# best soft plastic color - Ohio waters.



## sciotoyaker (Jan 23, 2015)

Doing some pre-season homework, and would like to get some input on what your favorite soft plastic colors are. And what time of year they work best. Mine would be - black and blue, green pumpkin, and a light brown color. As to what time of year, I asked that because I don't have a preference, but would like to hear others thoughts, so I can learn something.


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## Bad Bub (Jan 17, 2006)

If I could only have one, it would be green pumpkin with chartreuse tips. If I could have a second, black and blue.


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## Cajunsaugeye (Apr 9, 2013)

Talk about a vague question! LM or smallies? time of yr? Body of water? Are they on crawfish or baitfish? I have favorite colors,but it varies for all mentioned variables and others.


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## sciotoyaker (Jan 23, 2015)

Cajunsaugeye said:


> Talk about a vague question! LM or smallies? time of yr? Body of water? Are they on crawfish or baitfish? I have favorite colors,but it varies for all mentioned variables and others.


Both, LM and SM. Spring, summer, and fall. Inland reservoirs, and rivers. 
Crawfish, or baitfish...I don't know? That's what I want to learn. Is there a certain time of year, or temperature when the bass switch from one to the other? Or dose it depend upon the lake/ river? 
I understand its a vague question, I'm just trying to understand the fish better, so I can become a better fisherman.


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## partlyable (Mar 2, 2005)

Green watermelon if I only had 1.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

I base my color selection more on water color, than I do anything else. There are definitely times that bass key in on specific food sources more than they do others, but I usually change the style of the bait and the type of presentation, rather than change colors. 

The dirtier the water, the darker the color. The clearer the water, the more colors I can use. And the more natural colors I go with. With that said, the one color I use most often for bottom contact baits, or baits that I fish in cover, is brown and orange. Other colors for that category of baits would be, black with blue, black with red, or the green pumpkin with chartreuse tips that Bad Bub mentioned earlier. 

For free swimming baits, I most always use a color that would imitate bait fish. Again, for me, water color dictates bait color. Chartreuse and white, or black for dirtier water. Chartreuse and white, straight white, or colors that represent bluegill, perch, or shad in clearer water. 

But, as Cajunsaugeye intimated, color choice really depends on what you're trying to make your bait look like. Fall would be the only time of year that I would favor colors that represent bait fish over other colors that may not. But I don't care what species of bass I'm after, or what time of year it is .... I'm always going to have a rod with a brown and orange bait rigged and ready to go, somewhere in my boat.


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## sciotoyaker (Jan 23, 2015)

Perhaps I should have worded my question differently.
I want to learn about what time of year bass feed on different food sources. I know bass have 2 mainstays in their diet. Crawfish, and baitfish. I also know smallmouth school up in the fall and feed heavily on schooling baitfish. About what time in the early spring do bass start feeding? And is it on craws, or baitfish? Or is it lake/river dependent? Or is it temperature dependent?
I know, a lot of questions...I am trying to learn what to do in certain situations, so I can stop with the guessing games. I want to be more scientific about my approach to bass fishing, I asked about color because I don't know the science behind it. I read somewhere bass like the black and blue colors when craws are moulting. But I don't know when craws moult, so I wouldn't know what time of year to use that color. Of course, experimentation would be the best way to learn, but if someone already knows, and do dosnt mind sharing. Thanks for all the help!


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## CudaJohn (Aug 26, 2014)

sciotoyaker, I found this article, http://www.fix.com/blog/bass-fishing-by-season/

I don't know much about this stuff either so maybe some of the seasoned guys can comment on the accuracy of the article's content.


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## sciotoyaker (Jan 23, 2015)

That's exactly what I was looking for. Thanks, cudajohn!


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

CudaJohn said:


> sciotoyaker, I found this article, http://www.fix.com/blog/bass-fishing-by-season/
> 
> I don't know much about this stuff either so maybe some of the seasoned guys can comment on the accuracy of the article's content.


From the article.

"bass are not picky eaters and devour anything available. "

Pretty much how I feel about bass  They are eating machines. You get a bait in front of them, odds are they are gonna hit it or try to get it out of its nest which is almost as good.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

The article in the link CudaJohn posted is pretty much spot on. And knowing when bass may be keying on a specific food source is definitely important. I just want to say that while choosing colors that represent the food bass are eating is a good start, you'll want to consider water color to be just as important as what the bass are eating. 

