Confidence and colors

It all started with the plastic worm and has now mutated into a huge array of specialized offerings. Whose is the best and which one is your favorite? Come share your thoughts and opinions here.
Post Reply
User avatar
Randingo
Elite Angler
Elite Angler
Posts: 346
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2015 5:31 am
Location: Central New Jersey

Confidence and colors

Post by Randingo » Fri Feb 24, 2023 9:19 pm

I think we all have colors in soft plastic baits that we have confidence in. If we didn't, we’d spend all of our money on every color variation of every bait we fish. Instead, most of us are constantly replacing a couple of colors per bait while any other colors we own only get used on unusual occasions. At least that's always been my experience. But I was wondering whether, like me, there are popular, proven colors that you just don't feel good about at all.

The best example in my soft plastics is watermelon with red flake. I probably fish variations of watermelon more than any other color (except maybe green pumpkin), but I don't use watermelon red flake at all anymore. The larger the flakes and the denser their distribution, the more I dislike them. In fact, I barely ever buy or fish any plastic with red flake. I just have no confidence at all in any of those colors. Do you have any soft bait colors like this that just rub you the wrong way? Or am I just really weird?

hoohoorjoo
TT Moderator
TT Moderator
Posts: 6789
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2011 1:56 pm
Location: Oxford GA

Re: Confidence and colors

Post by hoohoorjoo » Sat Feb 25, 2023 6:51 pm

I hate orange soft plastics, even though I've caught fish on them. I rarely ever buy any softbait with orange, it just seems wrong to me for some strange reason. Guess I'm crazy, too?
Try not to let your mind wander. It is much too small to be outside unsupervised.

User avatar
Randingo
Elite Angler
Elite Angler
Posts: 346
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2015 5:31 am
Location: Central New Jersey

Re: Confidence and colors

Post by Randingo » Sat Feb 25, 2023 8:18 pm

At least there'll be another fisherman with me at the asylum...

User avatar
GOOD YEAR 71
Elite Angler
Elite Angler
Posts: 553
Joined: Tue Apr 08, 2014 5:07 pm
Location: NorCal

Re: Confidence and colors

Post by GOOD YEAR 71 » Sun Feb 26, 2023 10:02 pm

Randingo wrote:
Fri Feb 24, 2023 9:19 pm
The larger the flakes and the denser their distribution, the more I dislike them. In fact, I barely ever buy or fish any plastic with red flake. Or am I just really weird?
Yup. You're just really weird. Around here red flake (pick your primary) is the only thing that never disappoints. I'm joking, of course, we all have our quirks. But very serious about red flake, can't go wrong no matter water or time of year around here. I personally don't have any single one color I won't use but have preferences. Like red, for instance, secondary for me is purple, and if I were going super clear I'd simply choose good old fashion 'motor oil'. I suppose the one color/combo I've yet to enjoy is peppered like a translucent white with black flake type thing. I get the white, I get the black, but why both? One way or the other it defeats purpose. I don't get it... And yeah, the asylum, look for me in the padded room. I'll be the one banging my head against the wall.
PEACE

User avatar
Randingo
Elite Angler
Elite Angler
Posts: 346
Joined: Sun Apr 12, 2015 5:31 am
Location: Central New Jersey

Re: Confidence and colors

Post by Randingo » Mon Feb 27, 2023 7:50 pm

GOOD YEAR 71 wrote:
Sun Feb 26, 2023 10:02 pm
Randingo wrote:
Fri Feb 24, 2023 9:19 pm
The larger the flakes and the denser their distribution, the more I dislike them. In fact, I barely ever buy or fish any plastic with red flake. Or am I just really weird?
Yup. You're just really weird. Around here red flake (pick your primary) is the only thing that never disappoints. I'm joking, of course, we all have our quirks. But very serious about red flake, can't go wrong no matter water or time of year around here. I personally don't have any single one color I won't use but have preferences. Like red, for instance, secondary for me is purple, and if I were going super clear I'd simply choose good old fashion 'motor oil'. I suppose the one color/combo I've yet to enjoy is peppered like a translucent white with black flake type thing. I get the white, I get the black, but why both? One way or the other it defeats purpose. I don't get it... And yeah, the asylum, look for me in the padded room. I'll be the one banging my head against the wall.
It's always been obvious to me that colors with lots of red flake must be useful in certain waters and conditions, and they've certainly worked in waters where I have fished them. They've never worked better than the same basic color without red in my recollection, and since I really don't feel as confident when throwing them, I've stopped buying them by choice. That said, I'm no pro and don't fish all over the country. It would probably only take a couple of days of great fishing where red flake cleaned up for me to lose my prejudice. But like you, I mainly have certain preferred colors that get most of my time and effort, making their success more of a self-fulfilling prophecy than any real indication of their superiority. My wallet hopes I don't have too many reasons to expand that selection. After all, asylums cost money...

