Deep crankbait color...does it matter much?

[coreynov902]

I'm going to be purchasing some more deep cranks soon and it got me to thinking about deep crankbait colors. How do you guys determine what color to use? Does color matter as much with a deep diver? I would think that unless the water is very clear, by the time the bait is down running at 12-14 feet or more, there's not much light penetration and color might not be much of a factor as to whether a bass will hit it or not. Just curious as to what others think.

[Jb357]

[John Jackson]

I don't think the right color turns them on, but rather the wrong color turns them off.

[RFeyoMN]

Lure action catches fish...not color.

[SoonerFan]

I like to have two contrasting colors....black/white....dark blue/chartreuse etc.

[DrewFlu33]

Just making sure I'm reading this correctly....purple is the last color to disappear in clear or stained water while green is the last color to disappear in muddy water, and red disappears first in basically all water?


Agree that I'm not sure color makes a huge difference. Also agree about contrast - especially in dirty water it seems that having a sharp contrast is far more important than what color specifically you're throwing.

[BigBass94]

I don't think deep crankbait colors matter that much unless you're in gin clear water. Sometimes they like chartreuse/blue back, sometimes they like shad colors.

[born 2 fish]

I don't know if color matters but my go to 6xd is sexy Shad.

[Empty Livewells]

I watched a video on YouTube some time ago on this subject. They filmed a crankbait retrieved along the lake bottom in clear water, not sure of the depth, 8 to 12 feet as a guess, and everything was varying shades of gray to black. Like watching an old black and white tv. I don’t remember if they told the color of the lure but it showed up very light gray with a darker gray back.

Leads me to think contrast as mentioned above would be the thing along with action and sound or lack of. Sometimes a bait with no rattles is better than a rattling bait.

Seems to me contrast brings you back to color because different colors will have different shades of gray contrast in deeper water if the color is filtered out. For example: black/chartreuse, green/white, or a crawfish pattern/color?

Maybe the best thing would be to keep three or four basic colors (black/chartreuse, shad, crawfish for example), and developing confidence in them, thus keeping it simple?

Sorry for rambling, I just got to thinking and typing. I’ve got crankbaits from shallow to deep in every color you can think of and would like to reduce the pile to a couple boxes that should cover most situations.

Just my thoughts, very interested in reading more of you guy’s thoughts!

[Snickers89]

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[John Jackson]

Although fish may see colors differently (and they can as they can differentiate more variations of red than we can) the colors still disappear at depth. The wave length of the various colors disappear according to length, so it doesn't matter how well or different an animal can see different from us, the color still has to be there for them to see it. There is a reason the blue and purple worms stand out for deep summer worming.

[Fishysam]

The chart is assuming bass have the same persecution to color as we do? I'm not sure of any color vision in bass but muskies don't see color worth a damn. Colors catch fishermen, I have to many colors myself

[Les Young]

If they can't tell the difference in colors then why will they bite a black/red spinnerbait or jig & not touch a black or black/blue? I'm talking night time by the way. I absolutley believe fish see color a lot better then given credit for.

[Snickers89]

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[Bass AHolic]

Fish are like Dogs, they just see in B&W, colors to catch fisherman at store.. It's the lures action that attracts

[Les Young]

Fish are like Dogs, they just see in B&W, colors to catch fisherman at store.. It's the lures action that attracts

Prtobably so, but to prove a point to a couple buddys of mine I would be catching them & them not getting bit & then they would start getting bit on after changing from black/blue jig to a black/red like i was using. Slow rolling spinnerbaits I have switched rods with them because they thought it was them being on the inside closer to the bank was why they were getting bit on black/red that i had them put on & me not on black or black/blue. Guess what happened after switching rods with each other just to prove a point? I got bit & me on the outside farthest from the bank when they did not. In brigh moonlight i use a black/red hair jig & the smallmouth will flat out bite it & not the black blue. It may be the contrast, but something definitley makes a huge difference with black/red versus other colors especially when it comes to smallmouth. I think they see better then given credit for myself.