Lure Selection Guide

[jf0]

Hi Everyone,

I have been bass fishing for 2 years and slowly gaining more success and confidence tossing random lures in the water, when something works I tend to use it religiously until I break it, lose it, or throw it in the lake in rage (just kidding, artificial lures should never intentionally be left in a lake without line attached to a fisherman).

I recently, with the help of Dave Watson and my Father-in-law, invested in a wide selection of lures. In an effort to utilize the full range of newly available lures and break away from using that lure that caught the big one a month ago every time, I started gathering data pulled from people, magazines, and online articles. I used this data to put together a series of charts to help with lure selection.

This is by no means an "accurate" guide, every person has their own opinion that works or does not work just as much as the other. What I have done is put together information typically from spoken sources, or long articles, stored this information as data, and charted them for ease of use.

No doubt I will continue to work on this, fine tuning the current charts, and adding new ones.

Please feel free to use this guide freely, marking your own notes on it. Please do not remove my message, link, or name from the PDF.

Any opinions I gather, or other information I come by (I am constantly reading magazines and online articles), will be added to my data set and will be used in further version changes.

If there are glaring inconsistencies, poor terminology, or confusion please let me know.

Also, if you want to leave harsh criticism or condemn me for my work, so be it

Thanks and enjoy,

Justin

[Trent Hale]

Thats a good chart Justin. Keep to it and that should get you into some nice fish. For me I have a color slector pushed by Roland Martin and the color that works very good in every Lk is Green Pumpkin be it plastics or jigs. Good luck out there.

[Bigbass Dez]

Thats a good chart Justin. Keep to it and that should get you into some nice fish. For me I have a color slector pushed by Roland Martin and the color that works very good in every Lk is Green Pumpkin be it plastics or jigs. Good luck out there.

Trent , Hope all is well wit ya brother .. I would have to agree that green pumpkin is a great color , it has passed the test of time on many different bodies of water across the nation .. Now with that being said , im gonna add a little spice to it JFO .. try green pumpkin with copper flake OMG !!! Available at west coast custom tackle web site .. if u can you pm me after checking out the site , i will get you a promo code to use for a discount just simply because your a member on this site ! If i could offer any suggestions , the Money minnow is killer for dropshoting and the western creature for texas rig would be great start IMO , but what do i know, jus my opinion !!

BBD

[davidwat1]

Hi Everyone,

I have been bass fishing for 2 years and slowly gaining more success and confidence tossing random lures in the water, when something works I tend to use it religiously until I break it, lose it, or throw it in the lake in rage (just kidding, artificial lures should never intentionally be left in a lake without line attached to a fisherman).

I recently, with the help of Dave Watson and my Father-in-law, invested in a wide selection of lures. In an effort to utilize the full range of newly available lures and break away from using that lure that caught the big one a month ago every time, I started gathering data pulled from people, magazines, and online articles. I used this data to put together a series of charts to help with lure selection.

This is by no means an "accurate" guide, every person has their own opinion that works or does not work just as much as the other. What I have done is put together information typically from spoken sources, or long articles, stored this information as data, and charted them for ease of use.

No doubt I will continue to work on this, fine tuning the current charts, and adding new ones.

Please feel free to use this guide freely, marking your own notes on it. Please do not remove my message, link, or name from the PDF.

Any opinions I gather, or other information I come by (I am constantly reading magazines and online articles), will be added to my data set and will be used in further version changes.

If there are glaring inconsistencies, poor terminology, or confusion please let me know.

Also, if you want to leave harsh criticism or condemn me for my work, so be it

Thanks and enjoy,

Justin

Hey Justin, I think Dave Watson == me , and if so, just wanted to say glad to see you putting those suggestions to good use! Nice job on the chart, and couldn't agree more with Trent and Dez, regarding Green Pumpkin (anything - especially lizards) and grn pumpkin and copper is another great combo! Also, out here you can't go wrong with yamamoto 176 and 221 hula, twin and single tail grubs! Nice work!:cheers:
Dave

[jf0]

I've been using a green pumpkin lizard quite a bit lately but have not come up with anything yet. Purple worms and brown/green worms have been like taking candy from a baby!

