The clearance section--that's where I used to buy all of my crankbaits. I never really gave much thought about the color because most of the time the color selection is quite limited in clearance section--you get the leftovers colors that aren't really that popular. But get this: I have caught plenty of fish on those funky clearance section color patterns. This is probably why until recently, I never really cared about the color of crankbaits I was throwing. Now, I am selective about the colors or patterns of the crankbaits that I buy, but before I get into why it matters to me now, here are some reasons why I think crankbait colors don't really matter that much when pond fishing.
Crankbaits are often most effective when fished fast; that is, not letting fish really get a good look at the bait and making them strike out of reaction, so in this situation, color isn't much of a factor.
It's the swimming action of a crankbait, more than its color, that often triggers bites. A good example of this is the popularity of flat-sided, tight-wiggling crankbaits in colder water.
In really dingy water, fish tend to rely on picking up on vibrations and sound using their lateral line than sight. I'm sure we've all read about pros claiming that they switched to a silent/rattling/single-knock in the same color and then all the sudden started getting bit. This suggests that sound or the lack of sound--not the color--was the key factor in making fish strike the lure.
That being said, I now kind of care about colors--it's more of a confidence booster than anything else. My selection is quite simple. I just stick to three colors/patterns: shad, craw, and bluegill. To be honest, the only reason I go with these three is because they imitate what bass eat. In addition, if I had to rank the three, my top pick would be shad, then craw, then gill. Here's why:
Shad: While there aren't many ponds in the area that I fish that actually have shad in them, it comes down to the basic undeniable fact that big fish eat little fish. So whenever I'm covering water, I tend to have a crankbait in a shad pattern tied on. I have confidence in this color year around, so this is my number one color pattern. My default color used to be Tennessee shad.
Craw: Late summer, fall, and winter I prefer throwing crankbaits that look like a crawfish. When the vegetation starts getting sparse, and bass are loading up on crawfish along the rocky areas along the banks, I pull out a craw pattern crankbait without hesitation. *Side note: I used to wonder why Lucky Craft had claws painted on the bill on some of their craw pattern crankbaits. I thought, "Crawfish don't swim forwards...this looks so unnatural!" And then one day I figured it out. When you hit some thing and stop the retrieve and the crankbait backs up, the painted claws on the bill totally adds to the realism!
Gill: Spring and summer, bass like to hide in the grass and ambush schools of bluegill. So when the strategy turns to ticking the tops of grass or popping baits out of the grass to elicit a reaction strike, I go with a gill pattern crank.
These days, when I find a crankbait that I really, really like, I buy four: one in shad, one in craw, one in gill, and one in a wild color that I think the fish have never seen for those times when you've tried everything and nothing seems to work.
In closing, when the water is gin clear I would have to agree that colors do make a difference especially when you're using plastics. But, when the water is somewhat dirty like at most local ponds I think the color pattern of the crankbait is more of a confidence booster than anything else. Recently for me, selecting the right color/pattern helps me visualize and create a mental image in my head of the type of forage I should try to be imitating. Doing this gives me more confidence by being able to figure out quickly what the bass are feeding on: shad, crawfish, or bluegills.
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