What is the general consensus regarding the color of topwater plugs relative to the sky? I would think that dark colors with a bright sky and light colors with a cloudy or dark sky. What is the general rule?

Silver with a black back does well here in clear water, clear skies.

Bone color on an overcast......and I have no idea why.

I favor translucent colors, regardless of cloud cover.

2 minutes ago, Bird said:

Bone color on an overcast......and

 

With an orange belly...and I have no idea why!

Yellow belly seems good here.

A-Jay

Shad color day light, black after dark.

Tom

When you gotta ask, throw black.

 

That's my philosophy. 

21 minutes ago, Crow Horse said:

What is the general consensus 

 

You're asking fishermen on the internet for any kind of consensus? Lol. 

For me, the darker the sky the darker the bait (almost exclusively). At night and early mornings it’s black for me. Sunshine days it’s bone and chrome or if it’s gin clear I go naturals. About the only exception for me is full moon nights and I start at white. Last weekend under a 3/4 moon they still wanted black. 
 

If you have to ask, fish black and fish it fast. 

If you are asking what color they can see best, in any sky condition,it would be black. I think color doesn't matter much on surface lures, and i fish clear water. Throw whatever you want, and have confidence in it.  

I have had luck with dark colors in the morning. One day me and my cousin went fishing and he threw a white popping frog and got nothing. I put on a dark one and was tearing them up. He then put on a black popping frog and he caught 5 back to back within minutes.

Yellow belly on hollow body frogs. White for poppers and l have no idea why, it just works. 

Light colored with dark backs, day time. I have never went bass fishing at night, wanna try it soon.

Black at night & low light is the tradition but sometimes it works well any time. If you want to keep it simple there are only two primary colors; black and white. But like Catt said a little orange on the throat or belly helps. 

11 hours ago, Catt said:

 

With an orange belly...and I have no idea why!

 

Back in the 60s, Jason Lucas wrote an article stating that orange was the best top water color for bass.  If you look, practically all of the more successful top water lures have some orange on the the bottom.   I prefer chrome or translucent top water baits most of the time.  If it's a  dark day or at night, black or dark green.

 

I've done best with baits with a light color belly in bright sun. Night time, black. An example is the black jitterbug at night. It's caught scores of fish over the years.

Y'all be surprised how well white works at night especially in Shad fill lakes.

For context, this thread seems like a great place to bring up Snell's window (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snell's_window). Cool optical phenomenon.

 

The bait's appearance will change depending on the angle fish see it from. If they are looking straight up, it's against the sky, and transparency will determine its appearance. At a low angle, it's against a reflection, and colors will be more visible.

 

That said, I don't have a go-to topwater color (don't fish on top very often). Just consider the fish's perspective.

Was just gonna say what @Cattsaid

 

If it ain't white, they don't bite w/ regards to topwaters on my water.  Day or night.  White catches the giants.

13 hours ago, Catt said:

 

With an orange belly...and I have no idea why!

Agreed. And I don't think bass can even see the back of a topwater lure.

A bass looks up at the water's surface against the sky which is bright even when cloudy. The contrast of black is undeniable...

I prefer darker ones until the sun gets up. Then I prefer lighter colors like bone, frog, roan and firetiger. They all cast the same shadow though. And I very, very rarely catch anything in broad daylight. Once the sun is up most of my topwater bites come from the shadows and edges. The frog is a different thing altogether. They'll attack that thing when the sun is high.

The best appearance of a top water lure is no appearance.  A successful top water lure mimics a struggling creature.  The vibrations this sends throughout the water column draws in fish like a magnet.  If a bass can't tell what it is, they have no choice but to check it out the only way they can.  If the size or shape of the lure doesn't match up, it doesn't draw as many strikes.   Under the right circumstances, anything with hooks can catch bass.  I don't always get to fish under the right circumstances, so I need to get it right the majority of the time.  I have probably fished with every type of top water lure ever made.  Ploppers, poppers, splashers, jerks and prop baits.  I have seen them come and go.   They all work sometimes.   I have never seen anyone one of them work better than the Devil's Horse.  A close second is the Heddon Tiny Torpedo.  The sound they put out draws surface strikes even in deep water. If you can't catch fish on one of those, you should take up golf. ?

 

 

Saltwater Super Zara Spook 

 

 

I love solid colors for topwaters! I don’t really pay attention to patterns!  Solid black, white, orange, chartreuse etc. 

Bone/White and Black.  i have one or two other colors. but i only seem to catch with a light colored one, or a Black one.