Selecting an correct color for your crankbaits involve the use of logical rules. By looking at how light travels through the water and how the bass perceive they’re environment, you can select the appropriate color for your crankbaits. A color chart provide these rules so that you arent continuously second-guessing your decision about the color you will use for your crankbaits.
The first rule for selecting the color of your crankbaits is to use the same color as the forage that lives in your specific lake. If the forage in your lake is threadfin shad, for example, you should use a silver sided crankbait with a blue back. If the forage in your lake is gizzard shad, however, then a gold-tinted crankbait is a more relevant choice for anglers targeting lakes whose main forage species are gizzard shad.
How to Pick Crankbait Colors
The same rule applies to lakes whose forage consist of crawfish or bluegill. Matching the color of your crankbaits to the color of the forage will make it a logical process to select the correct color for your crankbaits. The second rule for selecting the color of your crankbaits is based off the clarity of the water in which you are fishing.
In lakes with clear waters, the bass can often see your crankbaits from a distance. For this reason, it is important to use colors that are subtle and realistic representative of the baitfish that live in those lakes. In lakes whose waters are stained or muddy, on the other hand, the bass are unable to see their crankbaits from as far away.
In these cases, bright colors that contrast against the lake floor are a best choice. For instance, using chartreuse baitfish for crankbaits is one method of increase the chances that the bass can see your crankbaits when the lakes are muddy. Thus, you should select the color of your crankbaits according to the ability of the bass to see the crankbaits in the lake water in which you are fishing.
The third rule for selecting the color of your crankbaits is according to the light conditions in which the bass are fishing. If there is bright sunlight over your fishing location, the bass tend to be more cautious of their environment and move to deeper water. Thus, using translucent or natural looking crankbaits is a best practice for bright sunlight.
If the skies are overcast, however, the contrast in light between the crankbaits and the lake floor may be lessened. In these conditions, bright colors with warm tone tend to work best to attract the bass. Under low light conditions during the dawn, dusk, or during storms, red and orange tinted crankbaits tend to work best.
Thus, you must adjust the color of your crankbaits according to the light conditions in which the bass are fishing. The fourth rule for selecting the color of your crankbaits is according to which season is being experienced in your area. During the spring, crankbaits that mimic crawfish tend to work best for anglers who wish to target bass in their lakes.
During the summer, crankbaits that mimic shad and bluegill tend to work best. During the fall, crankbaits that mimic shad work best because the bass tend to eat shad in fall water. Finally, in the winter, when the bass become lethargic, crankbaits of subtle colors work best because they will not spook the lethargic bass.
Thus, you should use crankbaits of specific color according to each season so that they best mimic the favorite foods of the bass populations in which you are fishing. Different regions of the country has different types of lakes, clearings, and waters with specific properties. For instance, lakes in the southern regions of the United States often contain tannin stained waters.
Thus, warm-toned crankbaits work best in these areas. In the west, however, many of the reservoirs contain clear waters, and crankbaits in pearl and translucent colors work best in these water areas. Thus, you must consider the specific regions of your country because the clarity of the water and the type of forage in these areas will change the colors of crankbaits that is most effective at luring the bass to bite.
A color chart will allow you to make decision regarding the color of your crankbaits by observing the water in which you will cast the crankbaits and the behavior of the bass. By using a color chart, you can avoid having to start from zero each time you go fishing with crankbaits. Instead, the color chart will provide you with a starting point for any given condition of the lakes in which you are fishing.