[davidwat1]

Are you fishing lizards primarily for largemouth or for both LM and SM? If you are fishing for smallies, try either carolina rigging or splitshotting a smaller 4 or 5" lizard on the outside weedlines, or across rocky points. 6" lizards are best for largies, while the slightly smaller ones will catch more smallmouth, but regardless of the size, the carolina rig is a great way to fish them and cover alot of water in the process. Good luck!

[jf0]

Are you fishing lizards primarily for largemouth or for both LM and SM? If you are fishing for smallies, try either carolina rigging or splitshotting a smaller 4 or 5" lizard on the outside weedlines, or across rocky points. 6" lizards are best for largies, while the slightly smaller ones will catch more smallmouth, but regardless of the size, the carolina rig is a great way to fish them and cover alot of water in the process. Good luck!

For largemouth using a 6in zoom texas style.

[BassDood]

Nice list jf0 Gotta agree on the green pumpkin as well...I love it. Dez, I need to check into that...thanks

[jkittyesb]

Justin, the chart has gotten awesome reviews from everybody who's seen it! The FIL is excited to see it (your MIL called him to tell him a few minutes ago) and I've been sharing it with some other people! =)

Next time you go down to Spring, nobody gets to steal my seat! :D

[fishaholictaz]

Also, out here you can't go wrong with yamamoto 176 and 221 hula, twin and single tail grubs! Nice work!:cheers:
Dave

Dave so good to see the hulla getting some love the yammy color 318 was :money: for me

[Anonymous]

Very Nice Justin. Great piece of data you got going there. Keep adding and taking away. I think you'll find that in the end you could write a book. Looking forward to it.






fishnislife

[Anglinarcher]

JFO, I looked at your charts, and they are a good start. I have lots of exceptions to your colors, lures, etc., but the chart is a good start.

A long time ago, maybe 25 years ago, the Color Selector came out. Doug Hannon, the Bass Professor if I recall correctly, actually created it and he is known for having caught more Bass over 10 pounds then anyone. I read about his science at the time, and frankly, it made since. As I recall, he tested every color at clear, stained, and dirty water conditions, looking for reactions.

The point was not that the fish would attack the color, but that they could see it. I pruchased one, and tested it for several years. It turns out that the electronics on the old version (round spool to wind the probe on with an analog face plate for the three water conditions - drop the marked cord to a specified depth and see if you could see it, less then 2' and it was dirty water, less then 4' it was stained, etc.) did not take well to sub zero temperatures, so when I stored it outside with I lived in Montana it ruined it. Nevertheless, it taught me a lot about what Bass, and fish in general can see best. What it did not tell me is what they wanted.

This is about the same time that fishing lures started to go "realistic" or "match the hatch". That belief was not that you wanted to fish with what the Bass could see best, but with what looked like what they were eating.

I have observed that if I am after a reaction strike, the visible color is best. If I am after neutral to negative fish, I need to go more natural. This is why I belive you are seeing so many of the suggestions for green pumpkin, it is more natural.

So, what am I trying to tell you? Your color chart is a good start, but don't live or die by it. I have seen exceptions to every color and condition you give, and quite often. Low light conditions make any color chart swing to stained, and eventually dirty water conditions. This was the advantage of the old Selector, if it was too dark outside to see the probe at more then 4', then it mattered little if the water was clear of stained, you chose as if it was stained. Keep your own records and you will be able to add these exceptions to your chart over time.

As for lures, lures are a tool, nothing more, nothing less. It is true that some work better then others on average, at different times of the year, but don't get locked into that either. For example, spinner baits are often considered a spring or late fall bait, but they work very well in shallow bodies of water even in the dog days of summer. Different water, different conditions, different baits; use the best bait for the conditions.

