i at least assume we've fished with plastic baits, worms ,grubs,etc... but when we used whatever color we chose that was the right color ? because that fish hit it? did color have that much to do with that fish being caught ,or was it a reaction strike ? or simply hungry ? or don't we know that answer. it may be the case,but how do you think and do you think about color playing that much of a factor catching most of your fish? it may be just a silhouette to the fish that looks tempting and there's it's meal . what's your op?

I think you're overthinking. I just fish what I feel like they're gonna bite on.

color is a factor in "visibility"... different colors will have greater (or lessor) visibility in different water clarities.

 

 

oe

i think color is half confidence and half water/weather conditions.  If I'm fishing a color I am confident will catch bass, then my presentation will generally be much better.  A great example is when I first started catching fish on a wacky rig, I had been trying a myriad of senko colors, and they started hitting the green pumpkin/black ones when I finally started catching fish with it.  On that day, I ran out of them, and had to switch colors.  I had watermelon w/red and black on hand, so I started throwing those, and was still catching a boatload of fish.

 

Another example:

When fishing with my uncle, he throws Rainbow Trout and Baby Bass senkos, while I was throwing my (at the time) confidence colors 301 and 330. They both caught fish, the only reason one of us caught one where the other one didn't was based on presentation and location, not color.

 

Hope this helps!

Squirming,

Color is important only when it's important. You should post up some pics of fish you have caught with various color lures and let us know your findings.

Squirming,

Color is important only when it's important. You should post up some pics of fish you have caught with various color lures and let us know your findings.

 

That ain´t gonna work, or it ain´t gonna work for me most of the times, today I feel Red Shad is going to be the one ( the funny thing is that Red Shad feels right like 50% of the times I tie a soft plastic ), tomorrow, or in a week or maybe a couple of hours later I feel Tequila Shad is going to be the one, now the interesting part here is that to my friend Mayke Tequila Shad feels right like 50% of the times he ties a soft plastic, so when Mayke and I fish together he does the Tequila Shad part and I the Red Shad part and then maybe tomorrow or later we may feel Black Shad is going to do a better job so we flip a coin to decide which one is going to do the right part while the other does the Watermelon red flake part, cuz ya know, Watermelon red flake also feels right.

I have long been interested in why certain colors or patterns of color seem to enjoy better success than others.  I have read and studied on the structure and chemicals that make a fish eye, read studies that monitored brain response to light and color patterns, light refraction, deep water color shifts, and many other variables that help determine what a fish can see and how they react to it.  

What I have determined in my own study of the subject is that color does matter.  Maybe not in the way that many of us think, but there are colors and patterns that fish can see more easily in every body of water.  Things like light penetration, water color, depth, and temperature all play a factor in how a lure presents itself under water.  Because a lure looks red, green and yellow in the open air under sunlight in no way means that it will appear the same once it is underwater.   

 

Anyway, I  believe color matters.

Put me down in the camp that color does matter. Had too many experiences of switching colors till I found the right one they would hit. Sat

in too many boats and asked what are you catching 'em on? June Bug and go to a lighter weight...

 

Old school basser...

I'm partial to red heads...

 

 

oe

Color is lower on my list of priorities. Number one is finding fish. Can color make a difference, I think so in some situations. 

I'm partial to red heads...

 

 

oe

You know OE that is a telling statement.  Red  is the most rare of all hair color, 1-2% of people have red hair.  And then there is the this,  it is a genetic mutation that creates red hair, not only does one of your parents have to pass you the mutated gene, it requires that they both do.  

I have long been interested in why certain colors or patterns of color seem to enjoy better success than others. I have read and studied on the structure and chemicals that make a fish eye, read studies that monitored brain response to light and color patterns, light refraction, deep water color shifts, and many other variables that help determine what a fish can see and how they react to it.

What I have determined in my own study of the subject is that color does matter. Maybe not in the way that many of us think, but there are colors and patterns that fish can see more easily in every body of water. Things like light penetration, water color, depth, and temperature all play a factor in how a lure presents itself under water. Because a lure looks red, green and yellow in the open air under sunlight in no way means that it will appear the same once it is underwater.

Anyway, I believe color matters.

Interesting. I KNOW it makes a difference in my confidence...and I believe it makes a difference in bass' ability to see the lure. But does it also affect bass likelihood of taking one color over another assuming it can see both?

Interesting. I KNOW it makes a difference in my confidence...and I believe it makes a difference in bass' ability to see the lure. But does it also affect bass likelihood of taking one color over another assuming it can see both?

What I have read, and to a degree been able to test, is that if two differently colored baits are both visible, a bass will many times choose the one that most closely resembles the local forage.    You have heard this presented in a different way a thousand times, match the hatch.

You know OE that is a telling statement.  Red  is the most rare of all hair color, 1-2% of people have red hair.  And then there is the this,  it is a genetic mutation that creates red hair, not only does one of your parents have to pass you the mutated gene, it requires that they both do.  

 

You are a walking World Book encyclopedia today!... Thank you for pointing out my genetic mutations, as I've sired red headed offspring.  To be totally truthful I find red heads to be more excitable and, well... I'll leave it at that.  I'm glad you've been able to redeem for the archives what would have otherwise been quite a non-noteworthy 900th post.

 

 

oe

Absolutely Color in soft plastics matter, years of fishing has proven this to me, I have my favorites and there's a reason why. Many do not believe it matters, yet I am pretty sure they throw certain colors as well, I believe it matters in hard baits as well... I also believe in the matching the hatch philosophy. You can't have confidence if you don't have success, my color choices are pretty limited, they always work...

You are a walking World Book encyclopedia today!... Thank you for pointing out my genetic mutations, as I've sired red headed offspring.  To be totally truthful I find red heads to be more excitable and, well... I'll leave it at that.  I'm glad you've been able to redeem for the archives what would have otherwise been quite a non-noteworthy 900th post.

 

 

oe

My oldest Son's wife is a red head, we use to tease her about being adopted because neither of her parents have red hair.   I look it up one day.. and now you know the rest of the story.

When in doubt, throw some green pumpkin and you will be good to go.