Bluegill are less colorful in the winter, but bass still feed on them. Sexy shad, which looks pretty realistic but has a simple chartreuse lateral line can be great for clear water with a little bit of tint. Zoom Worm Bass Soft Plastic. If you think Sexy Shad is Kevin VanDam’s favorite crankbait color, you’d be right … but only a third of the time. https://www.wired2fish.com/fishing-tips/5-must-have-lipless-crankbait-colors 3. Realistic vs. Weight: 1/2 ounce. The importance of color will vary from day to day and lake to lake. Bass will gobble down and go crazy over a well-chosen crankbait. It is a standard color for soft plastic lizards, finesse worms, and other worms. That’s the price you pay for glory. The Rapala Shad Rap Crank bait has the following features The world's best running hardbait, hand-tuned and tank-tested at the factory. Dave Boyd, a crankbait expert from Tallahassee, Florida, has more than 20 years of experience fishing… When visibility is high, bass can see a long ways and get a good look at your crankbait as it works its way through the water column. While the 22 name stuck, underwater tests found it would scratch bottom in 17 feet at the peak of its dive. The great thing about bass jigs is they are effective year round. Crankbaits cover a lot of ground as they vibrate in the watery depths. Get best fishing times with lunar fishing calendars, Daily Limit: Back in Elites, Hackney, Christie feel like rookies, Feider’s 9-pounder at Lake Fork wins him a Tundra, Lester looking to avoid Lake Fork’s coffee colored water. Zoom trick worms are 6.75 inches long and come with 20 per pack. Honey isn’t much different, but it has a gold cast to it. … There are going to be times when bass are really active and color makes no difference at all. Ideal for super clear water, the translucence of ghost shad gives bass just enough of a look to draw their interest, without turning them off. On the stained lakes of the famed Tennessee River, Citrus Shad has a success rate that competes with just about any other color created. The thinner the line diameter, the deeper you can get a crankbait to dive. No votes so far! He defines crankbait conditions, and subsequently his color of choice, by three parameters: 1) Water color, 2) Season, 3) Available forage. In saltwater, the lure accounts for more trophy fish than any other lure. For impressive versatility, choose the BiCO Original Bass … It offers tons of contrast, which causes fish to come from far away to smash it. Walk into any tackle shop in the country, and you’re instantly confronted with hard and soft bass fishing baits in more colors than you can imagine. The Greatest. Shallow-diving Rapala jerkbaits (in olive gold, gold or silver hues) are also productive for Florida wintertime bass. Not one of the greatest. Length: 2 1/8 inches. If you are planning a trip, spring is the best time to hunt a trophy bass. “For some reason that combination of … Modern molding and painting techniques have allowed lure manufacturers to quickly design and produce colors that in years past wouldn’t have been possible. Citrus Shad. The Rapala Teminator … Soft jerkbaits can be … They work best in the coldest, most miserable conditions. Choosing the right jerkbait color when bass fishing can be confusing given the huge variety of color patterns and actual baitfish they're designed to represent -- case in point, the Megabass jerkbait product line has over 100 colors! These colors will be easier for bass to see in stained water. Be the first to rate this post. A jig could mean anything with a lead head fastened on the top of the hook. “Sexy shad is awfully good in a lot of situations, but I only choose it about 30 percent of the time, based on its fit for the conditions,” says VanDam. Kevin says it includes all you’ll ever need for shallow cranking. It’s been around forever for a reason – it simply gets bit. As good as this is for anglers with unlimited bait budgets, it can make crankbait color selection a nerve wracking proposition, as it can be downright difficult to decide which colors to buy. Rather than establish a combination of conditions larger than you’d find in a college statistics course, here are the six colors KVD uses that you can count on all year, and he explains when to use those six premium shades. It does double duty as well – most crawfish colors are also effective in stained water. The Square … Muted chartreuse, orange, blue, and yellow are good colors for this time of year. The bright chartreuse stands out in stained water, and it’s still a hot bait with top touring pros when the water gets dirty. It’s the perfect shad emulator. All things pertaining to bass fishing in Florida are a little bigger, and jigs are no exception. When the visibility drops, bass have a greatly diminished sight distance, and as such you need something that will cut through the gloom and give them something to target. Here is our guide to clear water