So again, what does this mean in regards to your chart? Ask yourself why a lure works best at different depths or different times of the year. If you can figure out why it works better, you will be able to use that lure when conditions dictate, not when the depth or calendar dictate.

And again, to summerize, your charts are a great start, but it may take a life time to complete them. Sounds like an excuse to go fishing to me.

[jf0]

[quote="Anglinarcher"]JFO, I looked at your charts, and they are a good start. I have lots of exceptions to your colors, lures, etc., but the chart is a good start.

A long time ago, maybe 25 years ago, the Color Selector came out. Doug Hannon, the Bass Professor if I recall correctly, actually created it and he is known for having caught more Bass over 10 pounds then anyone. I read about his science at the time, and frankly, it made since. As I recall, he tested every color at clear, stained, and dirty water conditions, looking for reactions.

The point was not that the fish would attack the color, but that they could see it. I pruchased one, and tested it for several years. It turns out that the electronics on the old version (round spool to wind the probe on with an analog face plate for the three water conditions - drop the marked cord to a specified depth and see if you could see it, less then 2' and it was dirty water, less then 4' it was stained, etc.) did not take well to sub zero temperatures, so when I stored it outside with I lived in Montana it ruined it. Nevertheless, it taught me a lot about what Bass, and fish in general can see best. What it did not tell me is what they wanted.

This is about the same time that fishing lures started to go "realistic" or "match the hatch". That belief was not that you wanted to fish with what the Bass could see best, but with what looked like what they were eating.

I have observed that if I am after a reaction strike, the visible color is best. If I am after neutral to negative fish, I need to go more natural. This is why I belive you are seeing so many of the suggestions for green pumpkin, it is more natural.

So, what am I trying to tell you? Your color chart is a good start, but don't live or die by it. I have seen exceptions to every color and condition you give, and quite often. Low light conditions make any color chart swing to stained, and eventually dirty water conditions. This was the advantage of the old Selector, if it was too dark outside to see the probe at more then 4', then it mattered little if the water was clear of stained, you chose as if it was stained. Keep your own records and you will be able to add these exceptions to your chart over time.

As for lures, lures are a tool, nothing more, nothing less. It is true that some work better then others on average, at different times of the year, but don't get locked into that either. For example, spinner baits are often considered a spring or late fall bait, but they work very well in shallow bodies of water even in the dog days of summer. Different water, different conditions, different baits]

I like what you said, there are definitely some things to keep in mind. As I mentioned this chart is not based on my own catch records, or any single source, it is a collection of multiple sources. That being said I will need to find these color selectors you and Trent Hale mention and add the information to my data and adjust the charts.

I think the ultimate goal to get out of this is a consistent starting point for shuffling through the available lures and colors and helps give equal "water time" to each of them. Even with the "consistent" approach to following these charts, there is still a lot of variability left to the person using it because there is not a situation where a single lure/color is the only choice - exactly what I was aiming for by collecting multiple sources.

[2000subaru]

Here is a link to a product that might intrest you...

Spike-It Color-C-Lector

[Anglinarcher]

That is the new version 2000. I found it last night, but you beat me to it.

[Anglinarcher]

JFO, would it be of use to you if we take line item by line item and make our comments about it?

Say for example we could pick a color and make our comments on it. It is possible that you might learn something from us, but it is also possible the we could argue. You know how we fishermen are.

If so, then why don't you ask about a specific line and then when you have sufficient information you can ask about another.

Just a thought, now I think I'll go get ready to test another lure/color tomorrow:-"

[jf0]

Here is a link to a product that might intrest you...

Spike-It Color-C-Lector

Wow, that's expensive! I'll have to keep an eye open at garage sales for that one ;)

[jf0]

JFO, would it be of use to you if we take line item by line item and make our comments about it?

Say for example we could pick a color and make our comments on it. It is possible that you might learn something from us, but it is also possible the we could argue. You know how we fishermen are.

