Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Pro-Lure-Fishing-Tips » Cracking the Colour Code - Colour Selection
Cracking the Colour Code - Colour Selection
By Justin Willmer
Some of the most common questions that I get asked about lure fishing relate to colour... is there an allround colour, what's the best colour for this species, what's the best colour in dirty water, are UV reactive colours better and so on. My aim with this article is to answer as many of those questions as I can in one place, while also outlining some of my favourite colours for fishing for a variety of species in different water conditions. My favourites aren't the only ones that work and they may not be the best in a particular scenario, however the hope is to provide a starting point for those getting into fishing and maximise their chances of getting hooked up. Fish on!
Match the Hatch
There's an old fishing saying 'match the hatch', which basically refers to matching your lure presentation to the bait that the fish are feeding on. It began with fly anglers matching the insect hatch with super-realistic fly patterns, utilising a wide variety of natural and synthetic fibres to closely resemble the profile and colours of the insect, along with the way in which the insect sat or moved in the water.
We do the same with soft plastics, selecting a profile that is similar to what the fish are feeding on, in a colour that closely resembles the bait and rigging it to resemble how the bait moves in the water. This could be a paddle tail to represent a baitfish, curl tail to represent a worm, or a crustacean to resemble a crab or yabby. We then select colours to match the bait, such as mullet, gar, whiting, hardy heads, or a particular type of worm, crab or other crustacean. Closely imitating the bait is a great place to start when fishing lures, but what if this doesn't get the bite.
Leftfield Presentations
If matching the hatch isn't working, sometimes it can pay to try something completely different, be it a profile change or a colour change. There aren't too many bait types out there that look like Nuked Chicken Glow or Sexy Mullet, however they are both popular and effective colours. If matching the hatch isn't working, sometimes standing out from the bait can and this leftfield approach can be worth a try.
The 3 Colour Theory
A colour theory that has always worked for me is based around three different groups of colours. By selecting one colour from each of these groups, I believe you give yourself the best chance of enticing a fish to bite in any conditions that you're faced with. Following this theory, I generally select a few favourite models of plastics to take with me and then ensure that I cover the three colour categories outlined below.
Lighter / Natural Colours - These colours excel in clear water and also bright conditions. In these conditions the fish have excellent visibility, so keeping your presentation natural looking, often transparent / translucent, with natural baitfish coloured highlights is a winner.
Examples from the ZMan Range include Opening Night, Bad Shad and Smokey Shad.
Dark / Silhouette Colours - When the water is dirty or tannin stained and during low light periods it can be effective to utilise a darker, more solid colour, that creates a silhouette that is more easily located and tracked by the fish.
Examples from the ZMan Range include Gold Rush, Houdini, New Penny and Red Shad.
Fluorescent Colours - There are times when neither of these colours will get the bite and changing things up to a fluorescent colour can trigger a strike. Fluorescent colours have become so effective on some species and in some scenarios that anglers will now often start with a fluoro and if that doesn't work, then they'll work back to a lighter or darker colour.
Examples from the ZMan range include Electric Chicken, Nuked Chicken Glow and Sexy Mullet.
Glitter & Fleck
When packing my kit for a fishing session I will also include some plastics with glitter or fleck and some without. Darker, less reflective flecks, such as black, can help to break up the solid colour and make it appear more realistic, for example the fleck in the Pumpkinseed colour. Glitters are added to plastics to create a natural flash or shimmer that represents the scale flash or a fish or the reflective flash and colours often found on insects and other creatures that may find themselves in the water.
The flash of glitter can be especially effective in dirty and tannin water, along with low light conditions, making the most of the available light to attract the attention of predators. The key with glitter and fleck is being able to offer this option to the fish and if they're not interested, switch it up to a plastic without glitter or fleck.
The Magical Allround Colours
So, is there a magical allround colour? If you spoke to a dozen anglers about their favourite colour for a particular species, technique or water colour, you would probably get a variety of answers, however there are a couple of colours that seem to pop up in conversation more than others.
