Many will argue lure colors are for people not for fish. To some extent, there is some truth to that. Think themed lures, American flag designs, holiday themes, drinks, cartoon characters, etc. Will they work? Probably. But they are mostly being marketed as either gifts for super fans or as gag gifts.
That still leaves potentially tens of thousands of color options on the market. A shade difference, a flake difference, single color, dual color, three color, painted eyes, no eyes, tail colors. Do the fish care? Actually, they do to an extent. Remember, you are looking to catch the big ones. The ones who have seen it all and been fooled by few. Fish are very smart and have phenomenal memories. They learn to associate specific sounds, colors or shapes with being hooked. They have spatial cognition which allows them to map out their environment and remember the landscape as well as where baitfish gather. They remember being hooked and caught and will make negative associations with those environments. As anglers, we need to be smarter and show them something either so true and lifelike, they cannot resist it or show them something super tempting that has not been seen before, and then, we need to hope they fall for it and bite.
There are many general rules of thumb regarding color selection and what will (should) work in differing conditions. This however varies from area to area, fishery to fishery and species to species. Alas, the rules exist because they work and when one does not, move to the next.
I wish I could say that simply matching the bait is the answer to choosing a lure color but we all know, it is not that easy. There are so many variables that change from day to day even hour to hour that affect how fish respond to bait. Say the bait you're seeing in the water is silver so the ideal choice would be to start with that. But you find the water is really murky and the cloud cover increased heavily since you left to head out. Drop a silver lure in the water under those conditions and it will virtually disappear.
There have been many studies performed on the visual abilities of fish. While humans possess three visual cones, red, blue and green sensing, many fish species have 5 or more, some have less. Some can perceive UV light, some can detect infrared. What a tropical fish sees versus what a deep water fish sees, are tremendously different.
If you think of a lure color as less about the color itself and more about the contrast it creates, the rules make a lot more sense. Additionally, things like flake presence, absence, color and size are for attracting attention.
Freshwater and saltwater share many of the same principles as far as color selection is concerned. The primary difference being the ever changing environment in saltwater will require more considerations and adjustments. For examples, incoming tide, outgoing tide, slack tide, all create differing water conditions.
Clear Water/Bright Sun: The general rule is stick with natural colors or translucent options. This is where match the hatch plays an important role. When water clarity is clear, fish can tell when the bait isn't natural and will rightly be suspicious.
If fishing the flats on a bright sunny day with clear water, you'll want to stick with silvers, pearls, translucent blues, greys or green. Adding a soft pearl or small flake will add a natural shine or attention flash similar to fish scales. If fishing on bottom, browns, coppers or pinks do a great job of imitating crabs and shrimp which is why they are highly successful colors for Redfish, Black Drum and Flounder.
If fishing for Bass in a clear lake, you'll want to use colors more on the green spectrum to imitate crawfish and bluegill, colors like green pumpkin and watermelon. These colors create a more natural contrast as the light passes through. Clear or smokey colors do wonders for imitating minnows and light purples and browns are great choices for worms. Translucent colors are preferred because they present more naturally over solid colors.
Clear Water/Cloudy Sky: When the water is clear but the sky is cloudy, you'll want natural but high contrast colors, adding a bit of flake helps to create an attention grabbing flash.
For inshore fishing, whites, pearls, silvers or light blues, greys and greens with a reflective flake or pearl. These mimic natural baitfish with enough contrast to make them noticeable but not appearing suspect. Adding a flake or pearl allows the natural light available to create a flash in the same way fish scales do, drawing attention. Silver or light blue flake and natural pearls are subtle yet highly effective. If fishing on bottom, pinks and browns with silver, copper or brown flake are a definite go-to.
For freshwater fishing, natural colors also shine here as well as translucent colors with a natural flake. You'll want to stick with translucent greens and browns adding a red, orange, green, or silver flake. Whites, pearls and silvers also perform really well. Since fish rely heavily on sight in clearwater, the goal is to draw attention but not stand out too much.
Cloudy/Murky Water/Clear Sky:
When saltwater fishing cloudy or murky water with bright skies overhead, bright, high-contrast colors are your best choice. This is where your chartreuse, pinks, bright whites and golds come into play. Combinations such as pink/chartreuse (better known as electric chicken), chartreuse and white, bubblegum pink, and neon greens are highly visible and give the fish something to track. Whites are best for top water because they create a stark silhouette against the bright sky. Golds work well because unlike silver, they reflect warm light instead of scattering it.
If the water is really murky and dark, think outgoing tide, dark colors will excel. Blacks, dark purples and dark blues create a solid profile for fish to track when visibility is really low. Adding in contrast with a chartreuse or neon green tail is also highly effective at creating wanted attention.
If freshwater fishing, the pattern is very similar. High contrast, bright colors: chartreuse, hot pinks, neon orange, bright whites - all create a highly visible target for fish to hone in on in low visibility water. For exceptionally dark water, blacks, dark blues, dark purples, green flake, purple flake, red, copper or gold flake are all triggering additions to help increase strike rates.
Cloudy/Murky Water with Cloudy Skies (Low visibility with low light):
Similar to murky water with clear skies, when visibility is low, contrast is your friend. In both saltwater and fresh water, you'll want neon colors or combinations: chartreuse is the standard choice for most however, hot pinks, neon greens and neon oranges (or any combination of) are also highly effective. Dark colors like black, blacks/purples, blacks/blues, smoke grey with green or blue - these all work well in creating a stark silhouette against a darker sky - remember, fish look up. Solid white or bone are the go to colors for topwater fishing because they create the highest contrast against the surface. Choose gold over silver when the water is dark. Gold creates a warm reflective glow which will grab and hold a fish's attention.
Nighttime: Fishing at night, you're going to want to stick with dark colors to provide as much contrast as possible. Black, black/purple, black/blue, black/green, black/gold, solid purple, solid blue - these are going to create the most defined silhouette against a very low lit sky. Gold will give off a least suspecting glow or flash using the little ambient light available. If fishing with a bright moon or near dock lights, you'll want to stick with whites, smoke greys, smoke greens, smoke blues, these will all create an illusion of fleeing baitfish and are sure to capture attention.
Color is very important because ultimately, fish rely on sight but it's more the illusion the colors create that matters. Additionally, keep in mind how much pressure those fish seeing. If you're in a popular spot and chartreuse isn't working, switch to a hot pink or orange. It's very possible the fish have seen so many lures in chartreuse (for example) and they no longer trust it. It's always good to have a few options on board to switch things up if what you are using isn't producing.
The other thing to keep in mind is the style of lure. If the water is very cloudy or dark, you'll need to make some noise in order to draw attention. Choosing a lure that creates vibrations or noise will help you a lot in those conditions.
That's all for now. This has been a really fun series to write and if I managed to benefit a few readers, it was well worth the time spent. Please let us know in the comments if this article was helpful or if you have any topics you'd like us to research for you.
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