If so, then why don't you ask about a specific line and then when you have sufficient information you can ask about another.

Just a thought, now I think I'll go get ready to test another lure/color tomorrow:-"

You can make whatever comments you like, if you disagree with something so be it, it is useful information. These charts were not created on my opinion. I use several sources to gather the data, and have a simple algorithm for deciding what gets used where. The algorithm works to promote information that agrees and demote information that is contradicting. For this reason you may say "Hey how come ___ isn't used in ___" well it's because there was too much contradicting data, but your information might help tilt the scale.

So by all means, if you want to back something up or argue something, please do!

And just for some background information, I have worked with data and data analysis for 8 years. So while I am not trying to back this up as "Accurate" since rarely in this sort of case is that true, I am aggregating information the same way I might when working with marketing strategies, response analysis, usage reports and so on.

I have been collecting more information since this was first posted here. I will update the charts after august as I will be on vacation soon.

[islandbass]

I just downloaded it and can't wait to review it and compare it to my experiences. Thank you for investing your time and effort into this.

-ib

[Anglinarcher]

JFO, would it be of use to you if we take line item by line item and make our comments about it?

Say for example we could pick a color and make our comments on it. It is possible that you might learn something from us, but it is also possible the we could argue. You know how we fishermen are.

If so, then why don't you ask about a specific line and then when you have sufficient information you can ask about another.

Just a thought, now I think I'll go get ready to test another lure/color tomorrow:-"

You can make whatever comments you like, if you disagree with something so be it, it is useful information. These charts were not created on my opinion. I use several sources to gather the data, and have a simple algorithm for deciding what gets used where. The algorithm works to promote information that agrees and demote information that is contradicting. For this reason you may say "Hey how come ___ isn't used in ___" well it's because there was too much contradicting data, but your information might help tilt the scale.

So by all means, if you want to back something up or argue something, please do!

And just for some background information, I have worked with data and data analysis for 8 years. So while I am not trying to back this up as "Accurate" since rarely in this sort of case is that true, I am aggregating information the same way I might when working with marketing strategies, response analysis, usage reports and so on.

I have been collecting more information since this was first posted here. I will update the charts after august as I will be on vacation soon.

I'm not sure you understood me. I was offering you a chance to glean from our experiences, not suggesting that I think anything you have is wrong.

I also do not doubt your data analysis abilities, just question the source of your data. As you undoubtedly know, garbage in means garbage out, no matter the algorithm.

Most so called fishing magazines are written by arm chair sportsmen. Far too few of today's sporting media have qualified writers that actually know what they are doing]know how to write an interesting article about what someone told them.[/color]

An example of what I am talking about? Let's talk about the color Red. For years little red sleeves were put on trebble hooks at the back of spinners to make them better. Then, after people did not notice a difference, that practice was curtailed. It was then said that Red disappears within the first 10 feet of water, so some lines, like Cajun, were made red so it was visible to us above water, but disappeared below the water. Then it was said that Red shows up as deep as 30 feet in clear water, so now we see hooks, blades, and baits all colored Red again. If your data source was from the old days, the red sleeve days, or from the modern few years, your data would say Red is good to depths. If your data is from the middle periods, you would conclude that Red was only good to a few feet in depth.

My experience concludes that solid Red is indeed visible to fish at depths to at least 30', in gin clear water. My experience also shows that translucent Red, like in some of the older plastic worms by Manns, is very effective from top water to only about 10'. So, unlike your chart, at least some version of RED is effective from top water to at least 30', in clear water. Does this mean your chart is wrong? Does this mean your chart is incomplete? Does this mean that there is something else going on?

This is what I was suggesting, not a challenge to your skills, or lack thereof, but a chance to enlist the body of this web site to bounce observations back and forth. On the other hand, I only have 40+ years of experience, and perhaps my experience, and the thousands of years of experience totaled within the ranks of WL members, is not worthy of use. Oh well, it is your chart, not mine, not ours.