Lure Color for Bass Fishing

The lure color the bass sees is based on the bass’ vision which is impacted by lure visibility. In other words, what color (or if they can see the color) the bass sees (or can see) is impacted by depth due to sunlight plus waviness and water clarity. Bass’ vision is different from human vision as bass have a larger spectrum of colors for example can see more reds and greens than humans. Plus, what is white to human eyes will be different shades of white to bass. 

Why is Lure Color Important?

Lure color is important to:

  • Mimic Forage when Possible: When lure visibility is high some suggest trying to match the color of the local forage.
  • Make Lure More Easily Seen: When lure visibility is low some suggest trying colors that dark to provide contrast and very bright colors.
  • Lure Depth: Some sunlight gets reflected and some is penetrated into the water. The penetrated light gets absorbed as it goes deeper resulting in the lure color getting duller as it gets deeper. As such, lure more colors are visible in shallow water and thus try more colors.
  • Prioritization: Some suggest lure color is the last decision as it has the least impact on catch rate. In other words, some suggest choosing the best lure type first, then the color, opposed to looking at the lures for a specific color.
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Lure Color Options
  • Natural Colors for High Lure Visibility: Some suggest when bass vision is good, go with:
    • Gray – Off White: Generally mimic a bait fish like a shad, minnow, smelt, bream/brim, grub.
    • Light Chartreuse: Light greenish yellow color generally mimics a baitfish like a sunfish.
    • Light Brown: Generally mimic a worm, goby,
    • Light Blue: Generally mimic a baitfish some bluegill (some are more white), Pumpkinseed (some are more brown),
    • Green: Also called watermelon, pumpkin, generally mimicking a frog, crappie (some are more silver),
    • Red/Pink: Generally mimic a forage like a crayfish. Red is the first color that disappears with depth, so mostly a shallow water color.
    • Plus, when Sunny:
      • Flashy Colors: Sun is required for these lure to have flash:
        • Silver: Similar to blade color selection, some suggest silver blades reflect best when sunny and gold blades in low visibility.
        • Chrome: Some believe it will bring fish from great distances.
        • Translucent: Also called ghost colors, are lures that are partially or mostly see through. Translucent/ghost color lures are often silver, gold, white to the eye as such translucent isn’t actually the color it is a characteristic of the lure. Typically the translucent characteristic is on the sides with a little color on the top and bottom but if the lure wobbles translucent is its primary color. 
  • Dark or Bright for Low Lure Visibility: Some believe bright bold colored lures including fluorescent lures are easier to see at least when shallow and some stick to dark colors as they produce the most contrast at any depth. In fact, dark lures are some suggest are best for night fishing. Color consideration include:
    • Dark Colors include:
      • Black: Black, possibly black with flicks.
      • Dark Brown: In most cases, brown fits under the category of natural, but very dark brown will work similar to black.
      • Dark Blue: Dark blue, often combined with black, is similar to black.
  •  or, Bright Bold Colors: Primary colors include:
    • Bright White: Fluorescent, bright , pearl, generally a white that generally doesn’t happen naturally, for example a bright white worm or a pure white lure.
    • Bright Chartreuse: A bolder, bright greenish yellow color. Also a common secondary color in some cases added on.
    • Yellow: Fluorescent, bright yellow, pure yellow, similar to bright chartreuse isn’t natural. Yellow, along with green and blue, are colors that are visible in deeper water. Some suggest the fluorescent yellow is the brightest of all colors.
    • Gold: Generally, gold is considered a bright color not reflective like chrome and silver.
    • Bright Red/Dark Red/Pink: Fluorescent red which may look pink. Some consider dark red a bold color working similar to a dark purple. Either way, some suggest it is good in low lure visibility scenarios. Some suggest fluorescent pink needs the least uv to be effective.
    • Orange: Orange, but generally only considered shallow as orange vanishes just after red vanishes in deeper water. Fluorescent orange, also called “motoroil” is more visible in general and more visible in deeper water.
    • Fluorescent Green: Specifically, fluorescent green, as most all other greens are considered natural.
    • Fluorescent Blue: Blue that just doesn’t look natural.
    • Purple: Purple may fit the category of dark but it doesn’t fit under the category of natural.
  • Plus, Contrast: Some suggest two or more colors that have contrast will stand out better in low lure visibility
      • Multicolor: Lures with multiple colors, especially ones that have light/dark contrast, may be easier to be identified in low lure visibility situations as compared to a solid color.
      • Modify Color: Using dye or marking pens for example chartreuse or orange tip to a plastic worm possibly in low lure visibility situations.
Additional Considerations
  • Seasonal Match Hatch Color: Some suggest match the current forage while others would suggest common forage even out of season for example crawfish colors in winter or crawfish on sand.
    • Forage Matching: Some suggest bass will target one type of forage and bypass others for a period of time (seasonal).
    • Completely Different: Some suggest choosing something very different then local forage or even very different then other anglers would likely be using may be effective.
  • Flat Finish vs Metallic Finish: Some would say flat finish in clear water and metallic in stained water.
  • Contract the Background Color: Some suggest using a color that stands out as compared to the background. For example, not using the same green as the grass when fishing grass. If contrast is not possible, then go with two tone lures.
  • Night Fishing: Some suggest, when lure visibility is the worst in murky water at night the color of choice is black plus dark blue provides most contrast.
  • Depth: The deeper the less light which impacts color has on bass’ vision. In other words, a lures looks greyer as it gets deeper and all lures become dark when very deep.
    • Try Red Shallow: Bass see red and green best, but red is only visible shallow.
    • Try Green Deep: Bass see green deep before it becomes gray.
  • Dusk and Dawn: In low light situations, dusk and dawn, some believe dark colors are best including the use of surface contact lures.
  • Fluorescent: Some suggest if you are adding color for low lure visibility scenario use a fluorescent color.
    • Black Light: View your lures with a black light to see which ones are fluorescent as some believe they are brighter and will be more visible deeper and thus good for low lure visibility scenarios.
  • Lure Tape: Some anglers will use lure tape to change or enhance the color of their lures.
  • Cloudy Days: Some say fluorescent lure becomes bright on a cloudy day as the UV light is stronger.
  • Bottom Contrast: Some say in low lure visibility to maximize the contrast between the lure and bottom.
  • Bottom Color vs Top Color: Choosing lure color based on lure position relative to the bass. For example, look at the lure’s bottom color when fishing above the bass and the top lure’s color when bottom contact lures.
  • Water Color Contrast: Maximize contrast, for example, don’t use green color lures in greenish water.
It's About the ALLURE™
Lure Color is often Correlated with Lure Visibility

Low Visibility Lures
Often, but not always, low visibility colors are selected for low visibility lures.

High Visibility Lures
Often, but not always, high visibility colors are selected for high visibility lures.

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