Are painted jigs really necessary? Are more lure types needed - ever?

[Spoonminnow]

The very first jig I caught smallmouth on was a Mr. Twister yellow pearl with a black dots on either side with a yellow Mr. Twister grub rigged. For years I was of the mindset that the jig should match the color of the grub and that the dot was recognized by fish as an eye and therefore more convincing the lure was alive. After that I used to color my jigs and added dots or only buy painted ones that matched the body, whether it be plastic, hair or some other skirt material.

But then about five years ago I decided to use unpainted jigs and see whether the bites were less. Each outing I would use painted and unpainted for comparison once crappies were located either in a school or in small groups as part of a pattern. What I discovered was that there was absolutely no difference.

As to the second question, I found a soft plastic lure design that catches seven species of fish rigged on an unpainted round head jig with no barb. (My user name indicates the process used to make the soft plastic lure pictured.) When I fish, it's used 95% of the time and because fish are suckers for a slow moving, finesse action lure, I do well every time I go out. Granted, one or two species may account for the largest numbers, but rarely do I catch less than thirty fish and almost always I catch lunkers in different species.

What this all strongly suggests is:
1. unpainted jigs do just as well (or better) than painted ones.
2. one design is all I need any time I go out (though I sometimes like using modified soft plastics in other designs such as curl tail grubs and small tubes).
3. a large selection of colors is never needed (I take three).
4. soft plastic length matched with the right size hook and jig weight are crucial for different presentations.
5. line test is also very important.

[deathb4disco]

What size bait are you using?

[Cmj]

Im guessing that you primarily fish the same body of water most of the time?

[Crestliner08]

For crappie anyway, I've been using unpainted heads for decades (with plastic trailers). Never had a problem catching these or smallmouths or any other species using plain lead. However, when it comes to plastic color, I believe it does make an incredible difference. Even changing hour by hour depending on the rays of the sun, depth of the fish and their mood.

I use to use a multitude of plastic types as well; but as of late (last 3 seasons), I keep going back to the standard straight tails (i.e.: BG Baby Shads). They just never seem to stop producing for us up here. As far as line goes it's all a matter of depth & speed control. The heavier the line, the shallower the presentation and vice versus.

[Countryboy N.C.]

I use unpainted heads all the time, standard straight tails, only about 3 to 4 different colors, fish 4 different lakes and 3 different farm ponds, Most of the time the same color works at all the fishing holes. 2 of the lakes are in NC, the other 2 in middle SC.

[Countryboy N.C.]

I focus more on finding crappie than changing out jigs all day,I dont waste much time playing with depth finders either, give me a rod and I will know in a few minutes if there are fish there.

[Spoonminnow]

I fish five different waters.
Lure sizes are 2.5" - 3"
As far as colors go, I like translucent green with gold and chartreuse metal flake or pearl white. Both have more to do with flash and contrast IMO than actual hue since I've poured clear with silver flake and gotten as many strikes in water with visibility of only three feet. Plus 40 fish (of different species caught) per day support what I've said.

Yesterday I got into different schools of white perch, alternated between colors, lure length and jig weight and caught fish after fish. On another lake on Sunday, I got into some 12" plus crappie, big yellow perch and white perch - same lure factors.

Crappie are crappie regardless of water and if seven species (including catfish) strike this lure, it shouldn't matter the water. I agree with Crestliner and Countryboy, except I have found sonar important on lakes that have productive deep and shallow water structure such as humps, old underwater channels, rock walls, flats and shoals. I want to know what's down there and what changes need to be made presentation-wise. Bowl shaped lakes with weed beds don't allow sonar much unless weed bed edges need to be detected.

In any case, that's my findings and was curious who found the same thing to be true seeing as how many lure types are sold to catch pan fish in general.
BTW, I don't believe there is a category of lures that only crappie will strike, but believe some are better than others most of the time. I've posted pictures of the fish caught on my lure and a few other modified soft plastics in the panfish forum.

[slabsrus]

I have found that different colors can definitely make a difference in both the jigs and the soft plastics being used. Unpainted jigs, for me, are very unproductive in several of the waters that I fish locally, but work quite well in a few of the lakes that I fish to the north. In the three main bodies of water that I fish, orange jigs are by far the most productive, especially when tipped with pearl and black, 1 inch soft plastic. Sure many other options work, but no where near as well for me. I have spent literally hundreds of hours testing jig and plastic colors and combination options and have found that color absolutely makes a difference for me. And as far as jigs with or without an eye (dot), I catch far more crappies and smallmouth on jigs that do not have the dot. In fact for smallies, my average float will produce a dozen or more good fish when using a solid black jig head. If I use a different color jig, or one with an eye dot, I am lucky to catch 3 decent fish. I have also found that a black jig with a yellow dot will produce more smalllmouth than a black jig with a white dot. Of course all of this information is just my personal observation over the past 35 years of targeting crappies and smallmouth bass in Central and Northern Michigan. Sure crappie are crappie, and smallmouth are smallmouth, but I believe that it is very likely that local influences can make a big difference in what works from one area to the next. And again, these are just my personal observations. I am in no way a fish biologist, and don't claim to be. I am just your run of the mill crappieholic

[Cmj]

I fish five different waters.
Lure sizes are 2.5" - 3"
As far as colors go, I like translucent green with gold and chartreuse metal flake or pearl white. Both have more to do with flash and contrast IMO than actual hue since I've poured clear with silver flake and gotten as many strikes in water with visibility of only three feet. Plus 40 fish (of different species caught) per day support what I've said.

Yesterday I got into different schools of white perch, alternated between colors, lure length and jig weight and caught fish after fish. On another lake on Sunday, I got into some 12" plus crappie, big yellow perch and white perch - same lure factors.

Crappie are crappie regardless of water and if seven species (including catfish) strike this lure, it shouldn't matter the water. I agree with Crestliner and Countryboy, except I have found sonar important on lakes that have productive deep and shallow water structure such as humps, old underwater channels, rock walls, flats and shoals. I want to know what's down there and what changes need to be made presentation-wise. Bowl shaped lakes with weed beds don't allow sonar much unless weed bed edges need to be detected.

In any case, that's my findings and was curious who found the same thing to be true seeing as how many lure types are sold to catch pan fish in general.
BTW, I don't believe there is a category of lures that only crappie will strike, but believe some are better than others most of the time. I've posted pictures of the fish caught on my lure and a few other modified soft plastics in the panfish forum.

I figured you were fishing clear water lakes, confirmed by your statement, "water with visibility of ONLY three feet." Lol, some of the clearest water that I fish has no more than three feet of visibility!! Most of my local lakes are naturally stained year round, and sometimes jig head color is more important than the body color. On one lake in particular, a white/chartreuse Midsouth tube works from January to December. When the bite slows, I change jig head colors or sizes to get the bite going again. I have had many days that I would have went home empty handed had I not tried a specific jig head, sometimes it is as subtle as the type/color of eyes painted on the jig. I believe that the color of the jig body is equally important and I will sometimes spend hours trying different colors and sizes until I find that magic combination. Not saying you are wrong, but on certain bodies of water jig color and size can mean the difference between catching nothing and loading the boat.

[lowe175]

If there's one thing I have learned there are no absolutes in fishing. Sometimes little things make a big difference sometimes they hit anything. I have seen the color of the jig head make a difference but not very often. I believe in never say never.