PotatoLake
Senior Angler
Senior Angler
Posts: 159
Joined: Mon Sep 12, 2022 12:35 pm

Re: Confidence and colors

Post by PotatoLake » Tue Feb 28, 2023 7:24 am

I'm a wierdo and purposely do not throw green pumpkin, watermelon or black and blue plastics. I figure the waters I fish are so pressured I have to throw something different to get bites. So I typically throw smoke, electric shad, cinnamon, morning dawn, black/chartreuse, etc. I catch fish, so I don't know, am I outsmarting myself? Maybe.

godshippy
Platinum Angler
Platinum Angler
Posts: 870
Joined: Mon Feb 28, 2011 4:29 am

Re: Confidence and colors

Post by godshippy » Thu Mar 02, 2023 4:28 pm

hoohoorjoo wrote:
Sat Feb 25, 2023 6:51 pm
I hate orange soft plastics, even though I've caught fish on them. I rarely ever buy any softbait with orange, it just seems wrong to me for some strange reason. Guess I'm crazy, too?
Sometimes that little bit of orange is what triggers fish to commit!

I think your commitment to actually put time and properly work a bait is more important than the color you choose. And I would agree that if you don't like the color, then you shouldn't throw it.

When I'm fishing for smallies, then you can't beat watermelon with black and red flake! I like to throw an orange Rapala X-rap shad for them as well!

jlang95
Senior Angler
Senior Angler
Posts: 50
Joined: Sun Dec 29, 2019 6:14 pm

Re: Confidence and colors

Post by jlang95 » Thu Jun 15, 2023 7:06 pm

I’ve never had any luck with black and blue plastics for some reason, no matter how many times I’ve tried.

Drakestar
Platinum Angler
Platinum Angler
Posts: 889
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2020 11:54 am

Re: Confidence and colors

Post by Drakestar » Thu Jun 15, 2023 8:29 pm

There’s long-standing and recent research on what largemouth bass can see. They see red very well, they see green well, they cannot recognize blue (no receptors, so black & blue is actually black and grey to them), and they cannot distinguish between yellow and white (so chartreuse is just another shade of white - to a bass, that super unnatural-looking yellow color is natural).

I don’t know any bass fisherman that actually acts on this research. Add the fact that almost everybody gets water color + lure color wrong (green-tinted water looks green because the color green is filtered out LAST, meaning that, instead of blending in, a green lure looks saturated & colored the deepest), and you have the perfect storm of bait color superstitions.

But hey, maybe this helps people understand why green pumpkin works so well in green water :)

Smalleyez
Platinum Angler
Platinum Angler
Posts: 1046
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 9:34 am
Location: WI's west coast

Re: Confidence and colors

Post by Smalleyez » Fri Jun 16, 2023 4:36 am

I won’t throw a bubblegum colored bait. Nope!!!
RRR (Round Reels Rule!)

User avatar
sbd3
Senior Angler
Senior Angler
Posts: 66
Joined: Wed May 18, 2022 1:18 pm
Location: Midwest USA

Re: Confidence and colors

Post by sbd3 » Fri Jun 16, 2023 1:27 pm

Smalleyez wrote:
Fri Jun 16, 2023 4:36 am
I won’t throw a bubblegum colored bait. Nope!!!
Why not? Don't you know bubblegum gets chewed :D ba-dump tssss, thanks I'll let myself out

Smalleyez
Platinum Angler
Platinum Angler
Posts: 1046
Joined: Wed Mar 05, 2008 9:34 am
Location: WI's west coast

Re: Confidence and colors

Post by Smalleyez » Fri Jun 16, 2023 7:10 pm

sbd3 wrote:
Fri Jun 16, 2023 1:27 pm
Smalleyez wrote:
Fri Jun 16, 2023 4:36 am
I won’t throw a bubblegum colored bait. Nope!!!
Why not? Don't you know bubblegum gets chewed :D ba-dump tssss, thanks I'll let myself out
Hahaha!
RRR (Round Reels Rule!)

User avatar
Hogsticker2
Pro Angler
Pro Angler
Posts: 7161
Joined: Wed Feb 29, 2012 5:20 pm

Re: Confidence and colors

Post by Hogsticker2 » Fri Jun 16, 2023 10:12 pm

I like the light brown somewhat iridescent colors. They often have light hues of pink or purple in them. Similar to Wakasagi on the JDM market. I primarily fish relatively clear waters, mostly for smallmouth. That being said, for hardbaits I tend to reach for something with a bit of orange on the belly - again for smallies.

MK49
Elite Angler
Elite Angler
Posts: 302
Joined: Tue Jun 28, 2022 6:50 pm

Re: Confidence and colors

Post by MK49 » Thu Jul 20, 2023 8:46 pm

I'm not a real soft bait fisherman (I spend way more time using hardbaits), but I do have a few favorite colors, Water Melon/Red, Black and Blue and Green Pumpkin. I don't know why bass bites Black and Blue, but I know they work, based on my experience.

Post Reply