and stained water crankbait color selection. Bone White. https://www.bassmaster.com/tips/vandams-best-6-crankbait-colors Homer. They eat em’, so why not have a crankbait that looks like them. Here are few fall fishing tactics that are highly effective this time of year. The Best Rapala Shad Rap lure color for Florida Peacock Bass. In 1987, Norman Lures offered the DD22, the first depth-designated crankbait. Fire Tiger. Best Jig: Rapala Terminator Pro JigBuy from Amazon Buy from Cabelas.com. This Lure presents a wounded action that entices all gamefish. Depth: 3 feet. 1. In the spring on clear water lakes, you really can’t do better than a crawfish colored crank around rocks. Cream pie is a creamy shad color with a bronze looking back. You can’t fish with your favorite color all the time,” says VanDam. Best Crankbait Colors. CHATTERBAIT. An old standby, there have probably been more stained water bass caught on chartreuse/blue back than any other pattern. Best Bass Fishing Colors for Clear Water. Color is critical to crankbait fishing success. What would Caldemeyer do at Toyota Bassmaster Texas Fest. Line Diameter and Depth. In clear to slightly stained water, sexy shad has probably won more money in recent year on the top bass tours than any other color. Topwater Lure Color: Golden Advice Lane’s first piece of advice is worth its weight in gold – literally. Description: Flat white or cream body, sometimes with light gray back, spots or stripes … So, what are the best color of lures and baits to use for bass … But this was far beyond the normal bass fishing zone, in an era long before advanced sonars with 3 … But Kevin describes his approach to the diving bill family of baits as a “system.” So let the most dominant bass angler of the past two decades choose your rod, reel, line and hooks, too. Clear water bass will almost always respond best to baits that closely resemble the forage species that they feed on. Swap them around until you find what they like. His favorite lipless crankbait is a Rapala Rippin’ Rap in gold or silver colors. In the dirtiest water, and when you’re fishing in the northern states, there’s just something about fire tiger that gets fish agitated. For that reason, the name of the game in clear water is matching the hatch. The Best Lures for Florida Bass ... Bass in Florida are often in heavy cover like hydrilla and a soft jerkbait is a good way to go in after them. When in doubt, we go to black. Load up on these patterns if your home lake has some color to it. Consider other variables. We are sorry that this post was not useful for you! Best Jig: BiCO Original Lead Free Bass Jig. February through April are peak months in Central Florida. Jay Yelas believes lure color is an important part of the presentation that … JOIN TODAY! It’s got a white, shad like belly, and sides that transition from chartreuse to blue on the back. 3. The eight-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier runs the Rap at high speed and rips it through the grass to trigger reaction strikes. Not even Sexy Shad. Get tips from new Bassmaster Elite pro Scott Martin covering the proper way to fish the ever popular jerkbait. This saltwater lure features rugged line ties and hoo… Green Pumpkin; Green pumpkin is another all-around color that works in any color water. This wooden topwater lure has gained a … It’s the very tackle tray he’ll fish from all year. Stained/Dirty Water Crankbait Color Selection. Crawfish Behave Differently in Winter, and Your Crankbaits Should Too Why do they invoke such an aggressive response from bass? Find out what our TOP 4 favorite peacock bass lures are to help you catch more fish next time you get out. Even though its compacter in dimension, the Super Spook Jr still features the same high-quality, heavy-duty construction and is just as fantastic in its ability to hook big fish. Bass hate bluegill this time of year, especially the big females. And Lone Ranger has a chartreuse belly and a greenish-gray back. 4. “To be successful, you have to fish with the color the conditions call for. But they are especially well known for being one of the best fall bass lures. Chartreuse/blue back. Most manufacturers make excellent bluegill imitators, and they’re especially effective in northern lakes where bluegill is a primary forage species year round. Membership Includes 1 Year Bassmaster Magazine, Plus $50 in free gear. It’s almost a blend between sexy shad and chartreuse/blue back, and it’s just as effective as either. “When it comes to choosing a color for topwaters in Florida, stick with some sort of gold, black and orange mix,” Lane suggested. Something like a chartreuse shad color is ideal. An old standby, there have probably been more stained water bass caught on chartreuse/blue back than any other pattern. My first choice is almost always a crankbait in the fall. It’s got a great shad look, with a little chartreuse to stand out against the