Northwest Fishing Reports

I have only been bass fishing for around 5 years or so. As all bass fisher people know when you get to that store you are bombarded with many color choices, which is cool but very costly to a budget fisher. being on a budget it is hard to walk away with questions of did i pick the right color? that question could go on forever. so for more knowledge for me and the others how about listing your always buy color no matter what lure or bait...spinners,jigs,worms,poppers,cranks, ect........

That's more than a limit of ducks there! Nice greenheads though-

Chartruse/Firetiger.

Not sure why you included a duck photo with a fishing question, but it did remind me of days gone by.:colors:

I don't believe in a "go to" color. Nevertheless, if in dirty or stained water, Chartreuse is a good color to mix into the pattern.

On clear water, I kind of like pumpkin seed as an option, followed by Silver/Black.

No "favorites" but as far as "Patterns" I like Perch-RBT-Bluegill-Crappie-Crawdad,..since you'll find these species as the main forage for allot of the lakes in Washington,..but I'd say if I wasn't throwing Big Swimbaits or Big Jigs then my go to would be the Jointed-Perch-Rap/Jointed-Baby-Bass JSR5 or JSR7,..these rattling-suspending lures have done really well for me in the past on almost EVERY body of water I've Bassed on from Wetern Wa 2 Eastern Wa!

BB

Read the book titled, "What Fish See," by Dr. Colin Kageyama (Sp??). While he focuses on mainly the torpedo fish (salmonids), there is a section on bass. Reading this book has enlightened me to make good color choices. I too am on a budget and have been fishing for bass about the same period as you. The book has helped me a great deal and I believe it will also help you.

I don't have a "go to" color(s) per say because I have learned that not all lakes are equal in clarity and content. Some colors appear to be more productive in one body a little more than another.

Good lead on the book islandbass ... am going to look into getting that book. Things that can help me begin to understand the fish I am hunting will only help in the search for that lunker.

I created an organized "cheat sheet" for this and am working on some revisions. You can see it here as well as other comments related to your question.

http://washingtonlakes.com/forum/yaf_po ... Guide.aspx

I guess there are so many reasons and factors for buying a certain color and i understand that. maybe i should of said.. what if you walked into a store with just enough to get one pack or one lure, however u wanna put it, what color would it be?as of the duck picture it was a mistake as it was next to the picture i wanted to put up but oh well waterfowlin is my passion. oh and thats 2 hunters harvest.

islandbass wrote:Read the book titled, "What Fish See," by Dr. Colin Kageyama (Sp??). While he focuses on mainly the torpedo fish (salmonids), there is a section on bass. Reading this book has enlightened me to make good color choices. I too am on a budget and have been fishing for bass about the same period as you. The book has helped me a great deal and I believe it will also help you.

I don't have a "go to" color(s) per say because I have learned that not all lakes are equal in clarity and content. Some colors appear to be more productive in one body a little more than another.

Thanks for the knowledge of a interesting book. I am going to find it now!

Chart for stained water. Smoke or black/blue combo for clear. Watermelon or pumpkin always seem to be good choices as well.

Teal101 wrote:Black/blue combo for clear. Watermelon or pumpkin always seem to be good choices as well.

Yup, yup. I also like black/blue jigs for low light situations just for the profile. Watermelon or Green Pumkin for plastics/creatures, plus I'll add June Bug in there too.
For spinners and buzzes - white.
For cranks - trout, craw/firetiger
and swimbaits, trout and bluegill. Never had much luck with the perch colors.

You give me one option for one lure, one color - 1/2oz. black/blue jig with a fat 4.20 sweet beaver trailer.



fishnislife

Bass Woody wrote:

islandbass wrote:Read the book titled, "What Fish See," by Dr. Colin Kageyama (Sp??). While he focuses on mainly the torpedo fish (salmonids), there is a section on bass. Reading this book has enlightened me to make good color choices. I too am on a budget and have been fishing for bass about the same period as you. The book has helped me a great deal and I believe it will also help you.

I don't have a "go to" color(s) per say because I have learned that not all lakes are equal in clarity and content. Some colors appear to be more productive in one body a little more than another.

Thanks for the knowledge of a interesting book. I am going to find it now!

