I have tried to keep my color selection pretty basic.   Black /Blue Flake for dirty water and Green Pumpkin for clear.   I’m close to the Du Page River so I’ve used a few colors such as Blue Craw and Falcon Lake Craw as they closely match the colors of the crayfish.  But, am I missing out by not using white?   Have you guys/gals had success with it?   

I have caught fish on white senko type baits. I have white trick worms and get a fish to look at them. I just depends on where you are fishing, what you are using, and what the fish are in the mood for.

White = shad in my book.  White Flukes/jerkbaits, swim baits and swim jigs, and bladed jigs, and spinnerbaits.  Thats about the extent of my white arsenal. 

 

My white plastics are primarily used as trailers.  Probably a good time of year to try it if you're going to.  

 

Side note... My local waters aren't heavily populated with shad, but it still works.  So, whether or not you have shad, it can work in either situation.  

White is a great color for all baits, buzzbaits, tails on topwaters, frogs, poppers, crankbaits, plastics, flukes, Chatterbaits, Senkos, Zoom worms, and anything you can purchase that is white.

 

After throwing white consider throwing pink. You may surprise yourself.  

White is my go to color in the fall. Come September white is always tied on to a chatterbait with white fluke as a trailer. White works!

I've fished the DuPage for many years and have never found a color that doesn't work.  Our local club has many guys who fish the DuPage and the common thread in all the fishing reports is that there isn't any one bait or one color that out fishes any other. We have fishermen who will out fish everybody else, but it's because they are better fishermen, not because they use a bait or color nobody else uses.

9 minutes ago, Scott F said:

I've fished the DuPage for many years and have never found a color that doesn't work.  Our local club has many guys who fish the DuPage and the common thread in all the fishing reports is that there isn't any one bait or one color that out fishes any other. We have fishermen who will out fish everybody else, but it's because they are better fishermen, not because they use a bait or color nobody else uses.

Had my best day ever on the DuPage today.   Have only fished it a few times but live a minute away in Naperville so trying to get there more often.  Caught about 6 smallies and had a few that got away.   Tons of fun.  Any advice or spots you’d recommend I hit?

1 minute ago, I/MBasser said:

Had my best day ever on the DuPage today.   Have only fished it a few times but live a minute away in Naperville so trying to get there more often.  Caught about 6 smallies and had a few that got away.   Tons of fun.  Any advice or spots you’d recommend I hit?

Are you bank fishing, wading or floating?

9 minutes ago, Scott F said:

Are you bank fishing, wading or floating?

Bank fishing. 

Naperville is 90% private property so bank access is VERY limited. Let me know when you get some waders or a kayak. To catch fish consistently on the river, you need to get off the bank so you can cover more water than bank fishing will allow.

I use white as my primary color for bedding fish. 

I'll cycle through 3 or 4 different shapes and sizes of plastics but almost always white is my most successful color. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

I’ve caught a ton of bass ( smallmouth and largemouth) on white jigs over the years. Some of the lakes are clear and some are very dirty, and they’ve worked in deeper water and super shallow weedy areas as well. I think it’s a colour that’s not used a lot for some lure types, and works well behind guys that've been throwing  black/blue, brown etc. 

57 minutes ago, Mike L said:

I use white as my primary color for bedding fish. 

I'll cycle through 3 or 4 different shapes and sizes of plastics but almost always white is my most successful color. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

 

Liz-zards ?

If the Du Page fishes anything like the Fox, hellgrammite baits should do you wonders. Generally, greens and browns are my goto colors on the river itself for smallies. Largemouth will hit white on the Fox presumably because of the shad population. I'm ignorant to the bait forage in the Du Page.

27 minutes ago, slonezp said:

If the Du Page fishes anything like the Fox, hellgrammite baits should do you wonders. Generally, greens and browns are my goto colors on the river itself for smallies. Largemouth will hit white on the Fox presumably because of the shad population. I'm ignorant to the bait forage in the Du Page.

FYI, the Fox and the DuPage don't fish anything alike. Mainly because the Fox is nearly always very stained, and the DuPage, except after a rain, is very clear. No shad in the DuPage either. As I've found on the DuPage, anything can and does work when you put it where the fish are. I see a lot of fishing reports and everybody uses different stuff and everybody catches fish, as long as they find them.

I never had much  success fishing bottom bouncing jigs and soft plastics in white , I dont know why . 

2 hours ago, Scott F said:

Naperville is 90% private property so bank access is VERY limited. Let me know when you get some waders or a kayak. To catch fish consistently on the river, you need to get off the bank so you can cover more water than bank fishing will allow.

Not quite that bad but point taken.  Today I had to break through pretty heavy brush and there’s usually some small space to set up every 25 yards or so.   But it can be pretty tough.   I’m close to pioneer park so the west side of river doesn’t have homes.  Thx for the help.  

 

A white trick worm on a wacky jig has saved the day for me more than once. 

@Scott F what is your favorite thing to throw on the DuPage?   Today I threw a t rigged rage menace in black/blue flake.   Switched to a SK 1.0 crank bait.  Had success with both.    Additionally, do smallies tend to stay around the same spots or do they travel throughout the river.   Thanks again for the help.   

7 hours ago, Catt said:

 

Liz-zards ?

Yeah Buddy!

Other than on a c-rig they don't get much appreciation down here for anything else. 

Don't understand why. 

 

 

 

 

Mike

8 hours ago, I/MBasser said:

@Scott F what is your favorite thing to throw on the DuPage?   Today I threw a t rigged rage menace in black/blue flake.   Switched to a SK 1.0 crank bait.  Had success with both.    Additionally, do smallies tend to stay around the same spots or do they travel throughout the river.   Thanks again for the help.   

See, this is what I mean. In 20 years, I’ve never used a crankbait in the DuPage but it worked for you. 

My favorite bait to throw there is a T rigged, unweighted, 4 inch senko, in whatever color I happen to grab. I use these because it can be thrown everywhere. In the grass, fast water, over rocks or downed wood without getting snagged. I don’t have to keep changing baits for the conditions. Best of all, it always catches smallies. 

They will move around a bit. 

13 hours ago, Yakalong said:

White is my go to color in the fall. Come September white is always tied on to a chatterbait with white fluke as a trailer. White works!

Yes!!! My #1 Fall producer exactly what you described.  It gets smashed

White grub on an under spin is a staple for me in the spring and fall. 

18 minutes ago, Dorado said:

Yes!!! My #1 Fall producer exactly what you described.  It gets smashed

White grub on an under spin is a staple for me in the spring and fall. 

Thanks for all the input everyone.  I think I'll pick up some of my favorites in white and give it a shot!!

In clear water reservoirs - a pearl color can be a little better producer than white (more subdued & natural) .

In lightly stained to stained water ,  a brighter white is perhaps the better choice .

I love white baits...Theyre kindve unique in that they stand out, drawing fish from a distance while still being pretty natural. A solid white power worm, tube, grub, and a white hair jig tipped with a white speed craw have all been really good to me.

 

 

I could have Lures in only white or solid black and be perfectly content 99% of the time