10/10/04

"First of all it is so important to be confident as an angler and I don't how many guys around you are catching fish on a certain color, if you don't believe that the color will work, it won't.  I would say that color is much more important to the angler than it is to the fish.  Still, as a plastics fisherman, I am loaded down with tons of colors, shades and variations.  Bass fishing is such a head game, that an angler must believe in every aspect of his or her presentation or it simply will not produce."

"It is such a personal preference thing.  For example, I just think that water melon, June bug and green pumpkin are about the best colors out there.  In recent times, I have rarely used much else.  Certain parts of the country lend themselves to certain colors.  In the Spring time in Texas, every boat out on Sam Rayburn or Lake Fork will have a red rattle trap tied on."

"As a rule, in clear water, which is where I can really see color becoming a stronger factor, when the sun is bright, and the water is getting maximum light penetration, an angler is better off sticking to the lighter, more natural colors.  The maximum light will show off greater detail in your lures, which means, the more natural looking the better.  Under overcast or low light situations, darker presentations are more appropriate.  In these conditions, I want to accentuate the shadows which darker baits will do.  There are also times of the year when both shad and bluegill will take on a chartreuse hew to their tails and scales, plus chartreuse is the most visible color at all depths."

"The key to color is to not let it dominate your thought process.  Oh you still need to go out and buy all 80 colors in the Yamamoto catalog, but save them until you need them.  Getting your head right is 99% of the game, and if you don't have the color that everyone else is catching them on, there will be that dreaded bit of doubt in your mind, and that will cause you problems."