So the water is low visibility. 12 inch or so of dinghy water. I’ve done well on black swim jigs. But I have the itch to throw white or white and chartreuse swim jigs and a white trailer. Does anyone have success in lakes that do not have shad in them. With shad imitations?

Most baitfish have white in them and in dirty water, fish like crappie and bluegill often get “washed out”, which just makes them more pale white colored.

5 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Most baitfish have white in them and in dirty water, fish like crappie and bluegill often get “washed out”, which just makes them more pale white colored.

That was literally my thinking. But sometimes my ideas don’t make sense haha

Many, if not most species of prey have some kind of camouflage so they can remain somewhat hidden and survive. In nature, animals that are born albino don’t survive very long because they stand out, don’t hide as well and are soon eaten. White baits stand out, are easily seen and get eaten because they resemble food even if they don’t look like all the other bait fish.

I have used a white lure many times with success, and there are no pearly whites fish in the lake and river I was fishing. I say go for it, cause it is going to work!

IMO the best part about a white bait is how easy it is to track the bait visually - I fish a white swim jig right where it gets hard to see it but it’s still visible and often times I will literally watch my bait disappear - on super shallow banks hold your rod tip high and shake it to make the lure rise and dance as it swims back and be prepared for bull shark style wakes behind it followed by the bright white jig disappearing!

Thanks everyone. I’m gonna give it a try. Shipped this guy up quick ( didn’t feel like tying one up) we will see how it goes!!!! Black and chartreuse did so well. Hopefully this works lik everyone recommend!!

My lakes here are usually very clear and heavily bluegill and perch based. Some have shad, some don’t. I avoided white or chart/white for the longest time because it was ‘too bright’ or ‘too bold’. It just stuck out too much in the clear water. And then I started fishing whites and realized that sticking out is a feature and not a bug. Bass eat anything that looks like food whether they have seen it or not. Trout colored swimbaits in lakes that have never seen a trout for instance. If it wiggles and looks edible, they are going to eat it.

5 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

My lakes here are usually very clear and heavily bluegill and perch based. Some have shad, some don’t. I avoided white or chart/white for the longest time because it was ‘too bright’ or ‘too bold’. It just stuck out too much in the clear water. And then I started fishing whites and realized that sticking out is a feature and not a bug. Bass eat anything that looks like food whether they have seen it or not. Trout colored swimbaits in lakes that have never seen a trout for instance. If it wiggles and looks edible, they are going to eat it.

Well said! We shall see next Sunday. That looks like my best day to go out.

With largemouth and spotted bass i tend to go towards this...

Just go with what the forage is in the body of water you are fishing.... If it's a southern lake with shad roll with shad colors... Highland Reserviors with Alewives and Bream go with those colors... Herring Lakes go with Herring colors.... One thing I try to is in dirtier water go with something that makes a little more commotion or vibration....

example if flipping maybe a beaver style in clear water vs a craw with flapping appendages in dirtier water....

Maybe a squarebill vs a tigher wobbling crank...

Maybe a willow blade in clear vs colorado blade in dirty...

I tend to lean more towards changing the actions rather than the colors...

The way my brain works the bait don't really change colors when the water changes colors.. except for maybe crawfish during molting or different times of the year....

now with smallmouth I absolutely try to throw colors that stand out that I know they can see from a longer distance.... that's just the nature of their predator instincts.

I like gold where there are no shad. Fish eat it up in a pond. Give it a try. Most people aren't dedicated t throwing gold, so it's a little changeup. Gold spinnerbait blades, gold lipless cranks, etc. I'm not really sure it looks gold to the fish through the water clarity.

Come to think of it, I also like gold where there are shad.

Besides white my off colored water is the bleeding shad which Wae Eagle used to make.

On 4/20/2026 at 12:19 PM, Jig Man said:

Besides white my off colored water is the bleeding shad which Wae Eagle used to make.

I love those! I lost my last one a couple years ago. Wish I could find that color for sale again!

There arent any red, orange, pink or firetiger baitfish, but they still get bit. I fish white all the time in lakes that dont have any shad, but generally the water is dirty. Ill fish a white/pearl base spinnerbait or bladed jig in clear water when its windy, cloudy, rainy or all of the above. Even if hey dont relate a white jig to anything they feed on, white stands out and can get reaction bites.

If there is spotted bass in your lake Chrome and white are great colors. They love bold flashy colors.

Thanks everyone. I’ve got a couple white swim jigs tied up and ready!!!

Don't overthink it. Bass are opportunistic feeders. If it looks like prey and swims like prey, a hungry bass will try to eat it.