If you've read very many articles on bass and their feeding strategies, you'll have invariably read that they are "predominantly sight feeders" IMO there is no predominantly about it. Bass feed by sight. Period. They may become aware of prey through other senses, and they may seek out that prey through other senses. But they are going to have to see it, before they eat it. I'm sure there are those that will disagree with my belief, and that's fine. But I doubt there will be many that don't choose their bait colors by their ability to be seen (or not be seen) under water.


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## Shad Rap (Nov 10, 2010)

I've found that red shad is a good all around color...my favorite.


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## Cajunsaugeye (Apr 9, 2013)

My "vague" statement is more geared to TYPE of soft plastics.I want dark browns,blacks as primary if fishing bottom baits(craw imitations).Now,on twister type grubs,it depends if you're hopping on bottom or swimming more like a Baitfish.Then swimbaits like Joshys or keitechs,more Baitfishlike colors or bright colors.Then w/those "baselines" you have to tweak for water conditions.SSO,I guess if pinned down,favorite craw(bottom type bait)color is Watermelon w/various flake colors for smallies and same or black with/without blue for LM.Upper baits(swims) would be whites,pearls,chartreuse/whites for those.


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## sciotoyaker (Jan 23, 2015)

Thanks a lot guys! Now I have a good idea on what to look for. Hopefully stocking up in the winter saves me some money, come on winter sale!


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

I dont think you can always know what color to throw I like to just try to eliminate options by trying vastly different colors when you switch up. If your in an area where you are confident there are fish and you have only caught a few or had some short strikes try a color that is significantly different. Like Instead of white, black, Instead of chart, brown, and pay attention to opacity. the same color like chartreuse comes in several different versions, Opaque being the most solid one that no light passes through and then the ones that are very translucent. Generally speaking Opaque baits are better in low light and muddy water and translucent in high light clear water from my experience. You also have to consider how you will be fishing the bait speed wise. If Im fishing a soft jerkbait quickly I want a bright color, If im fishing it slowly and dragging it on the bottom some I want more of a translucent green brown hue. Just seems to work better that way based on how much time the fish has to inspect the bait. I guess to me the question is, is the color im using attracting the fish or convincing it to bite. I think that is why so many bass guys dye the tips of their plastics with fluorescent dye like chartreuse or orange. I think the extra bit of color helps call the fish over, accentuates the movements of the bait but its not so bright that it looks fake when they swim over to inspect it.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

Big Joshy said:


> I think that is why so many bass guys dye the tips of their plastics with fluorescent dye like chartreuse or orange. I think the extra bit of color helps call the fish over, accentuates the movements of the bait but its not so bright that it looks fake when they swim over to inspect it.


This is exactly my prospective when it comes to dyeing soft plastics. At times a large amount of a bright color may be the ticket, but I've found that subtle coloring is usually far more effective.


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## CudaJohn (Aug 26, 2014)

This is really helpful guys. Thank you for your insight!


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## JRBASSER (Mar 5, 2014)

Muddier and murky waters: Dark and more natural colors (black&blue flake, green pumpkin)
Clear, less dirty water: brighter colors like chartreuse


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## MassillonBuckeye (May 3, 2010)

Shad Rap said:


> I've found that red shad is a good all around color...my favorite.


And red is supposed to be the color that goes first underwater...

Heres a good article i just came across with some visuals.

http://www.mepps.com/fishing-article/color-technology-what-you-see-is-not-what-you-get/77

More reading:

http://www.colourlovers.com/blog/2008/07/09/fish-on-selecting-the-best-lure-colors


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## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

Bad Bub said:


> If I could only have one, it would be green pumpkin with chartreuse tips. If I could have a second, black and blue.


Absolutely green pumpkin. Its natural hue looks real to bass, and studies have shown it is the color that most bass pros use when tournament fishing.
As for jigs, black with a dark blue trailer works best when the water is chilly.
Red shad is good for Texas rig worms, and bubblegum is a killer for floating worm situations.
Black is another great color for worms, especially for night fishing during summer.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

JRBASSER said:


> Muddier and murky waters: Dark and more natural colors (black&blue flake, green pumpkin)
> Clear, less dirty water: brighter colors like chartreuse


Sorry JRBASSER .... other than your saying dark colors in muddier and murky water, I don't agree with this at all. Which is ok, because anglers routinely disagree on color. When I'm fishing dirty water my first color choice is going to be something that's dark, and presents a solid image. I definitely want contrast in dirty water. My next choice for murkier water would be something brightly colored. If I were to choose a natural color for murkier water, it would be a color that presents that solid image I talked about earlier. Also a bait that has some flash is good in dirtier water. Jig skirts with a few Mylar strands in them have worked well for me in dirty water, or plastic baits with large metal flake.

