Lure color test
I saw a video on the color vision of bass that noted that they either see light or dark. It also noted that the sensors of their eyes see only red and green.
The point was that bass responded to only light or dark lures. Of course that depended on the clarity and color of the water and the presence or absence of weeds.
They further said that one only needs to decide whether to choose a light or dark lure and even to winnow down to only a white or black lure.
I decided to test that statement by throwing only small plastic lures that were either white or black/ dark brown.
Naturals like green pumpkin have their place and have been productive for me in the past and I chose to throw one as a spoiler.
The results were unambiguous.
In two hours I caught three largemouth on a small white paddle tail and one bluegill on the same pattern in black.
The green pumpkin got zero bites.
The day was heavy overcast and the water clear and weedy.
I now try to look at the rainbow of plastics I have and choose what is going to do the trick.
That said, I still have the challenge of the lure shape. Hellgrammite? paddletail? Grub? And any of the other shapes that are available.
Next test has to be identical color on different shapes.
Posted Sep 25, 2026, 10:56 PM UTC