I'd like to gain some confidence this upcoming year with lipless cranks.  I'm trying to put together a very basic collection.  I already have a couple silent LC lipless cranks, chrome and gold yo-zuri's, and ghost xcaliburs.  Most 2.5inches and 1/2 oz.  But in all my research I've done to date, everyone seems to love the color red.  Why is this?  Does this apply even up in New England waters?  I'm looking to add a few one-knockers and some SK RES - but before I choose colors, I just wanted to know, why red?

Cause it works

Cause it works

^ 

 

. n8cas4 - You've got a good start on colors. Chrome, gold and some kind of shad imitation are three of the four colors that I use the most.The other? Red craw.

 

The only way that you'll know if a particular color will work in your waters is to get a few and try 'em out.

 

Tom

Red works well because it imitates craws, plain and simple

Personally, I think red is more popular with Southern anglers, and is more effective in stained water than the opposite. I have chased smallies year round for 10 years now and have found that anything with a bright orange belly will draw their attention.

n8cas4, fellow New Englander here, yes red works very well for early season bassn in our waters. My favorite color pattern is pumpkinseed for all seasons. After that blue back/orange belly.

I think it's because the Rat-L-Trap really gained popularity due to great catches on Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend back in the day.  Red was/is THE go to color on Sam Rayburn for this bait.

 

So, if you were watching any fishing show in the 80's-90's and someone was throwing a Rat-L-Trap it was probably on Sam Rayburn and it was gauranteed Red.  That doesn't mean that anyone ever thought that this didn't have to be the go to color on their lake and as you know habits die hard.

 

I find that for the bulk of the reservoirs around me with stained to lightly muddy water a red-eye shad in sexy-shad is a winner and red is poo-poo.

 

Go get a few colors and try them out for yourself on your waters. 

Have y'all ever seen Rayburn or Toledo Bend?

They are very clear!

Oh by the way it was Cotton Cordell's Hot Spot that first came out with Rayburn Red.

I aint never seen a crawfish swim as fast as a lipless crank or swim more than a couple feet off the bottom & they dang sure don't rip through grass!

I've thrown Red Eye shads... I like their action and all, but for my money it's a 1/2 oz Bass Pro XPS Rattle Shad. I just restocked for Spring and replaced the hooks with some KVD Mustad Triple Grips. I'll keep quiet about the exact color but it's a shad pattern, and it catches everything (including the 9# wiper in my profile pic).

 

No, I'm not a BPS employee.

Have y'all ever seen Rayburn or Toledo Bend?

They are very clear!

Oh by the way it was Cotton Cordell's Hot Spot that first came out with Rayburn Red.

I aint never seen a crawfish swim as fast as a lipless crank or swim more than a couple feet off the bottom & they dang sure don't rip through grass!

 

x2. I've never fished a lipless to imitate a crawdad.

The RES shimmy on the fall is what makes it killer, not so much the moving action.

 

I like Chili Craw and Sexy shad. 

I've thrown Red Eye shads... I like their action and all, but for my money it's a 1/2 oz Bass Pro XPS Rattle Shad. I just restocked for Spring and replaced the hooks with some KVD Mustad Triple Grips. I'll keep quiet about the exact color but it's a shad pattern, and it catches everything (including the 9# wiper in my profile pic).

 

No, I'm not a BPS employee.

The rodney rattler

I've thrown Red Eye shads... I like their action and all, but for my money it's a 1/2 oz Bass Pro XPS Rattle Shad. I just restocked for Spring and replaced the hooks with some KVD Mustad Triple Grips. I'll keep quiet about the exact color but it's a shad pattern, and it catches everything (including the 9# wiper in my profile pic).

 

No, I'm not a BPS employee.

                    

The rodney rattler

boom.

The RES shimmy on the fall is what makes it killer, not so much the moving action.

 

I like Chili Craw and Sexy shad. 

 

 

yup.  yo-yo it in cold water and hold on.

n8cas4, fellow New Englander here, yes red works very well for early season bassn in our waters. My favorite color pattern is pumpkinseed for all seasons. After that blue back/orange belly.

 

Thx.  What about size?  I couldn't see throwing bigger than 2.5 1/2 ounce.  Do you ever throw a 3/4oz ?  Those SK RES 3/4 are pretty big!

Thx.  What about size?  I couldn't see throwing bigger than 2.5 1/2 ounce.  Do you ever throw a 3/4oz ?  Those SK RES 3/4 are pretty big!

Sure do, I use the 3/4 oz size when I want to fish deeper, to me it's a 10' plus bait. Don't worry about the size of a 3/4 oz RES, think of all those jerkbaits that are 5" plus that a bass will hit with all the subtlety of a run away train.

 

Down your way the bass tend to be a little bigger than here in the Bay State, so cast away my friend and have full confidence in what your doing!

Just curious why someone would not want to give the color that works for them,i cant see the NSA publishing the info and all the anglers from here converging on his home town and the lake he fish's..?????

 

Heck if i had a color that works id share......

In fishing in ct too I stay with the redcraw pattern in my cranks because the crawfish

are reddish in color. Where matching the color of the natural food they prey upon. The

Bomber redapplecraw is one of my hottest cranks. To me size matters when it comes to the length of our cranks. It seems for me the 1 3/4 to 2 1/8" lures seem to work better for me. I prefer 2" long lures. But I find that chartreuse can be as hot as red can be too under certain conditions. I carry bomber cranks in all colors.