Lure color preferences
Marley420
Posted 10/11/2023 5:20 PM (#1024150)
Subject: Lure color preferences




Posts: 82


Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs
I was wondering what is the norm for a single bait and colors. I know some baits like bucktails you will have bunch of colors with same size. But let’s say for a suick, glidebait or prop bait you like. How many colors would you normally have that bait in. I seem to like a minimum of 3 for most things. Is that just considered collecting? Thoughts.
Ciscokid82
Posted 10/11/2023 5:39 PM (#1024152 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences





Posts: 333


Location: SE Wisc
Probably collecting. Wait, let me look at all my lures on the wall and tackle boxes on the floor….
Yup definitely.
chuckski
Posted 10/11/2023 5:44 PM (#1024153 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences




Posts: 1415


Location: Brighton CO.
Three but in some cases 10 or more.
Marley420
Posted 10/12/2023 6:04 AM (#1024159 - in reply to #1024153)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences




Posts: 82


Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs
chuckski - 10/11/2023 5:44 PM

Three but in some cases 10 or more.


Chuck, when say 10, are you saying different sizes of the same bait?
RJ_692
Posted 10/12/2023 7:25 AM (#1024162 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences




Posts: 358


I'd say one color until its something i have some regular success with then id say two. one light and one darker. One bullfrog and one Blackbird top raider, one firetiger and one black suick, etc...

most of my wallhangers are baits i just did not have success on or didnt like for some reason, never as a color i didnt like

kap
Posted 10/12/2023 8:21 AM (#1024163 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences




Posts: 557


Location: deephaven mn
water clarity becomes a factor in color selection. clear water more natural colors stained water brighter lures would be better. Sun and clouds can affect lure choice too. dark days use dark lures sunny days bright of more flash can help. Forage is another factor, perch lakes use perch cisco lake use cisco pattern. so two different color of the same lures is where you wan to start.
like on black based one bright based and the add a perch or cisco if you want three.
chuckski
Posted 10/12/2023 9:19 AM (#1024167 - in reply to #1024159)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences




Posts: 1415


Location: Brighton CO.
Marley420 - 10/12/2023 6:04 AM

chuckski - 10/11/2023 5:44 PM

Three but in some cases 10 or more.


Chuck, when say 10, are you saying different sizes of the same bait?

sadly no, In the case of a Ernie I have 12 or 13 colors, something like a Eddie 5 or 6.
Yup same size. Things bait wise can get out of control. (same thing with Depth Raiders.)
southern comfort
Posted 10/12/2023 10:28 AM (#1024173 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences




Posts: 393


Assuming we are talking about the same size lure and most productive baits (Suicks, Phantoms, and Lake X topwater, etc) I would typically have 3 colors of each bait. Specialy lures or really expensive lures I would only have 1 color.
nar160
Posted 10/12/2023 10:31 AM (#1024174 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences




Posts: 419


Location: MN
I think dark vs. light can really be important at times, but I don't personally get too involved in the minutia of colors. I really only use black, white, and chartreuse.

If it's a new, experimental bait, I'll start with one dark (black) and one light (white, firetiger, etc.)

For baits I use a lot, I have four: two dark and two light. For dark, it's at least one pure black, maybe two. The second black may have some contrast or flash to it. For light, it's one white and one with chartreuse (firetiger, lemonhead, lemontail, pure chart, etc.).

I apply the same to bucktails (minus white) - I've gotten rid of everything but black/nickel, black/(black nickel), and black/(1 chart, 1 gold).

For topwaters, everything is black. That may not be ideal - it seems like at times bright would be a more visible target even from below. At some point, when I decide which handful of topwaters I hate the least, I'll probably get white or chart counterparts to play with. Being you rarely lose or break topwater baits, I don't see any reason to have more than two of each here.
esoxaddict
Posted 10/12/2023 5:34 PM (#1024186 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences





Posts: 8785


One dark, one light, one bright. That should cover you in all light conditions and every kind of water from clear to tannic stained to muddy... Anything that works on or near the surface can be black. If you want to contain your lure addiction even further, lures with contrasting colors (think bars and stripes here) work in any conditions. I'm as guilty as anyone of going lure-stupid, but I can count on one hand the number of days in the last 19 years of musky fishing where I felt like I needed more than 5 lures. Make sure you can cover the water column with a few different presentations that you can work at varying speeds, learn to work those lures well, and you could fish the rest of your life with 20 lures.
Marley420
Posted 10/12/2023 9:23 PM (#1024192 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences




