Normally I like the Colorado or Indiana blades in colder water and Willowleaf when the water gets warmer, but if it's really dirty, I'll stay with the thumping blades even in the warm water to make them easier to find.

19 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Normally I like the Colorado or Indiana blades in colder water and Willowleaf when the water gets warmer, but if it's really dirty, I'll stay with the thumping blades even in the warm water to make them easier to find.

Thank you so much!

I just buy all the colors available. I don’t catch much fish, but I’ve got a tackle collection that is pretty good…

2 hours ago, Smirak said:

I just buy all the colors available. I don’t catch much fish, but I’ve got a tackle collection that is pretty good…

I think a lot of us here are in the same boat..haha

To expand a little on what I posted earlier.

In addition to favoring brighter colors in stained water and natural colors in clear water, the water clarity also dictates the "type" of lure I favor. I opt for louder/vibrating lures in stained water and a more subtle, less noise version in clear water.

In some cases I think bass have trouble visually seeing a lure in stained water and the vibration/noise helps them detect it with their lateral line.

I fish lakes with ultra clarity and lakes that look like pea soup every season. Both ends of the spectrum.

I wouldn’t be too concerned about color in very stained water. They’ll locate your bait mostly through vibration. Bladed jigs, spinner baits and crank baits will get their attention. If they are feeding, they’ll eat regardless of color

1 hour ago, gim said:

To expand a little on what I posted earlier.

In addition to favoring brighter colors in stained water and natural colors in clear water, the water clarity also dictates the "type" of lure I favor. I opt for louder/vibrating lures in stained water and a more subtle, less noise version in clear water.

In some cases I think bass have trouble visually seeing a lure in stained water and the vibration/noise helps them detect it with their lateral line.

I fish lakes with ultra clarity and lakes that look like pea soup every season. Both ends of the spectrum.

Iowa waters are closer to the pea soup look for sure

7 minutes ago, Joedodge said:

Iowa waters are closer to the pea soup look for sure

Too much runoff from the fields lol

This lake im fishing now is literally in the middle of the fields haha.

6 hours ago, GRiver said:

I think a lot of us here are in the same boat..haha

Haha..,gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette … haha

For plastics, black with red flake is very underrated.

1 hour ago, lavbasser said:

For plastics, black with red flake is very underrated.

I’ve never really tried black and red flake. I may have to

The lower the water clarity, the less I think color matters. Going with whatever looks good to you, and that you'll fish confidently, is probably better than trying to find a secret color.

But nothing wrong with having some rules-of-thumb to follow to make the decision easier. I like:

-Chartreuses in green water.

-Bright oranges and reds in brown water.

-Plain white, and patterns like "coleslaw" and "firetiger" for all-purpose low-vis duty.

Orange / brown, black, black / blue. A painted spinner bait blade helps too.

33 minutes ago, Bankbeater said:

Orange / brown, black, black / blue. A painted spinner bait blade helps too.

Orange and brown is one of my faves

I came off the thickest green water I've seen 10 minutes ago. Most of my fish came from the pea soup creeks. Couldn't get a whiff on bladed jig, lipless or spinnerbaits. Green pumpkin hopped very slowly killed it. Never even thought about trying another color. Probably should have as an experiment, I suppose.

One key that held true (and always has for me) is bites mostly come very close to cover. If I feel slightest tick of weed or wood, I kill it immediately. Not sure if that's where they are all holding or they react to the deflection even moreso in murky water.

For spinnerbaits, I never found colors matter much based on clarity. Blade shapes and sizes absolutely do.