Light VS. Dark Soft Plastic Lure Color Contest: What Sparks The Most Bites?
- By: Tony Acevedo
- on
What will spark the most bites in this light VS. dark soft plastic lure color contest???
Using the Mulligan Paddletail, I tested the Slam Shady and Alabama Leprechaun on a recent trip to see what lure triggered the most strikes.
Get the final results below!!
Light VS. Dark Soft Plastic Lure Color Contest [VIDEO]
Not a member? Then click here to join the Insider Club today so you can get access to Smart Fishing Spots, discounts on the tackle shown below, and much more.
Equipment Used:
After I caught a couple of redfish on the light 4-inch Slam Shady Mulligan, I wanted to see if color had an impact.
So I switched over to the 4-inch Alabama Leprechaun Mulligan which is a darker lure to see if that made a difference.
With the lure profile remaining the same, would color have any kind of impact?
I rigged both lures up using 3/0 Hoss Helix Hooks weighing 1/8 oz.
As always, I applied Dr. Juice Exclusive Saltwater Slam Scent to the lures before casting them out.
The first cast with the Alabama Leprechaun and a redfish instantly came up and swallowed it down.
The truth is, I was in the right type of spot with feeding fish.
Lure color can have an impact, but if the fish are feeding, you’ll be able to get bites.
It is all about being in the RIGHT spot with the feeding fish.
There was no outright winner here but like I just said, be sure to find spots with the feeding fish.
From there, everything will come easier and you’ll get those fish you deserve.
Are you unsure of where to start?
Well, that’s where we come in.
If you aren’t an Insider Member yet, consider joining the Club to sharpen your skills, hear from other members in your area, and stay in tune with the current trends so you can find the feeding fish every single time.
Let me know if you have any questions down below!!
Finding The Fish Help
In order to help make sure that you are targeting the right areas based on the latest feeding trends and upcoming weather forecasts, make sure to use the following 3 resources because they will save you a ton of time.
1. Weekend Game Plans (updated weekly)
These regional game plans will show you exactly what types of spots to target in under 10 minutes… just click the video to start, and you’ll be informed on what to do on your next trip.
2. Smart Fishing Spots Platform (updated every 15 minutes)
This exclusive software literally shows you where the most fish are likely to be feeding based on exactly when you’ll be fishing. It factors in the tides, wind, and weather to help you quickly see which areas to target throughout the day.
3. Community Reports (live feed)
The Insider Community platform is what you can use to see what is biting near you, and you can get to know other members who fish in your area. Plus, you can use it to keep a log of your catches so you can use past trips to help predict future catches.
Related categories:
STOP WASTING TIME ON THE WATER!
Do what the “SMART ANGLERS” are doing and join the Insider Club.
Here’s what you’ll receive today when you join:
- Weekly fishing reports and TRENDS revealing exactly where you should fish every trip
- Weekly “spot dissection” videos that walk you through all the best spots in your area
- Exclusive fishing tips from the PROS you can’t find anywhere else
- Everything you need to start catching fish more consistently (regardless if you fish out of a boat, kayak, or land).
My experience is each new day can be a new challenge. What worked yesterday might be a loser today. Don’t be stuck on a plan or place. If it’s not working, change.
For sure!
Heading down to Oak Hill,with my twin bother Sept. 19-23. Fishing area up to New Smyrna.Can you give us any tips,we may need for that area, or a fishing report?And if you are in that area,would like for you to come fish with us,one of those days. Thanks.
Hey Gary! Be sure to check the Spots Map in the community. I have done a lot of reports around there. Here is a direct link to that map:
https://community.saltstrong.com/RegionalMap.php
Also any questions you may have be sure to ask them in the community so other members in the area can help out as well!
https://community.saltstrong.com/
Nice fish Tony! Where were you fishing on this trip?
Thanks Ron! This is the lagoon. I’ll have a full insider report from this trip coming out next week!
Tony as always a very good video and I like the colors and their effects… I would also like to ask you what type of boat your were fishing out of and if it is a gheenoe could you please point me in the correct direction to finding a good one in the condition of yours …. I have looked high and low up here in the Jacksonville area at no avail and all I see is junk for the most part …. ! Thank
You and any and all help would
Be deeply appreciated by me I can assure you …. !!! Thanks again
Thanks Thomas! It’s a Gheenoe Classic. I have a walkthrough of it here:
https://www.saltstrong.com/articles/walkthrough-of-coach-tonys-gheenoe/
I was able to buy this one from a buddy of mine, so I had the opportunity to fish from it a bunch before buying it. If you’re looking for a decent used one I would expand your search and be open to driving a little bit to find one as it can definitely be worth it. Facebook Marketplace is a good start and also follow the “Gheeneoholics” page on Facebook. Many guys will list theirs on that page first.
So nice when they chew them all. Then there are the days that any slight movement from a four inch bait will scare an over slot red for days.
I used to love the gulp New Penny in central Brevard. We would do a week long trip to Little Gasparilla Island every year and when I couldn’t get a bite on new penny, white seemed to work. Got to the point that a had a different tub of gulp for each coast.
I hear ya! Every individual fish can act differently as well. I’ve cast to 2 separate fish swimming next to each other and one would spook off and the other would slam the lure. Ya just never know sometimes!
Well Tony I don’t really know what colors work best in your area of Central Florida but I can tell you what works here and always speaking for myself I have found in our dark and mostly murky waters here in northeast florida anything with gold or chartruse works best at least what I have found the slam shady and most natural colors are not as effective here in the warmer months as they are in winter and early spring when the water is clearer and have fished both in areas where the fish were definatly actively feeding and used both the natural and the gold and chartruse colors and have found that the gold and charteuse seem to always win hands down in the warmer months so yes I do believe at least color contrasts make a difference but not nesacarily vivid colors like bright blue or red but like I always say it’s what I experienced nor what others do because obviously we all can only speak for ourselves thanks for the tip and all you do👍😉
Really comes down to how active the fish are! In this case the fish were feeding and really didn’t care what you threw at them. Just goes to show how finding that 90/10 zone is important!
Nice job Tony!
Thanks Harry!
I need to add some more Alabama leprechaun to my mulligans. I think I have maybe just a few packs from my Founders Club membership.
In clean or dirty water with a lot of grass it tends to work very well!
Empirical evidence from over 50 years of throwing both hard and soft plastics from the Chandeleurs to South Padre Island has taught me that lure color does make a difference…sometimes a huge one. And it’s more than light/dark, clear/murky water.
To that end, any idea why the Moonwalker is only available in bone? If I could have one other color, make mine hot pink.
The belly of just about any fish or baitfish is white, so shades of white tend to be the most popular for topwaters.
What type of retrieve were you using? Straight retrieval or twitch-twitch-pause?
Hey Dave! After the lure lands I let it sink and do a sharp pop and then start reeling slow with slight twitches mixed in. However, my retrieve will change based on the fish’s behavior. If they’re active and aggressive, then that would be a good retrieve. If the fish are finicky it can be best to do as little twitching as possible because that “twitch” of the line can actual spook them.