Jig color

[Katron]

I have been tying my own jigs this year and loving it, especially the seemingly limitless variations of color schemes I can create. Today I was dropping some of my jigs into the sink to see how they looked in the water. A couple hours later I am thinking about how that all black jig I tied was quite difficult to see, well duh, the sink is black. That got me thinking, could an all black bait be the better choice for light colored gravel/sand, grass, and a lighter colored jig for dark mud and wood? I am of course concerned with only one sense of the fish, not the many others. After these thoughts I also got to thinking about the fall of the jig. Many jig specialists will tell you that "when it comes to jigs it is all about the fall", and I for a large part agree with them. Now, if black is the strongest color and therefore contrasts best with the sky you would think a black jig would be the best on the fall. But if your bottom is quite dark the bait will go relatively unseen by the fish. Solution? Tie your jig with black on bottom and brown, purple, green, etc. on the top! Maybe this is an old idea, but to me it's an epiphany. Thoughts?

Kaleb

[btune]

Since you are tying your own why not give it a try? While most rate color as somewhat important I think much of the time it is not. I like a green pumpkin jig from post spawn to winter but basic black seems to never go out of style. And why is black/blue so popular when blue may not even be seen by bass? The large variety of colors available from jig makes would seem to indicate that color can be a big factor in us selecting jigs! Just keep in mind that craws in the wild get eaten if they are easy to see! And yet bass seem to find them even when they are blending in perfectly. High contrast or match the hatch on any given day either could be the "deal".

[Dale Meddock]

In the wild most creatures stay alive longer by changing their colors to match their enviorment.
But the fish don`t know that.
I use colors that Bass can see in really off colored waters.
I use really natural colors in clear waters. Watermelon red, Greens, Greenpumpkin, Oblood, Light Brown or Cinnamon

[Munkin]

Color matters more to the angler than the fish. I spend more time changing weights than I do colors.

Allen

[RIK]

Hi -

Totally contrary opinion here: I don't want fish to be able to see a jig easily.

I fish very clear water most of the time, so consider that factor, but... I really try to have my jig color blend in with the background as much as I can. I want a little bit of contrast color or some flash, but I want fish to have to hunt for it a little bit. I think when they do, their predatory instincts get piqued a little bit more.

So I pick colors that blend in - around weeds I use watermelon (or watermelon/red for a little flash), green pumpkin (or green pumpkin/copper). Over rocks or sand, I use a brown or amber skirt. They'll still find it - their natural forage blends in too and is a lot harder to find than a jig with a rattle and flapping claws. Overall in clear water at least, I've done far better with colors that blend in that stand out.

Strained water is a different story, especially if it's water that's usually clear but has mud, an algae bloom etc., Then it's more black/blue, straight black, Junebug, etc.

Works for me - your mileage may vary

[NJ Jigman]

I'm with RIK, i fish clear water most of the time so I want a jig that is difficult for bass to see. I like transluscent colored or lightest colored greens and brown and ambers i can find so the fish don't get a great look. However, on the east coast we've gotten so much rain this year that the waters where you could see 6-8 ft in is more like 2 ft. So i have tied up quite a few black/blue jigs and have done much better than how i did in the spring early summer before i made the switch. In clear water I dye the pinchers on the trailers i use to match the color of the craws or gills in the lake. Not totally like you find in the stores but small lines or dots just to add a little contrast and to better match the forage in the lake.

[nsfisher]

In clear water i agree it is best to match the hatch, but in dirty water i almost always throw in some flashy colors

As far as the painting the jig head goes that sounds like a good idea to paint them like that, but it ties right in with the water color if it is darker water than a brighter color of jig head will be more visible to the fish on the fall

[Bass Junkie]

In all but the muddiest conditions I prefer a jig that is naturally colored to the forage base. I believe that a fish has no problem finding and identifying a jig in the water due to its vibrations/noise. If the fish can't locate your jig, with the exception of a swimming jig, you are fishing it too fast.

[l2yan]

If I'm slow fishing or pitching a jig, then I nearly always have some natural brown/green/black jig tied on. If I'm stroking a jig, which I've recently fallen in love with, I like to experiment with chartreuse, orange, red, pink, even light blue accents. Especially if you tie your own, why not experiment a little

[Painter1]

Clear water here too and natural colors that mostly blend. A bit of flash in the skirt or trailer seems to help sometimes.

[brokeneye]

have caught more on black/blue than any other....stained/gin-clear, winter/summer, rain/shine.



thru the years, have learned not to argue with it anymore.

[Capt Ray]

Black/Blue and PBJ.

[BB144]

When it comes to jigs, I like to keep it simple (although you wouldn't know from looking at my jigs).

I generally fish shades instead of particular colors. Blacks, browns, light greens, and dark greens. Blacks include Black & Blue, Black & Brown, etc. Browns includes orange/brown/rusty craw colors and PB&J. Light green consists of basically all my watermelon colors and then Dark green is mostly green pumpkins.