Biskit and Bass Woody,

Just check it out from your local library. That is what I did. After I read it, I realized that this book was a keeper and then I bought it. I have seen this book on the shelf at Wholesale sports, formerly Sportsmans warehouse.

islandbass wrote:

Bass Woody wrote:

islandbass wrote:Read the book titled, "What Fish See," by Dr. Colin Kageyama (Sp??). While he focuses on mainly the torpedo fish (salmonids), there is a section on bass. Reading this book has enlightened me to make good color choices. I too am on a budget and have been fishing for bass about the same period as you. The book has helped me a great deal and I believe it will also help you.

I don't have a "go to" color(s) per say because I have learned that not all lakes are equal in clarity and content. Some colors appear to be more productive in one body a little more than another.

Thanks for the knowledge of a interesting book. I am going to find it now!

Biskit and Bass Woody,

Just check it out from your local library. That is what I did. After I read it, I realized that this book was a keeper and then I bought it. I have seen this book on the shelf at Wholesale sports, formerly Sportsmans warehouse.

I found it online for around 20 bucks. huh.. 20 buck i could by 3 more bags of senkos...hahaha. Im funny. thanks for the tip

islandbass wrote:

Bass Woody wrote:

islandbass wrote:Read the book titled, "What Fish See," by Dr. Colin Kageyama (Sp??). While he focuses on mainly the torpedo fish (salmonids), there is a section on bass. Reading this book has enlightened me to make good color choices. I too am on a budget and have been fishing for bass about the same period as you. The book has helped me a great deal and I believe it will also help you.

I don't have a "go to" color(s) per say because I have learned that not all lakes are equal in clarity and content. Some colors appear to be more productive in one body a little more than another.

Thanks for the knowledge of a interesting book. I am going to find it now!

Biskit and Bass Woody,

Just check it out from your local library. That is what I did. After I read it, I realized that this book was a keeper and then I bought it. I have seen this book on the shelf at Wholesale sports, formerly Sportsmans warehouse.

Off to the library I go ... always forget about this free resource. THanks!

Green Pumpkin with Green Pumpkin trailors. Stick with this and you will catch fish it may be only 2-5 fish but they will be nice. Thats for Jigs Strike King or Booyah are very good jigs. Worms Black, Green Pumpkin, June Bug, Grape shad. Read something on matching the hach. This will help you more than any thing. Good Luck! HAWG HUNTER!!

Watermelon for worms, firetiger for cranks

I’ve always had good luck with firetiger or perch crankbaits – a close second would be crawfish. For plastics, I’d say green pumpkins or watermelon. Chartreuse n white for spinner and buzzbaits. - Brian

Most of the time it truely is NOT about color. It is much more about presentation. What are you making that lure DO, than the color that will get you the strike. So my suggestion is, buy what color you have confidence in. Then go to your local fishing hole and learn how to use that lure under a variety of retrieve's / actions / styles of fishing. Learn the subtle differences that line will impart on the lure. What about spinning rod vs baitcasting on the baits action. Different hook sizes, etc. These are all the questions a bass angler needs to ask ( and answer ) to get better. As for me, what color do I use. The one that is working for that day. Of course I carry way to much gear, ( just ask Dez or WCCT ), and I am not married to a single color. I will use whatever color gets the bite.

Mark

marktfd88 wrote:Most of the time it truely is NOT about color. It is much more about presentation. What are you making that lure DO, than the color that will get you the strike. So my suggestion is, buy what color you have confidence in. Then go to your local fishing hole and learn how to use that lure under a variety of retrieve's / actions / styles of fishing. Learn the subtle differences that line will impart on the lure. What about spinning rod vs baitcasting on the baits action. Different hook sizes, etc. These are all the questions a bass angler needs to ask ( and answer ) to get better. As for me, what color do I use. The one that is working for that day. Of course I carry way to much gear, ( just ask Dez or WCCT ), and I am not married to a single color. I will use whatever color gets the bite.

Mark

Trust me , any man that wears pink shorts on tourney day , is very confident in his color selection !! Mark is correct with presention in regards to selecting colors .. IMO color doesnt mean that the fish will eat it , but it very well may hold a bass attention long enough so that the action of that particular bait may produce a strike . Perfect example , during the spring season , RED is a go to color of mine But that only applies to mainly reaction baits like cranks, rattletraps, etc .. But no im not throwing a red grub on a football head just because that color is hot on my reaction lures ... :batman:

BBD