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Old 05-31-14, 10:10 AM   #1
keithdog
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Default More on jigs

My last jig post had to do with line choice. This is about color choice. What colors do you like to have available in jigs? Myself, I have caught far more on black or a black/blue speck jig than any other color. Caught a few on brown based color skirts. I can't remember catching any bass on a green based color skirt. I know of one pro, can't remember who, that wrote an article about jig fishing, and he said he only take brown and black with him and no other colors, with basic brown being his go to color. But there are so many colors available and blends as well, that color choice becomes overwhelming. So many of the choices look so good, to a human. I always thought water melon blends look good, but they haven't produced for me with jigs OR soft plastics. My guess is, it depends on the type of water your fishing, whether it is clear or stained. Also, whether is has lots of vegetation or is primarily vegie free and lots of rock, and so on. Perhaps the time of year comes into play as well. I know crawfish change color during the year, especially during their molt, whenever that is. Jigs are supposed to mimic crawfish, but that does not explain why I am doing much better with a black/blue jig. Never seen a crawfish in that color. So what are your color choices for jigs, and what kind of water do you fish them in? Clear or stained, lots of grass or barren bottom?
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Old 05-31-14, 10:44 AM   #2
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i have a friend that always says that if a bass can not find a brown crawdad, it is going to starve to death. pretty close to the truth. with that said, as far as crawdad imitations, basic blacks, brown, and green pumpkins will catch bass anywhere. here are a list of colors that i have caught bass with in a lot of different waters: black and blue, black and chartreuse, water melon red, brown and blue, brown and purple, and brown and orange. i know many like a hand tied skirt, but i have always liked the flexibility to change on the fly, so i use slip on skirts. another reason for this it allows me to cut down on having to haul around a ton of jigs. with a hand full of NuJigs and a small sack of skirts, i am ready to fish anywhere anytime and be able to cover any type of water conditions.

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Old 05-31-14, 12:36 PM   #3
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Keith, when I fish jigs, I try to find a color that has good contrast to the color of water and the depth that I am fishing. In muddy water and water that is deeper, lets say 25-30 feet in depth, I almost always use colors like black, blue, purple and brown. These colors have the ability to reflect light and retain their colors at good depth and also present good contrast in muddy and severely stained water. In clear or lightly stained water I use more brightly colored skirts, colors like orange, red, yellow, brighter greens like chartreuse, because they have the ability to reflect light in clear water that has a little less depth. I prefer jigs with wire tied skirts, I believe it lets the skirt flow a little more naturally, they also do not deteriorate as fast. The downside is that I carry around 100 -150 jigs with me at one time, different weights, head design, and obviously color.
Stick with the greens, watermelon and green pumpkin red or black flake are good producers in a lot of different types of water.
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Old 06-01-14, 09:04 AM   #4
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Black ... or black/blue. I don't fish jigs in anything less than 10 feet of water. And the water I fish is coffee colored, so at those depths, I don't think there's much light getting down there. What light does get there (which the fish can see 14 times better than we can) is mostly filtered of all colors. Black always seems to get their attention.
Of course, with color filtered out of the light, most "colors" appear as some shade of gray or black anyway.
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Old 06-02-14, 05:54 AM   #5
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Green pumpkin,green watermelon,green fleck or peanut butter an jelly or any green and jelly all work on the Tn and cumberland river chains quite well.As well as blue black n blue due to the blue crayfish species that exists in them.I toss green ,green and brown versions like summer craw more than black n blue.
I am getting away from conventional craws and using swim jigs more often with say a 4 in keitech swimbait.
Pickwick I do ok on conventional green jigs,Ky however I do better with the swim jig.

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Old 06-05-14, 06:38 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lilmule View Post
Green pumpkin,green watermelon,green fleck or peanut butter an jelly or any green and jelly all work on the Tn and cumberland river chains quite well.As well as blue black n blue due to the blue crayfish species that exists in them.I toss green ,green and brown versions like summer craw more than black n blue.
I am getting away from conventional craws and using swim jigs more often with say a 4 in keitech swimbait.
Pickwick I do ok on conventional green jigs,Ky however I do better with the swim jig.
Are the waters you fish fairly clear or are they stained? I've never under stood how a jig or soft plastic could be effective in shades of green or brown if the water is already stained those colors.
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Old 06-05-14, 08:00 PM   #7
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guess there are two ways to look at colors, and that is match the hatch, or go with outrageous stand out colors.

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Old 06-05-14, 08:20 PM   #8
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"I've never under stood how a jig or soft plastic could be effective in shades of green or brown if the water is already stained those colors."

One of the things I used to do ... I seined small fish and minnows from local waters for my aquarium. I always noticed that the color of the fish was ... similar ... to the water color.
Dark water, dark fish ... light color, light fish ... if the water is stained muddy or green, the fish are very light in color. I believe the fish have evolved to blend in with the water. Comparable to us disappearing into the very air we walk in.
So, the predator fish are actually conditioned to respond to vibration first, sight when close, in stained water. Like looking for something in a thick fog. You can hear it and get close ... then you can see it.
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Old 06-05-14, 10:41 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mikechell View Post
"I've never under stood how a jig or soft plastic could be effective in shades of green or brown if the water is already stained those colors."

One of the things I used to do ... I seined small fish and minnows from local waters for my aquarium. I always noticed that the color of the fish was ... similar ... to the water color.
Dark water, dark fish ... light color, light fish ... if the water is stained muddy or green, the fish are very light in color. I believe the fish have evolved to blend in with the water. Comparable to us disappearing into the very air we walk in.
So, the predator fish are actually conditioned to respond to vibration first, sight when close, in stained water. Like looking for something in a thick fog. You can hear it and get close ... then you can see it.
Makes sense. KVD mentions in his book matching his lures to the color of the lake bottom.
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Old 06-07-14, 07:24 AM   #10
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On the Potomac jigs in 1/2 oz size in black/blue or brown/orange work best in the pads and deep edges. I really like to fish them but seldom do I get the chance. The one thing I learned by fishing with the Stanley Brothers is color contrasts. Black/blue jigs get a bright orange chunk trailer and brown/orange jigs get a black or blue chunk trailer. My favorite chunk is a Gene Laurue craw almost cut in half.

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Old 06-08-14, 07:53 PM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Captmikestarrett View Post
On the Potomac jigs in 1/2 oz size in black/blue or brown/orange work best in the pads and deep edges. I really like to fish them but seldom do I get the chance. The one thing I learned by fishing with the Stanley Brothers is color contrasts. Black/blue jigs get a bright orange chunk trailer and brown/orange jigs get a black or blue chunk trailer. My favorite chunk is a Gene Laurue craw almost cut in half.

Capt Mike
That's a good idea. I often add contrasting colors to my spinner bait trailers.
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