I am new to these lures and I am wondering what colors are you guys favorite. Ale what kind of retrieve you use. I'm from the northeast so let me know what colors are good because they have 46 of them to pick from.

Clear water I almost always end up with Ghost Minnow.  Stained water, I usually start with Crack or Gold..  I also do well on Skeet's Magic, Chart Blue, Gunmetal Shad, Aurora blue, Aurora Perch, Table Rock Shad...  that list could cover all 47 colors, really.  I have all of them, and at some point in the scheme will fish all of them depending on where I am, and the fish's mood. 

If you're fishing stained water, in general, go to a brighter color, Chartreuse Shad, Crack, something like that.  If you're fishing gin clear water, Ghost Minnow, Aurora Blue, or Ghost Shad are good bets.

As far as retrieve, erratic is the best way to describe it.  Early I might dead stick a jerkbait for as long as a couple minutes.  It's painful to do, and you're not going to cover a ton of water, but it works.  I'll fish them on some lakes like Tablerock by letting them deadstick over points in the wind.  (I picked that up from a guide I fished with down there a couple years ago...)  I might rip them fast as the water warms.  It all depends on the fish, what they want, and their mood.

Here's an article by my friend that will definitely apply to where you fish: http://www.burniehaney.com/files/Cold_Water_Jerkbaits_LOO_Spring_09_.pdf

thanks for the article will give me soemthing to read while at work to kill the time.

Great article JF. 

What size on these pointers do you recommend?

For bass I like the 78 and 100...

For Northerns, the 128 is AWESOME.

What size on these pointers do you recommend?

I like the 78, then the 100 for better fish. American Shad does well here.

My favorite for bass are 100 & 128.

Ok what colors and retrieves

Ok what colors and retrieves

Retrieve depends on conditions. I normally think of a beat to a song and vary my retreive based on that.

Colors I have luck with in Vermont:

Ghost Minnow

Ayu

Perch

Sexy Shad

Ghost sunfish - Smaller one is deadly

In Mass and Maine I seem to have success with Misty Minnow and American shad. If have had the most luck with them in earlier spring and late fall fishing. Depending on the water temperature I like a slow to medium retrieve with slight pauses. Usually on the pause the really hit them. But vary up your retrieve speed and style until you find a pattern