clutter. Storm Arashi Silent Square Bill. DEVIL HORSE. We have chosen not only our favorite lures, but the best colors to use as well. Realistic lures work best … And it runs best on light line, so despite the fact that it tempts big fish, you’re going to have to battle them gingerly—and probably see a few go buh-bye. Bold. Best to cast the bait to open areas of the vegetation, or areas that are especially thick, and work it back to the boat with a twitching motion. Expert jerkbait angler Randy Blaukat simplifies the process by narrowing jerkbait colors down to three basic and broad categories. You want to use crankbaits that are colorful but not as bright – unless the water is murky. In other words, bluegill crankbaits bring you a lot of big bass in the spring – particularly when the spawn is on. BIG JIG. Black works well in all colors and clarity of water, and it closely mimics the color of some favorite bass foods such as leeches. Keep it simple when choosing colors for your crankbaits when going bass fishing. For that reason, think bright and contrasting when fishing crank baits in stained or dirty water. The season starts earlier in South Florida. Getting your crankbait in front of bass is half the battle, it also has to have an attractive color pattern. That’s a lot of shortcomings, but I still think the Shad Rap is the greatest crankbait of all time. ADVERTISEMENT. Schultz likes to jerk these lures below the surface with a couple of snaps of the rod … In fact, any lure used for these fish is usually referred to as a “Rapala”. 1. Although the name may change, the color hasn’t – Homer is an old school color that probably won more money in the 1980s and 1990s than any other color crankbait. The Rapala is the lure to use for white bass, striped bass, walleyes, largemouth bass, and other freshwater fish. They all look a little bit like a shad. A key component of any bait or lure is its color or pattern, especially when fishing in clear water for bass. Cold water crankbaits are typically finesse crankbaits so spinning rod lovers seem to excel above and beyond their competition when the bite is on. Florida's fabled "bucketmouth" will attack just about anything- minnows, frogs, even baby ducks. … 10 Record-Setting Fish Caught In Utah This Season, 4 Tips To Prevent Your Feet From Freezing This Winter, Everything You Want To Know About The 10,000 Fish Yoto Worm, How The Army Uses Christmas Trees To Make Fishing Better, 10 Fishing Tips That Will Help You Catch A New Personal Best Bass. Outfit your crankbait box with the following colors if you primarily fish clear water. Fluke – If you’re trying to find fish at this time of year this is the bait for you. The Heddon Super Spook Jr is a smaller version of the best-selling Heddon Super Spook. While one of the best lures to date on the market is the so called “shaky head” which is probably one of the most productive for us. The choices can be overwhelming and can waist your time and money. It’s got chartreuse sides, a blue back and a bright belly – often with scale pattern. Many companies make some version with a different name, but ask any of the old school crankers – you’d be a fool to leave it out of your arsenal. Flukes flat out catch … It’s ... 2. A great way to target TrophyCatch-sized bass, heavier than eight pounds, or numerous smaller bass in Florida is by casting to isolated cover. Some anglers prefer to leave those spawning females alone, which is good for conservation . Fall Jigging. This will ensure you are maximizing your fishing time to catch the most fish possible. Four Must-Have Bass Lures For Florida. Scroggins reaches for either a ¾ or ... 2. In Florida, bass can be caught casting to isolated cover year round, but spring and summer are the best times to catch a trophy because of the spawn. To help out, we thought it would be a good idea to put together a basic guide to which colors are necessities, and under what conditions each shines brightest. The Florida largemouth bass has a reputation as a "tackle buster." Cold water crankbaits one of those things most people don't really want to throw, but still need to know how to. It’s essentially a color similar to Homer, but with black mottling on the sides. In fact, study the tackle tray he holds in his hands in the attached photo, and you’ll get a rare inside look at the tray full of KVD 1.5 crankbaits he actually carries in his boat. Jigs: Though it is primarily used up north and not extremely popular in Florida we do use them quite a bit during certain times of the year. When bass are feeding on bluegills, it makes sense to give them what they want. It’s all about the right lures, the right colors, and the right action. Having the right color can make a huge difference and increase your odds at catching more bass. Price you pay for glory crank bait has the following colors if you primarily fish clear water it a! 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