Pearl - Pearl seems to be a colour that continually pops up in conversations about different species, locations, techniques and water conditions. Some may consider this colour a bit dull or boring, however it is a popular and proven option, with the Pearl colour taking on the tint of the water colour to blend in, much like the baitfish that reside in those waters. Variations on Pearl are also extremely popular as an allround colour, such as ZMan's Slam Shady, with its Pearl base and additions of tiny gold and silver glitter that keep things natural, taking on the colour of the water, while also offering a realistic, subtle flash and shimmy that stands it out from the school.
Motor Oil / Midnight Oil - If ever there was a potential magic colour and one that has developed a cult following based on its success, then it would have to be ZMan's Motor Oil colour. Motor Oil appears to be a deep amber / green colour, however once in the water it appears to 'light up' and when hit with a black light it will blow your mind as one of the most UV reactive colours out there. This base colour and UV reactive qualities seem to make it a winner in a stack of different models, for a heap of different species, including a domination of bream tournaments.
Midnight Oil is built on a Motor Oil base, however it also contains a fleck that changes colour the deeper it is in the plastic. This fleck adds a natural scale flash to the deadly Motor Oil colour and it too has become a deadly favourite for anglers. We will talk more about UV later in this article.
Effective colours will change across species based on water conditions, seasons, available light, prevalent bait, water temperature and many other variables, however I wanted to put together my own personal colour selection guide based on the three colour theory and my experience, designed simply as a starting point for those getting into soft plastics fishing. Below is a selection of popular species and a list of popular colours based on the Light / Natural (L/N), Dark / Silhouette (D/S) and Fluoro (F) colour options.
Remember you also have that Pearl and Motor Oil / Midnight Oil option as an allround option to use in any conditions and on most species, so I have not included these in the lists below.
Bream -
L/N - Bad Shad, Baby Bass, Greasy Prawn, Bloodworm
D/S - Gudgeon, Watermelon Red, Pumpkin
F - Pink Glow, Bubble Gum, Electric Chicken
Flathead -
L/N - Opening Night, Bad Shad, Greasy Prawn, Green Lantern
D/S - Gold Rush, Houdini, Red Shad
F - Electric Chicken, Pink Glow, Sexy Mullet
Snapper -
L/N - Bad Shad, Baby Bass, Pearl, Coconut Ice Glow, Nuked Pilchard Glow
D/S - New Penny, Mood Ring, Houdini
F - Nuked Chicken Glow, Pink Glow, Fusilier, Coral Trout
Mulloway -
L/N - Opening Night, Bad Shad, Pinfish, Smokey Shad
D/S - Gold Rush, New Penny, Red Shad
F - Electric Chicken, Nuked Chicken Glow, Sexy Mullet
Barramundi -
L/N - Bad Shad, Opening Night, Smokey Shad, Smelt
D/S - Gold Rush, Houdini, New Penny, Calico Candy
F - Sexy Mullet, Sexy Penny, Glow Chartreuse, Space Guppy
Mangrove Jack -
L/N - Bad Shad, Pearl Blue Glimmer, Baby Bass, Opening Night
D/S - Red Shad, Gold Rush, Houdini, Calico Candy, New Penny
F - Sexy Penny, Sexy Mullet, Pink Glow, Space Guppy
Bass -
L/N - Baby Bass, Bad Shad, Greasy Prawn, Bloodworm
D/S - Gold Rush, Pumpkin, Watermelon Red, Gudgeon, Mood Ring
F - Sexy Penny, Space Guppy, (The range of Chartreuse based colours)
Golden Perch (Yellowbelly / Callop) -
L/N - Bloodworm, Baby Bass, Bad Shad, Greasy Prawn
D/S - Black, Gold Rush, Houdini, The Deal, Mood Ring, Calico Candy
F - Chartreuse Sparkle, Space Guppy, Sexy Penny
These are just a few proven starting options and there are many other similar colours to each of these that will also get the bite. The key to remember is to ensure that you are covered in terms of matching the hatch and having a leftfield presentation, while also ticking off the light and natural, dark silhouette and fluoro colour options.
