What Colours Of Soft Plastics Do You Need for Bass?

Not sure what colour of soft-plastic to use when bass fishing? Stumped about the best baits to choose from a rainbow of options when shopping? To help cutdown confusion, here are some general rules of thumb to follow when selecting what colour of soft bait to use when bass fishing. 

CrushCity Examples: Black, Black Blue, Green Pumpkin, Green Pumpkin Goby, Plum:

• Produce a good contrast and easier for bass to locate in turbid, muddy and dark water with poor visibility
• Create a substantial silhouette, effective during overcast conditions, low light periods, at night or when fishing deep
• Mimic darker colouration of certain bass forage, including bluegills, gobies and crayfish

CrushCity Examples: Banana Prawn, Watermelon Red, Bloodworm UV, Motor Oil UV:

• Excellent in clear water in varying light conditions
• Imitate the natural tones of crayfish, leeches, nymphs and certain minnow species
• Provide a middle ground colour options in between dark and bright baits

CrushCity Examples: Smelt, Baitfish, Shad, Glow Shad, Gizzard Shad, Albino Shad, Baby Bass, Perch, Goby, Sungill:

• Reliable when fishing clear water, regardless of whether power-fishing or using finesse tactics
• High reflectivity of certain baitfish colour patterns adds realism to stimulate bass interest
• Excellent for matching the colour patterns of various baitfish  

CrushCity Examples: White, Pearl White, Bubblegum, Chartreuse Pearl, Neon, Lumo, Comet:

• Reflect light and are effective for catching the eye of bass, particularly in turbid water or low light conditions
• Can trigger reaction strikes or prove more appealing in certain situations than natural colours (e.g., smallmouth stimulated by baits with chartreuse and hot pink accents) 
• Easier for anglers to see, and useful in certain sight-fishing scenarios where a plastic must be positioned within a specific strike zone (e.g., twitching The Jerk along the edges of sand patches on a weed flat)

CrushCity Examples: Chile Craw, Sprayed Grass, California Craw, Bama Craw, Green Pumpkin Chartreuse Pepper, Budgie, Red Dog, Ogre, Neon Pearl, Rockmelon:

• Contrast of a dark-top-light-bottom plastic can draw more strikes than a single-coloured plastic at times
• Natural two-tone patterns add realism when aligned with baitfish, crayfish, frogs, etc. 
• Present a multi-coloured visual, which can help satisfy bass colour preferences — whether using a natural colour or a bold pattern

CrushCity Examples: Sparkler Shad, Whitebait, Electric Shad, Gold Rush, Baitfish, Perch, Green Pumpkin Disco, Baby Bass:

• Reflect light and create flash for added realism with baitfish patterned plastics 
• Metallic shine adds another degree of visual appeal for attracting fish and triggering strikes 
• Angler experience can vary regarding what fleck colours perform best on sunny versus cloudy days, and clear versus stained water; experiment to learn what’s best for where you fish

There are many reliable soft-bait colour options for bass. No soft plastic paint job is 100% foolproof, though, as several factors (e.g., light penetration, water turbidity, forage) influence how bass respond to different colours and which hues get the most bites. This is why it’s a good idea to have an assortment of baits with several of the above colour categories (e.g., dark, baitfish, bright, two-toned, etc.). Being prepared this way ensures you have options for finding the best colour for the given conditions and, at the end of the day, will help you catch more fish.