Posts: 82


Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs
All really great views and responses. I usually do the black thing and go from there. Something with an orange and something with bars (natural looking or firetigers). But with some baits, I find luck with the ones that are crazy colors. Hot pinks, bright purples, yellows and limes. I really do believe in confidence in baits. I can throw the same bait, different colors and feel good about one and not the others. Then I ask myself, what the hell am I doing here with these other color baits. You start second guessing. I do.
horsehunter
Posted 10/13/2023 6:06 AM (#1024194 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences




Location: Eastern Ontario
For suicks I like firetiger the best ones have no paint left. If it moves it's food. If i can see it I'll make it work.
chuckski
Posted 10/13/2023 9:59 AM (#1024198 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences




Posts: 1415


Location: Brighton CO.
I've been fishing Up North for over 50 years and lived my life out west in both California and Colorado and being a Trout fishermen Trout are very color selective (look in any Great Lakes Charter Captains Boat at the lures they may have) so even when it comes to color for Muskies it's about 4th. (speed, size, and depth) I guess I own too much stuff. It's a good thing to support local tackle shops and lure makers.
Pa Tigers n trout
Posted 10/13/2023 1:21 PM (#1024203 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences




Posts: 268


Location: Central Pennsylvania
Something black, something white, something bright. I like lures with contrast as well, that's my big factor. Black pattern on a white background, or something similar. Love bright colors with dark patterns overlayed. Shiny is good too.
7.62xJay
Posted 10/13/2023 9:30 PM (#1024206 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences





Posts: 530


Location: NW WI
Gunna second on the shiny PA. Way I figure it's 1-4 patterns budget depending. 1 dark, 1 light/bright, 1 natural-which may take the place of 1 light, 1 shiny be that glitter/ reflective paint scheme/ or holo film. If I'm buying just 1, I'm buying a pattern with contrast regardless of how ugly I think it is.
NPike
Posted 10/15/2023 8:46 AM (#1024216 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: RE: Lure color preferences




Posts: 612


I only use 4 colors: white, silver, chartreuse and perch. A I know perch isn't a color, but baits that are colored to look similar to a yellow perch and they work very well in lakes where perch are the main forage for Esox..
tundrawalker00
Posted 10/16/2023 7:47 AM (#1024231 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences




Posts: 504


Location: Ludington, MI
Well, you got the one you bought because it looks so good, but then you've got the other one you bought in the same color because you couldn't tune that first one with the right amount of belly roll. Then you've got the third one you bought because dang, that second one is money and you'd hate to lose it. Ooh, look at that color. Darn you, TRO.
chuckski
Posted 10/16/2023 10:22 AM (#1024233 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences




Posts: 1415


Location: Brighton CO.
We talk of lures and this and that and all the other things, Does anybody what to put a unit cost per muskie on this?
..... I don't think so!
NPike
Posted 10/16/2023 11:10 AM (#1024235 - in reply to #1024216)
Subject: RE: Lure color preferences




Posts: 612


NPike - 10/15/2023 9:46 AM

I only use 4 colors: white, silver, chartreuse and perch. A I know perch isn't a color, but baits that are colored to look similar to a yellow perch and they work very well in lakes where perch are the main forage for Esox.. :)


Same here and yellow perch Cranes ,Grandmas, etc. black on the back and either yellow or gold imitates yellow perch and small walleye great for lakes were perch are the main feed. Then I use silver where saw bellies are the main forage.. White cause it show's up the best in tannic or murky water.
Angling Oracle
Posted 10/17/2023 4:24 PM (#1024252 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences




Posts: 355


Location: Selkirk, Manitoba
I'm starting to come around to just getting identical duplicates of whatever is consistently working for me - and if a boat partner uses a colour that also works well, perhaps get one of those before next outing. This is particularly true of rubber (which the fish wear out or lose to snags, unseen backlash snapoffs) and big blades, of which the fish wear them out. Topwater I think colour irrelevant (I mean they are coming up from behind typically). I use cranks a bit but not enough to warrant having more than one colour. Bottom line is whether the fish like it or not. Hard to pull out another colour when you have one that is tried and true, and it truly sucks to not have duplicate when that tried and true colour/lure is lost for whatever reason and a duplicate not in the box.
muskyhunter07
Posted 10/18/2023 12:56 PM (#1024259 - in reply to #1024252)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences




Location: Northern Illinois
2-3 of every pattern. never know when fish are chomping 1 color and style of bait. Some places we troll 3 lines apiece.
2rjs
Posted 10/21/2023 7:05 PM (#1024339 - in reply to #1024150)
Subject: Re: Lure color preferences





Posts: 30


Location: Virginia
Pretty much in all my favorite baits I have a white bait, black bait, and one random color.