What about UV?
Many species of fish see varying degrees of UV light and this is something that has been developed and maintained throughout evolution, leading scientists to believe that this trait is advantageous and may be related to foraging, communication and mate selection. Ultraviolet rays are not visible to humans and basically ultraviolet means beyond violet, violet being the highest frequencies of visible light, so light that is visible to humans.
We use a black light torch to test how different substances react to UV light as a black light emits long-wave UVA and very little visible light, cancelling out a lot of visible light and allowing us to observe the coloured glow or 'fluorescence' that an object gives off. UV light causes many substances to glow or fluoresce and that's where UV comes into play with lures and baits.
Some colours 'light up' under the black light, with Motor Oil / Midnight Oil having one of the most extreme reactions as it becomes a bright green glow. Other colours have more subtle reactions, with some colours within the plastic reacting to a lesser extent or being non-reactive and giving a more natural mottled or scattered glow, such as Houdini, Baby Bass, Calico Candy and many more. Many of the light and natural colours will not react at all, such as Bloodworm, Opening Night and Smokey Shad, making them a very natural and subtle presentation.
So, what is the key takeout for anglers? Just as we may carry a range of colours to cover the 3 Colour Theory, it also pays to have a selection of colours that do and do not react to UV. A prime example of this is how effective both Motor Oil and Bloodworm are in bream tournaments, with both colours winning events, yet one is UV reactive and the other (Bloodworm) is not. The belief is that Motor Oil will excel in dirty and tannin water, along with low light periods, while Bloodworm becomes more of a go-to in clear water conditions and bright light periods. It may also come down to the system being fished, season, bait in the area and the mood of the fish. By having both options in your kit you know that you have a good chance of enticing a bite.
You will find a 'UV Reactive' logo attached to the colours that react to UV light on the ZMan section of the tackletactics.com.au website, designed to assist you when selecting colours. Fluoro colours will generally react to UV light, however you may find some surprises among the other colours. On the ZMan section of the website you will also find a 'ZMan UV Plastics Guide' that features split shots of many colours highlighting their standard colour and how they react to UV light. If the UV is attracting the bite, all good, but if not remember that you can switch it up to a more natural and non-UV colour, or vice versa.
Coloured Jigheads
Another option for adding natural colours, dark colours or UV pop to your soft plastic presentation is to utilise a painted jighead, such as a TT Lures NedlockZ, DemonZ or Big EyeZ jighead. Again you can keep things super natural, matching a light coloured and natural plastic to a similar jighead, or darken things up with a darker colour or even black jighead for a strong silhouette in dirty water or low light conditions. Finally a bright pink, orange or chartreuse jighead will give you UV reactive qualities that may allow you to add some more subtle UV pop to your natural plastic presentation or go full UV mode with a UV reactive plastic and UV reactive jighead to create a presentation that the fish can't miss!
What about Scent?
You've put the time into considering colour selection, now one of the easiest ways to attract fish and add realism to your presentation is to add scent to your plastic. As well as seeing and feeling your presentation, fish also taste and smell it, so adding scent will not only help to mask foreign odours, such as fuel, sunscreen and bug spray, it will also attract fish and trigger strikes. Pro-Cure scents combine real ground bait with laboratory science, such as UV enhancement, powerful amino acids and bite stimulants, to get the fish fired up. Add a small amount of scent more often, rather than scent and forget, and I generally add Pro-Cure Super Gel every 30 or so casts and after landing a fish.
True Colours
That's a quick look at colour in relation to fishing lures and hopefully this gives you a better understanding of why there are so many lure colours on the tackle shop wall and how you might apply them to your fishing. Remember to match the hatch, while having a leftfield option available, consider the 3 Colour Theory, the addition of glitter and fleck in plastics, and whether UV is working for or against you in different situations. Finally, scent up and get out there and get stuck into a few fish.
See you on the water...
Cheers, Justin