when to use certain colors

[matt1991]

i have 3 types of jigs all dif colors i have a hair jig solid white i have a curly tailed jig green and red and one of these types
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/i...2HkRFjjLiqae0Q

the one on the bottom its pink and brown


so i have a decent amount ofcolors t choose from im wondering when the waters really dark doesnt itmake sense t use my solid white hair jig?and when its very clear id wana use a darker bright color like the pink or greenish red jig?

iv used jigs a few times and never any luck i bank fish though but i wana make sure im using the right colors

[SuperDave336]

Usually use dark colors with overcast or muddy water and lighter colors when it’s bright or clearer.

Chartreuse is one of the best colors. Chartreuse and white, and then chartreuse and black. Those 2 color combinations would be my go to picks.

[CrappiePappy]

I go by the "contrast" theory ..... two colors on the bait; one dark, one light. This gives the angler a visible color in most all water conditions. Also of note, is the fact that fish can see better in dark water than humans can, so the "dark color/dark water - light color/clear water" theory may not be all that important.
It may also be important to note that fish can see much better, farther, and with more clarity in cold water.

I don't fish muddy waters, and rarely have to fish "dirty" waters. Most of the lakes I fish are usually lightly stained & have a foot or two of surface visibility (before a chartreuse jig disappears from sight). In most of those waters I tend to use purple/char, blue/char, solid chartreuse, or solid pink as my primary choices for colors or color combos. The combo colors are usually plastics, and the solid colors are usually Road Runners.

Clarification : when I say "purple" or "blue" in combination with chartreuse, talking about the plastics I put on a jighead, they can run the gambit of variations of those colors. Blues or purples can be very light to very dark versions of what the general idea of those colors are. And I include colors like "junebug" in my "blues" category.

[Yaker]

I’m hoping this adds to the conversation,in my feeble way of seeing and understanding things,wouldn’t natural colored lures be advantageous for the fisherman than say bright colored lures? Let’s put it this way,natural brown,or black shows up in a wider range of water clarity than bright colored lures do,that being the case,wouldn’t my odds and catch ratio increase when using browns and blacks,vs brighter colored lures?
I do believe contrast to be more important than color,but only if the contrast is noticeable in all water conditions.Just to clarify something else,I live in notoriously red clay country.When our water is muddy,it’s not dingy or stained,it’s flat out orange colored,under much of our water conditions,at best visibility is no more than a foot.

[wolfhnd]

Richard Gene has a new video using red and white in muddy water.

[SuperDave336]

[CrappiePappy]

I’m hoping this adds to the conversation,in my feeble way of seeing and understanding things,wouldn’t natural colored lures be advantageous for the fisherman than say bright colored lures? Let’s put it this way,natural brown,or black shows up in a wider range of water clarity than bright colored lures do,that being the case,wouldn’t my odds and catch ratio increase when using browns and blacks,vs brighter colored lures?
I do believe contrast to be more important than color,but only if the contrast is noticeable in all water conditions.Just to clarify something else,I live in notoriously red clay country.When our water is muddy,it’s not dingy or stained,it’s flat out orange colored,under much of our water conditions,at best visibility is no more than a foot.

Considering that the only colors available to me, when I first started out Crappie fishing, were black, white, and yellow hair jigs (Doll Fly jig) ... you have a point. BUT, not only can the fish "see" a lure a good ways in muddy water, they can also "feel" its movement (water displacement waves). So, even if they can't see it, they can still home in on it and grab it, if so inclined to do so.

Natural colors are fine, but Crappie don't just eat minnows/Shad ... they'll eat any fish small enough to swallow. They might prefer the soft rayed fish like a minnow, shiner, or Shad ... but, they're not likely to turn down a MadTom Catfish or Bluegill or other panfish fry.

When we use blues, greens, yellows, black, white, pink, orange, or whatever .... it's not totally to represent a "natural colored prey". It's, in a lot of cases, to have the bait "stand out" in the crowd & bring all the attention upon it vs the other prey critters.

[matt1991]

Usually use dark colors with overcast or muddy water and lighter colors when it’s bright or clearer.

Chartreuse is one of the best colors. Chartreuse and white, and then chartreuse and black. Those 2 color combinations would be my go to picks.

really thats strange i figured that id use light colors when waters dark since it is much more visible so depending on if waters dark u wana use dark and if itslight use white? wow ok i as doing the opposite

[wolfhnd]

really thats strange i figured that id use light colors when waters dark since it is much more visible so depending on if waters dark u wana use dark and if itslight use white? wow ok i as doing the opposite

The theory is that dark colors are more visible against the lighter sky in dark water. It's a question of contrast not color. Think how most fish or aquatic mammals have a light belly and dark top. It is of course complicated by the fact as you mentioned that different colors are effected by depth. Color disappears in the following sequence under water, first red followed by orange, yellow, green and blue. Lure Color: Know What Fish See, What They Don't And When It Matters!

I'm going to be really rude and just say the obvious. Lures are pretty easy to change and if you have two rods you can try two colors to begin with. I would start with the science as outlined in the link above. Keep in mind however that garbage in equals garbage out. The amount of information you would need to make a scientific choice is never really available. If you can find out how deep the fish are by imaging or something that would be a big help but you still don't know what light conditions are at various depths. That is why I say just go mostly with trial and error because it is not practical for most of us to have all the tools needed to measure conditions accurately.

In the future I'm sure they will have instruments that measure temperature, oxygen levels, light and currents at various depths. Then they will have lures that automatically drop right in front of the fish most likely to inhale it. With enough AI the whole world turns into a video game. At that point tournaments will restrict people to making their own poles, boats and lures and eliminate all electronic devices completing the circle.

[Yaker]

Considering that the only colors available to me, when I first started out Crappie fishing, were black, white, and yellow hair jigs (Doll Fly jig) ... you have a point. BUT, not only can the fish "see" a lure a good ways in muddy water, they can also "feel" its movement (water displacement waves). So, even if they can't see it, they can still home in on it and grab it, if so inclined to do so.

Natural colors are fine, but Crappie don't just eat minnows/Shad ... they'll eat any fish small enough to swallow. They might prefer the soft rayed fish like a minnow, shiner, or Shad ... but, they're not likely to turn down a MadTom Catfish or Bluegill or other panfish fry.

When we use blues, greens, yellows, black, white, pink, orange, or whatever .... it's not totally to represent a "natural colored prey". It's, in a lot of cases, to have the bait "stand out" in the crowd & bring all the attention upon it vs the other prey critters.

Not that I mind one way or the other,catching fish is catching fish,I’m thinking if what you are saying is true,presenting a bright colored lure in a world of natural colored lures is essentially to inducing a couriosity bight.Perhaps it could be similar to an old restaurant offering a new item on the menu to attract more/ new costumers.
I’m a firm believer that dark neutral colors catch more fish in the long term,but also believe brighter colored lures have earned a spot in my tackle box as well........besides,them bright colored combo colored lures sure do look purdy!