Lure colors & patterns what are your favs?

[AUFred]

For me:
Plastics I am partial to purple
Spinnerbaits I am usually using yellow or white.
In hardbaits I have found a baby bass pattern is hard to beat.

[danielbasspro]

for plastics in clear water i throw greens,whites,shad patterns, light blues
muddy water plastics for me are usually black purple and junebug
white spinnerbaits willow blades in clear water burnin it.
red or black spiinner bait with a loud colorado blade.

[DaveW731]

Fire Tiger for hardbaits
Chartreuse/White combo for spinnerbaits
Green watermelon, with or without chartreuse accents (tails, stripes, flecks) for plastics

[WaffleJaw]

purple worm is my go-to....then blk/blue ,green & pumpkin
spinnbaits- blk/ blue...white...chart/wht......
for cranks...shad is my fravorite,baby bass is second.

[Fishnngolfn]

Cottoncandy for plastics
Black/red and white for spinnerbaits
Crankbaits - ??? just started using them
Softbelly frogs - green
Hard kicking frogs - watermelon or black. I do have a white one but don't use it often.

[rodnreel]

This past year has been by seasons:

Spring: Original Floating Rapala, Silver/Blue Back or Silver/Black Back

Spring/Summer Transition: T-rigged Berkley Powerworm, Red Shad Yum Dinger, Watermelon Candy

Summer: Booyah 3/8 ounce swim jig, Green pumpkin/Brown Weightless Zoom Speed Craw

About the past 2 weeks the white spinnerbait with colorado blades has been hot for me.

[keithdog]

While a list of favorite colors is interresting to read, it is probably not going to be very helpfull for most situations you'll encounter, unless your going to be fishing the same lakes as those your getting info from. For example, many folks in here absolutely prefer a color in soft plastics in the green range like green pumpkin or watermellon. While i've used those colors extensively in my waters, the black/blue color soft plastics outcatch my green pumkin 10-1. Other anglers around here have reported the same to me. However, what color works well in my lake may be very different from yours. Some lakes have shad populations, and in those lakes shad pattern crankbaits are very successful. In my area lakes, there are no shad and shad pattern cranks do not catch nearly as many fish as the bluegill and perch pattern cranks. For years, the white spinnerbaits were all I would use. This year I started using bluegill pattern skirted spinnerbaits, and they are turning out to be my best spinnerbait this year. In fact, I have noticed a difference in both color choices and lure preferences in the bass between two lakes in my town. These two lakes are less than half a mile apart, but the bass definately have different preferences between the two. The one lake is larger, has more deep water areas and has clearer water for the most part than the other lake. But the forage base is the same in both. So why the difference? I can only guess. I guess what I am trying to point out is that color preferences are determined by local conditions, weather patterns, sunlight penetration, and so on. The time of year is important. Are you fishing at a time of year when crayfish are the prefered prey, or when the bass are zeroing in on shad or bluegill? If an angler is planning to feed the bait monky and load up on lures to stock his tackle box, he would be much better served by talking to anglers who fish the same waters he plans to fish. Or get a variety of colors to match whatever condition is encountered.

[AUFred]

The reason I brought it up was I noticed a pattern in my purchases and was wondering if others noticed the same thing. I specifically thinking about hardbaits more than plastics or spinnerbaits. I notice in my hardbaits I lean toward golds & silvers as main standbys, then I have a lot of baby bass pattern & speckled or frog patterns & shad patterns and more recently I have picked up blue & yellow patterns but my most ferocious bites are usually on the baby bass patterns where I fish.

[Fishnngolfn]

I buy lures and plastics because they look pretty. lol

[keithdog]

Originally Posted by AUFred

The reason I brought it up was I noticed a pattern in my purchases and was wondering if others noticed the same thing. I specifically thinking about hardbaits more than plastics or spinnerbaits. I notice in my hardbaits I lean toward golds & silvers as main standbys, then I have a lot of baby bass pattern & speckled or frog patterns & shad patterns and more recently I have picked up blue & yellow patterns but my most ferocious bites are usually on the baby bass patterns where I fish.

It will be interresting to see the results. I'd be really interrested if the responders also could describe the type of waters they fish, and perhaps their location. Then maybe you/we could see a relation in various parts of the country.

[AUFred]

Originally Posted by keithdog

It will be interresting to see the results. I'd be really interrested if the responders also could describe the type of waters they fish, and perhaps their location. Then maybe you/we could see a relation in various parts of the country.

I mostly pond fish. Some of those ponds are reasonably clear but some are almost like a chocolate milkshake.

[nybass1]

Well in new york the waters are fairly clear and as far a worms cant beat green pumpkin

[rrw4258]

Originally Posted by keithdog

While a list of favorite colors is interresting to read, it is probably not going to be very helpfull for most situations you'll encounter, unless your going to be fishing the same lakes as those your getting info from. For example, many folks in here absolutely prefer a color in soft plastics in the green range like green pumpkin or watermellon. While i've used those colors extensively in my waters, the black/blue color soft plastics outcatch my green pumkin 10-1. Other anglers around here have reported the same to me. However, what color works well in my lake may be very different from yours. Some lakes have shad populations, and in those lakes shad pattern crankbaits are very successful. In my area lakes, there are no shad and shad pattern cranks do not catch nearly as many fish as the bluegill and perch pattern cranks. For years, the white spinnerbaits were all I would use. This year I started using bluegill pattern skirted spinnerbaits, and they are turning out to be my best spinnerbait this year. In fact, I have noticed a difference in both color choices and lure preferences in the bass between two lakes in my town. These two lakes are less than half a mile apart, but the bass definately have different preferences between the two. The one lake is larger, has more deep water areas and has clearer water for the most part than the other lake. But the forage base is the same in both. So why the difference? I can only guess. I guess what I am trying to point out is that color preferences are determined by local conditions, weather patterns, sunlight penetration, and so on. The time of year is important. Are you fishing at a time of year when crayfish are the prefered prey, or when the bass are zeroing in on shad or bluegill? If an angler is planning to feed the bait monky and load up on lures to stock his tackle box, he would be much better served by talking to anglers who fish the same waters he plans to fish. Or get a variety of colors to match whatever condition is encountered.

Keith, very well put! Like he said color should vary with the conditions, staying with one color all the time is highly unproductive at times. Now take smallie fishing on erie for example... two 3.5" Poor Booy's Tubes, one JC Watermelon (watermelon with purple/gold flake) and Mango Magic (green pumpkin with purple/gold flake). Last tournament they would not touch a green pumpkin, but I caught a 16 pound limit on watermelon...

Ryan

[BeaverIslander]

Watermelon or black and blue plastics.
Gold shiner, black, white and chart/white for spin/buzz.
Black/blue/pumpkinseed or junebug for jigs.