What is the best color for deep diving crank baits?

Welcome to BR

The 'best color' depends on what you want the bait to represent. If you know the major forage of the lake, then something that looks like it would be my first choice, otherwise I'd recommend something dark in color as light penetration diminishes with depth and a dark color will give the fish contrast down deep, or something bright that can be seen easier in the reduced light.

There are no absolutes, just general guidelines when it comes to fishing. Find a starting point and if that doesn't work, improvize.

 

I don't think they can see much color on a fairly quick moving bait once it gets very deep, especially if the water is murky. I stick to shad or chartreuse colors for the most part. 

I started deep cranking just a few years ago and now the only color that we throw is chart blue back and we do well on it but thinking about trying another color. I have some sexy shad colored 6XDs and other colors that I found while fishing. What would be better chart blue back or a shad looking color? I usually fish 15-23 feet of water for deep bass.

I do both sometimes realistic shad or bream colors and then there are the opposite direction throwing the brightest yellows and blues. 

I really don't know that one is more dominant except for that day and time when one produces better we both get on that color and crank. lol

The water is for the most part kinda murky, say visible depth is 3-5 feet and on one day me and my buddy fished together and I had a chart blue back 6XD and he had a reel shad DD22 and I caught a 6-8, 6-2, and a 4-14 and some white bass all while he hooked up one keeper bass and dropped it. It was obvious that the color I had was dominant where as he didn't even catch a white bass.

I too mainly fish stained water. Some days whites produce best. Other days chartreuse colors work best. Then there are still other days that firetiger produces best (usually best for me when cloudy). When I do fish more clear water, whites and other natural baitfish colors produce best. What I am getting at is that one color may be best for that day and a different color best for a different day on the same body of water. Let the fish tell you what they want on that day. 

I like to  use shad patterns  best in 10 foot and deeper  but you never know .

I keep my crankbait selection to 5-6 broad categories:

- Crawfish colors
- Shad Colors
- Bluegill/ Perch/ Panfish colors
- Chartreuse/ Black ( muddy water colors)
- Location specific (trout colors are big here)



 

Red Craw, Bluegill, Sexy Shad, Chartreuse/Blue Back

Red apple craw, green craw, brown craw, fire tiger, chartreuse, silver Shad, bream, bluegill, violet, citrus.

for brands I use bomber FAT A's, Norman thin N's.

i also use the crank baits top water over open pockets in the submerged weeds. I pause and twitch it. Be ready but don't set the hook too soon.