In clear less dirty water is when I go with more natural colors. This is where I think the green pumpkin and watermelon color baits really start to shine. Those 2 bait colors excel in clearer water because their colors blend in better and don't present a real solid image. They're harder to detect as being fake. I'll rarely use a bright color in clear water. If I do I'm going to use it in dark overcast conditions, or I'm going to be moving it fast in more bright conditions. Of course there are exceptions to every rule. As NCbassattack said, a bubble gum colored floating worm can be great in clear water and bight conditions. And there are other times when for some reason the fish seem to be keyed in on a brighter color in clear conditions. Especially with smallmouth bass. But more often than not, I've found that more natural colors work better in clearer water. Just my opinions. Like I said earlier.... color is one of the most debated topics in fishing.


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## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

As for smallies, pumpkin works best for me in the New River. Chartreuse is my go to color in stained water conditions.


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## Fisherman 3234 (Sep 8, 2008)

Green Pumpkin is a great color to start off with.....


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## CudaJohn (Aug 26, 2014)

As an amateur I think I struggle with the difference between stained, dirty, murky, muddy, etc.
I mostly shore at fish ponds and the metroparks. I wouldn't define any of this water as clear so how does one assess water clarity?


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

CudaJohn said:


> As an amateur I think I struggle with the difference between stained, dirty, murky, muddy, etc.
> I mostly shore at fish ponds and the metroparks. I wouldn't define any of this water as clear so how does one assess water clarity?


My personal classification for different water colors would be 

Muddy water, 6" or less visibility
Dirty water, 6 - 12" of visibility
Murky water, 12 - 16" of visibility
Stained water 16 - 24" of visibility Which is perfect spinnerbait water color in my book. 

Stained can also be clearer than the numbers I posted, but the water can have color to it. 

Fairly clear water to me would be 24 - 30" of visibility

I'm going to call any water with visibility of 3 - 4', clear water. 

Very clear water would be 4 - 6' 

And any water where I can see my bait in more than 6' of water I'm going to call gin clear.

But water color is a relative term, and for fishing situations you have to judge the water color by what the lake you're fishing would have under normal conditions. Meaning if you fish a lake that routinely has 4' of visibility, and one day you go there and you can only see your bait 18" down .... that is going to be dirty water for that lake. 

I think someone said it earlier in the thread, but water temperature while not having an affect on the actual water clarity .... studies I've read indicate that water temperature does play a roll in how well a bass can see. Supposedly their eyes don't function as well when water is cold. Which could have something to do with general belief that bass don't bite as well in cold, dirty water. I will say that as with colors, there are exceptions to the rule.

One thing I should say as a qualifier for my water color classifications. They are dependent on sunny conditions, during the brightest part of the day, with the sun directly overhead. Which are the condition parameters used for taking a Secchi disk reading. 

Also something I read a long time ago about water color and underwater shadows. At a depth of 3 times the visibility of the water is the point that distinct shadows are supposed to be nonexistent.


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## Nate In Parma Hts (Jul 4, 2014)

The last few years, on Erie I've had the best luck with the watermelon colors with redish flakes, junebug, and assorted shades of "natural" or brown.


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## Smallmouth Crazy (Apr 4, 2006)

Black with blue, blue fleck, the last couple years almost any variation of blue has been a big winner for me.


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## NCbassattack (May 5, 2014)

Fisherman 3234 said:


> Green Pumpkin is a great color to start off with.....


Green pumpkin is subtle, can be effective in any water conditions. In dirty water, a bit of chartreuse dye on the end of the particular bait will get bites, and in gin clear water, it's natural hue is more life like than any other color.
I have fished bass tournaments for over 30 years, and can attest to the effective catching ability of green pumpkin.
In my opinion, no color comes close for any application.


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## AxE216 (Aug 23, 2013)

Clear water, watermelon red or green pumpkin with the tip dipped in Chartreuse JJ's magic. Dirty water, a dark red or black/red flake. I use the KISS method: Keep It Simple, Stupid.


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## greatmiami (Feb 4, 2014)

If a bass won't hit green pumpkin it probably has rabies!

Sent from my QMV7A using Ohub Campfire mobile app


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## Govbarney (Jan 3, 2011)

It's probibly just a confidence thing because I have been using it since Kindergarten , and learned it from my old man, who learned it from his old man, but purple or "junebug" has always been my go-to color.


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