Mumpys Jigs

Probably the best advice I can give fishermen isn’t what type of lure to use, but what color of lure to use. Who am I to tell you this lure is better than that lure? If the color choice is correct then 9 times out of 10 it doesn’t matter a whole lot what lure you have on. They all will catch fish if properly used.

So, what do you say we get down and dirty with this whole “Color Scheme” business.

If I’ve learned anything over the years it’s the old KISS acronym, that’s right, Keep It Simple Stupid. Whether you are fishing with a Crankbait, Worm, Jig or Spinnerbait, Keep it Simple, don’t over think this, keeping it simple will put fish in the boat… Guaranteed.

I have said this next line so much over the past few years that my fishing buddy’s are starting to get annoyed with the whole thing all together. Water Clarity and Conditions equal your lure color.

We basically have four kinds of water clarity in the south, Muddy, Dingy, Stained and Moderately clear with a greenish hue.

In muddy and dingy water with a visibility of one to four feet, it’s a good idea to stick to florescent-colored baits because of the high visibility and in particular, chartreuse works really well under muddy conditions.

When fishing clear and ultra-clear water, natural-colored or transparent baits on a much smaller scale and size are great producers.

Primarily the colors used the most are brown/orange/red combinations resembling crawfish, chartreuse/blue combinations imitating bluegill, and baits resembling shad,a natural prey for bass, including chrome/black, chrome/blue, Tennessee shad and various pearl/white patterns.

An easy way for me to remember what color of lure to use is this. I want to present the Bass the least amount needed to get the Job done. If I am fishing a Clear Water on a Sunny day I will use as Translucent of a color as I can find, I want just enough color for that bass to recognize it as forge but not so much to where it throws him off.

Another good tip is one of Trout fishermen but carries over to all fishermen. Match the Hatch, a Bluegill is a Pumpkin Seed Color, Shad is White or Pearl, Crayfish are of Brown and when fishing deep water a Black and Blue will always get you a bite.

I’ll be honest with you on this. If you look in my tackle box you are going to find basically a handful of colors. Years ago when I was beginning fishing and bought everything under the sun, this was the first indicator that I didn’t know what I was doing. Today, my color selection is narrowed down to Black and Blue, June Bug, Watermelon, Pumpkin seed and White. If there are any other colors in there I can’t think of them which means I don’t use them much, if at all.

If you guys have any Tips you can add to this Color Selection, please feel free to email me @ Mumpy@southernsportsman.org and share the wealth of knowledge, I am always looking for fast ways to make the decision when it’s time to switch colors during the fishing day.

Here is a question for you. On Partly Cloudy days, would it behoove you to have another rod and reel rigged with a different color for when the Sun goes behind the clouds for a certain period of time? Hmmm, It’s a thought…