rules and changed to black over chrome as soon as those clounds rolled in...........

 

I own both and they both have their times, but I prefer Chrome Blue Traps

Is it natural for a crankbait to be swimming around looking like a tropical fish in firetiger colors in eastern KY? Fish still eat 'em, though. Haha. I'd say on a cloudy, gray day there won't be as much flash anyway, at least no more than would come from a live shiner. I'd think the bait would reflect more of its surroundings and actually blend in and appear more dark than flashy.

That's what I was thinking too.  If it's cloudy then there isn't much flash since no sun....irrelevant on chrome or not since the light source for the flash is so subdued.  I always figured the chartruese color in the low light was just to make it easier for the fish to find/target the bait?  I'm just learning though so I'm just checking my logic on that reasoning.

Dang - this thread got me all confused. Yesterday afternoon it was PARTLY cloudy. So, blue over chrome?  Black over chrome?  What to do?  So, I gave up on chrome and went with a natural light craw.  This 6.08 pound fish went for it....

 

Science, art, or the bait monkey...

 

 

 

Goose, you're killin' me. I wanna go fishin' sooooo bad!

generally chrome blue for sunny days, and chrome black on cloudy days.  does not always hold true, but does more times than not.

 

bo

Ditto

Dang - this thread got me all confused. Yesterday afternoon it was PARTLY cloudy. So, blue over chrome? Black over chrome? What to do? So, I gave up on chrome and went with a natural light craw. This 6.08 pound fish went for it....

Science, art, or the bait monkey...

Better get that monkey off your back, Goose!

I will have to say Goose, you are the king of the lipless crank!

I have never done any good with a chrome/black back bait.  Chrome/blue back on the other hand works under almost any condition.

Better get that monkey off your back, Goose!

I will have to say Goose, you are the king of the lipless crank!

 

Thanks, but I don't think I'm the king of the lipless crank - I'm sure there's a bunch of anglers on this site that fish them better than me.  I DO fish them a lot however. Almost 800 fish over the last 3 seasons, including my 9.54 LBM PB, an 8.39, some 6's, and then 5's and below. Very versatile bait, especially since I fish from the bank more than the boat - you can countdown the bait to whatever depth you want, and there's so many different retrieves.

 

Below is yesterday's bass - a chunky 20" 4.4 pounder caught from the bank. About a 100 ft cast, let the bait sink to the bottom in about 10 fow, then as soon as I popped the bait off the bottom to start the retrieve...BAM.  (BTW - I don't catch fish like I've posted in this thread every day - it's just that time of year when the quality fish are starting to move around.)

 

On color, I think I'm in the school of thought that 80-90% of the time, color doesn't matter, and the rest of the time, it might be critically important. So, maybe I miss a few fish that I might have got if I kept changing colors. I do tie on different color lipless cranks to roughly match water and ambient lighting conditions..but I don't obsess about it.  I tend to leave a color tied on for days...until I lose it on a submerged stump or whatever, then tie on another with a color appropriate to the current conditions....

 

Also on color, my 9.54 PB was coincidentally caught on a blue over chrome, after sunset, close to full-dark. Dang, had I followed the rules and changed over to black over chrome, perhaps I would have caught a 10-pounder...

 

 

What size lipless cranks are you using? You use lipless cranks like I use short arm spinnerbaits. The short arm spinnerbait has caught me my PB to date and like you, it was this time of year - 1 1/2 weeks after ice out for me. For me, it's the most versatile bait I use from shore and one that I have the most confidence in. Jigfishn10 is just a forum handle, but the short arm spinnerbait is a lure I fish a lot.

 

Nice post Goose!