Whether you’re buying your baits at the local tackle shop or the big “megabait” stores, nowadays you are plagued with the decision of every color under the sun when it comes to soft plastics. Chartreuse, firetiger, watermelon seed, camo, bubble gum, smoke purple, green copper/flake, grasshopper, and the list goes on when it comes to colors. Yes, even grasshoppers now have their own color along with hundreds of more that line the shelves.

  The question is do colors really matter? Do they matter to the angler or the fish? Well, let me tell you that color makes a much bigger difference to the angler than it does to the fish. Sure, there are days when a fish will not hit a certain color and they will hit another. But as a whole, bait companies create those dozen different shades of one color to appeal to the angler and his wallet. Face it, there are some days that you could tie your checkbook to the end of the line and catch fish if they’re aggressive and feeding. They’ll sometimes hit anything. But, “sometimes” come too few and far between.

  Young, active fish like any young animal, are more aggressive and curious than older fish. The younger fish are more apt to strike a bait out of instinctive curiosity. Once they get older they tend to be less curious and feed strictly out of hunger. They get old, fat and lazy and expend much less energy than the younger of the species. Somehow I can relate to that. A couple of exceptions of course would be during the spawn when big fish are protecting a nest or, in the event they have to compete for food with other predators in the area. The more natural you can make a bait look to an inactive or big fish, the better chance you have of catching it. Fish will relate to non-natural colors in some situations. However, they will relate to natural colors in all situations.

  There are a few variables in selecting the color that will work best in particular situations. Dark water, heavy cover, light conditions and the often overlooked bottom colors, play a role in how a fish sees its prey. On the Tennessee River for instance, there is normally a slight “greenish” stain to the water. It seems hard to see into the water from the surface until you talk to the divers in the area. They will tell you about the bottom which, is covered with shells. Most of the shells are white side up. This, according to the divers reflects tons of light making it very easy to see on the bottom. The high visibility factor has led me to adopt a rather reverse psychology tactic. Making a bait more difficult for the fish to see seems to be the ticket. This is also important in any clear water situation such as Smith Lake. Most natural forage comes complete with its own form of camouflage and fish are used to those types of meals tasting good, while at the same time the fish will presume such natural baits will not yank them out of the water on the end of a string. When a fish can easily see a bait it is easier for the fish to know that it is not real. However, when something that blends in with the surrounding area comes along and is harder to see, the fish aren’t so sure it is not real. Then they are more likely to take a chance and check it out as food...just in case. One example is that I often use clear, melon-seed colors in green, grassy waters. The bait is hard for the bass to see but I catch more fish on that color under those conditions than when using June-bug, red-shad or other easy to recognize colors.

Most of the colors will work. The question is… how many do you want to carry with you? Take the time to choose the few basic colors you feel good about and match your forage. Again, it’s most important to learn to have confidence in what the fish want. The fish always want something that looks natural. If it looks natural to you, it looks natural to the fish. While you may be taking time to change colors trying to decide what will work, some guy somewhere else is keeping his bait wet and loading the boat on a simple, basic natural color.