Fishing Tips - Artificial Lures Color Selection

Choosing the right color for artificial lures is critical to improving your success in different water and weather conditions. Here are some key guidelines for selecting the best color based on various factors like water clarity, lighting, and fish species:

1. Water Clarity

• Clear Water: In clear water, fish can see more clearly, so using natural and subtle colors that mimic the baitfish or prey in the area is ideal.
  • Best Colors: Greens, browns, silver, and transparent lures that resemble the natural environment.
  • Lure Types: Soft plastics, crankbaits, and jerkbaits in natural colors work well in clear water.
• Stained/ Murky Water: In water with limited visibility, brighter and more vibrant colors are needed to help fish detect the lure.
  • Best Colors: Bright colors like chartreuse, white, orange, and yellow are highly visible in murky water.
  • Lure Types: Spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and jigs with reflective or fluorescent elements.
• Dark Water (Tannic/Dirty Water): Water with tannins or heavy sediment often requires darker or more contrasting colors to stand out.
  • Best Colors: Black, blue, dark purple, and dark green tend to be more visible and create a strong silhouette.
  • Lure Types: Dark-colored soft plastics, jigs, and topwater lures are effective.

2. Weather and Lighting Conditions

• Sunny Days (Bright Light): When fishing in bright sunlight, natural and subtle colors that resemble the environment work best.
  • Best Colors: White, silver, green, and translucent colors that reflect light naturally.
  • Lure Types: Shiny metallic lures, such as spoons or silver crankbaits, can mimic the flash of a fish in the sunlight.
• Cloudy or Overcast Days (Low Light): Fish rely more on contrast than color in low-light conditions, so darker or high-contrast lures are ideal.
  • Best Colors: Darker shades like black, blue, and purple, as well as brightly colored lures like chartreuse and orange.
  • Lure Types: Jigs and spinnerbaits with dark or brightly contrasting skirts are effective.
• Night Fishing: Fish rely on vibrations and silhouettes at night, so color becomes less important than size and movement.
  • Best Colors: Black, dark blue, and purple create a strong silhouette against the lighter surface of the water.
  • Lure Types: Use lures that create more noise or vibration, such as buzzbaits or rattling crankbaits.

3. Water Depth

• Shallow Water: In shallow waters, light penetrates easily, so natural and subtle colors are generally more effective.
  • Best Colors: Greens, browns, and silvers work well for species like bass and trout.
• Deep Water: In deeper waters where light diminishes, colors like red and orange disappear quickly, while blues and purples remain visible at greater depths.
  • Best Colors: Blue, purple, and darker colors maintain visibility in deep water.

4. Match the Prey

• Match the Hatch: Choose colors that imitate the prey or forage fish in the water you're fishing. If fish are feeding on shad, minnows, or crawfish, pick lures that mimic the color patterns of these species.
  • Shad/ Minnow Colors: Silver, white, and gray with some reflective properties.
  • Crawfish Colors: Brown, red, and green lures, especially when fishing near rocky or gravelly bottoms.

5. Reflective and UV Lures

• Reflective/ Metallic Lures: Lures with metallic finishes (gold, silver) reflect light and mimic the flash of baitfish. They are effective in both clear and stained water, especially under bright conditions.
• UV and Glow Lures: These lures are treated with UV coatings or glow-in-the-dark properties, making them easier for fish to detect in low-light or deep-water environments.

6. Seasonal Considerations

• Spring and Early Summer: Fish are often more aggressive, and brighter colors like chartreuse, white, and neon shades can trigger strikes.
• Fall: In the fall, when fish are feeding heavily, use more natural or muted colors like browns, oranges, and reds to mimic the natural prey like crayfish and baitfish.

Lure color selection can make a significant difference in your fishing success. The key is to adapt to the environment by considering water clarity, lighting, depth, and the type of prey in the area. Experiment with different colors and observe how fish react, adjusting your lure choices based on the conditions and fish behavior.