What are the better colors for soft plastics and any other lures in cool water? I  have been using a Red Shad Zoom Ribbon Tail...and seems to work and my cousin was using a Chartruse Lizard and was cathcing them Sunday...so does it really matter that much?

And and this is my first post in like 6 months...Good to be back.

I've had good luck this winter with anything red, orange, or brown in it. I think lure presentation is more important than color though.

Most of my fish have from a 4" white paddle tail.

i personaly use the 6' zoom lizard in watermellon with red flake, 4-7' paddle tail worm either a pumpkin or black on a 1/8 oz jig head. just remember while fishing during the winter stay natural and finesse

Cold water - green pumpkin

Warm water - green pumpkin

I'm feeling froggy - green pumpkin/red flake

Nothing else is working - camo, june bug, jet black, watermelon seed, etc.....

In gin clear water no.. color don't matter as much as action but natural colors work the best. In stained to muddy water displacement and vibration matters the most second would be color. If you just drop a worm and let it sit without moving it how is a bass going to figure out it is there or alive or something to eat? If the bass was in the area and saw it drop they would go to it to see if it was alive. If the bait has the shape of something real or smells good they might nail it but in most cases the lure would need to be visible to distinguish it from the bottom or cover or move. Most of the time it is the movement that tricks a bass into thinking it is real. If this wasn't the case they would be feeding on any branch or trash that dropped into the water. Color can be important when the bass is in water that is clear enough to see the color and is important when you need to have your bait a different color than the bottom or cover. If I used a green worm in green grass how easy would it be to see and not be mistaken for another weed. A lot of times I would use a green worm but will have a different color metal flake so that it can be distinguished from the other grass and when I move the bait I draw attention to it. With little light penetration the ability for a bass to see some colors is less so other colors like green's, violates, chartreuse, blue's, and dark shades are more visible.

My best colors this Winter have been green pumpkin finese worm and lizard,green pumpkin w/chartreuse tail lizard in highly stained water,watermelon red lizard,and Chartreuse pitchin' tube in highly stained water.

I like fishing suspending jerkbaits in the spring in cool or cold water.  The coolers depend on clarity.  I like dark in mudy water and bright in clear.  Remember slow....slow ............slow.........and oh ya slow........presentations.  that I believe is key.  I also like to drop shot a natural looking minnow. and just dead stick it after short bursts.  

Scott

My confidence in coldwater, murky where I fish is in the darker colors: blue and black for jig and pig and finesse worms. Lures, I look more at the wobble than the color--the wider the wobble the better for me.

My favorite bait right now is tubes. I keep the colors as natural as possible. Pumpkins, watermelons and shad colors work the best for me. If the water is very stained or muddy, I will switch up to black.

I like any color with the words "watermelon" or "pumpkin" in it.  Another go to color is junebug.  I think color matters.  I am forever touching up lures with paint, colored pens, or spike it.  there have been many occasions where a bait wasn't producing well untill I did some artwork on it.  I am a firm believer in color as a factor.  Plus it's just way too much fun to play around with the bait colors.  My fishing jeans look like an artists palatte.  

I fish dark and natural colors (which brings in white and clear combinations) year around in all water.

I have very little or no success in muddy water and I rarely fish in those conditions anymore.

Any Jig color will work as long as it's Blue and Black. Crank baits-Sunny days use lighter more natural colors. Cloudy, overcast days use darker or brighter colors. Soft plastics-Anything as long it's Green Pumpkin.

YUM black blue wholly hawg tail

thats all you gutta know for winter fishing.