STOP Overthinking Lure Colors! (4 Groups You Need to Know)
- By: Pat Ogletree
- on
Picking a lure color can be daunting, especially with all the choices out there and everyone seems to have an opinion on the subject.
One of the most common questions we get at Salt Strong is “What’s the best lure color?”. We are going to go over that in this video.
Get the INSHORE SLAMMER BUNDLE here
This is what you will learn:
- The conventional wisdom of lure color selection and that it doesn’t work all the time
- How to break color selection down to groups and not individual colors
- What is WAY more important than the lure color
The Lures You Need for Inshore Fishing
Inshore fishing demands versatility and simplicity. To consistently catch fish, you need lures that effectively mimic the primary prey: baitfish and shrimp. That’s exactly why we put together the Inshore Slammer Bundle.
This bundle includes the essential inshore lures:
-
2.0 Paddletails to replicate baitfish movements in various water conditions
-
Prawn USA Junior Shrimp Lures for realistic shrimp imitation that entices strikes
To ensure you’re ready for any depth or scenario, we’ve also included:
-
Hoss Helix Hooks for weedless rigging in shallow waters
-
Round Eye Jig Heads for targeting deeper zones
Skip the guesswork and grab the bundle now.
Normally, purchasing these top-performing lures and hooks individually would cost you over $25. But we’ve bundled them all together for under $21—and if you’re an Insider Member, it’s just $20.37! Get the bundle here.
Not Yet an Insider? Do you want to find the best fishing spots and save hundreds on your tackle?
Then join the 53k+ passionate fishermen in the Salt Strong Insider Club, where you’ll:
- Unlock the Best Fishing Spots with Smart Fishing Spots, Daily Fishing Reports, and Weekly Trends
- Catch More Fish in Less Time with AI Game Plans, Regional Coaches, Mastery Courses, and More
- Save Hundreds on Tackle with Insider-only discounts to fishstrong.com
- Have More Fun with the best online fishing community, local chapters, fishing meet-ups, and more.
👉 Click Here to Learn How the Insider Club Can Work For You
Got a confidence lure color? Or do you change them every 15 minutes? Drop a comment on the video!
-Pat
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 ever 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).
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).
That was good information, Pat! Thanks! I rarely have confidence in color but more on lure confidence. Lil Slam Shady and the prawns are my go to.
Great info Pat. Have a blessed Easter weekend.🤗🎣🙏💯
You too Bob!
Very helpful. What kind of net do you use? Thx
Thanks for watching Jeffery. My net is an Ego Genesis S1 Guide series. It’s a little pricey but a great net. We have a group discount code if interested
As usual your videos are clear concise and to the point. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!!
Just got a chance to see the video. Good helpful info. I’ve caught fish on every color you make, but the Arkansas shiner is my confidence color here on the Treasure Coast. Waiting for my new purple mulligans to arrive to put them to the test too.
Always good to have some confidence colors!
Thanks, Pat. This is a great reminder of the basics of color and Keeping it Simple!
Glad you liked it Buddy!
Great info Pat. I usually use a paddle tail of some kind. Usually a white or dark, but I really like it with a chartreuse tail. That is my confidence bait.
A lot of people like that chartreuse! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Pat for the great straight forward fishing guidance. Pretty much I follow this most of the time, even changing from soft plastics to hard lures. It has always worked well for me.
One thing that I have noticed is it seems there is a color change with the seasons and water temp’s.
In Spring cooler temp’s I use more translucent and shinny spect’s plastics.
In summer the fish seem to go for more less translucent solid colors with spect’s..
What do you think about this?
Tight lines!
Helpful video. After watching, I think I may not change baits enough. I stick pretty hard to the Slam Shady 2.0 or the Prawn Jr in the slam shady color. That being said, I’ve had more than a couple occasions where I see plentiful bait so I’ll stick around for 20 minutes fan casting all different areas and depths to no avail. Instead of changing colors or profiles, I decide there aren’t any fish in the area and I move on. Should I be sticking it out longer in those areas and try leaving my bait comfort zone?
Hey Nathan, sometimes in nature when something looks a little different, that can determine weakness. When there is a lot of bait and you throw something a little different in color it can stand out amongst all the bait in the area. It may bring attention to your bait if matching the hatch doesn’t work.
Just a simple retrieve change can make a difference. What I do is retrieve change, then profile change to see if that makes a difference. If the profile change starts to get bites I’ll change color to see if the bites pick up. But if nothing happens in 20 minutes or so even though I see bait, I’ll make a move.
Pat, thanks for trying to help others see the light. In comparison between a few years ago and today, lure color did not grab the time and attention of SS founders, coaches, and Insiders. This change and confusion isn’t about lure makers offering more colors. It’s about tackle sellers making a conscious decision to do so. The criticism was once about the big box stores like Bass Pro offering so many different lures in various profiles, action, and colors. May be SS felt it had no choice as it pushed memberships to a wider clientele that fished different locals and targeted other species. Regardless of the why behind these decisions, SS should accept its role in aiding this confusion which is greatest among the newer anglers to this sport and those who are addicted to tackle believing a color change will radically alter their catch rates. For the latter, a barrage of messaging will unlikely alter their view, and for some, a tackle addiction is as complex as trying to understand the reasons behind other addictions. To me, your video and info is helpful. Rather than SS spending a lot more time and attention creating new content on this subject matter, consider repeated re-posting of this one (and revise if appropriate) as I can’t think of any better way than you’ve laid out. Given the higher importance of nearly everything else for catching fish, SS should direct its scarce resources to those issues. With the loss of a tackle director for more than a year, there are many comparison tests that were once very popular with Insiders. Please take this as constructive input as I have zero doubt you see Insiders drinking the color Kool-Aid as I do but when they see all the pretty lures in the tackle store, and that overcomes an educational video.
I agree that SS likes to say simplify but lately they have been offering a new lure or color every month. Hard to stay simple with so many choices being sent to us in the emails. Love SS and the idea behind it. Education is key, not how many shiny objects are in your tackle box. I am way too guilty of buying all the shiny new toys.
Perfectly said, Michael! The frequency of “simplify” and buy less messaging seems to be deflection aimed at counteracting the complexity SS is introducing as well as laying an angler’s warning paper trail. They’ve warned for years against the bad marketing practices used in this industry to sell more stuff to tackle addicts. No one is forcing them down this path, it’s their decisions doing it. They’re in business to maximize profits, and nothing wrong with that. But don’t throw stones at others if living in a glass house.
Appreciate it Rob! I do plan on doing more comparison videos and tackle reviews, I believe the “what” “when” and “how” type of videos will answer a lot of questions our Insiders have and I like doing these. More to come.