If there’s one debate in bass fishing that has gone on for decades, it’s the age-old question: Does color matter? What we are referring to is the color of the bait you’re throwing when fishing for those elusive largemouth bass. No other topic in the bass fishing world has a difference of opinion more than this topic. Today I’ll give you my perspective that could lean you in either direction.
If you ask any angler with years of experience, some will say, “Yes, color does matter,” while others will say, “No,” that the color of your bait has no bearing on if a bass will eat it. Occasionally, I will agree with the guys who say “no” because there are occasions where bass are on a feeding frenzy, otherwise known as “schooling,” and will bite just about anything you throw at them. But I’ve also seen instances where if you don’t throw something that is very close to the forage (baitfish) they are chasing, and I mean in both size and color, you will not get bit. This rule of “matching the hatch,” so to speak, pretty much applies 90% of the time.
Here's my perspective when it comes to color. I say “yes” color does matter, if for no other reason than confidence. I know we’ve talked about confidence in the past and there’s nothing more important to an angler than his confidence, whether it’s in a particular color or a select bait. This is always a part of my message when I speak to high school or college anglers. It’s important for young anglers to gain confidence in a particular color because when the fishing is tough, you want to fish with something you have a lot of confidence in.
When it comes to soft plastic baits, color can make a huge difference on whether you catch bass or not. My argument has always been if color is not important, then why do manufacturers make so many for anglers to choose from? Some will say that is because companies are trying to catch anglers and sell lures. That might be true, but they also make so many colors because of the many different types of water clarity we have all across the country, and certain colors are designed to match different types of forage bass feed on.
All I know is this, over my many years of chasing those little green fish we call bass, more times than I can count, I made a color change and suddenly, I started catching bass. Was this a coincidence or was the new color I switched to closer to the forage they were feeding on? Only a bass can truly answer this question of whether color really matters, and until bass learn to speak, the world may never know.
Steve Graf Angler’s Perspective
