“What color are you using?” The age-old question that can seemingly make or break a day on the water and is cause for a lot of superstition among anglers. Is it a matter of tried and true favorites? What is visually appealing to the angler? Or are there cold, hard facts and reasoning behind what color to choose when fishing?
We sit down with well-known guides and pros from the Bemidji/Leech Lake/Winnibigoshish area to discuss how they choose color when it comes to consistently putting fish in the boat across changing conditions.
Hang Loose Outdoors Guide Colt Anderson often fishes lakes that have high perch densities. When choosing spinner blades in particular, he will opt for perch colors such as shades of yellow, green, or chartreuse with orange mixed in. Of course, perch have prominent dark bars on the sides with a white belly, so black and white can be added to this combo to truly match the hatch. Red is the hardest color for fish to see underwater, so a red hook or red bead can be added for a more subtle approach that still adds profile and vibration. In high sun, Anderson opts for a classic flashy gold for his go-to blade color.
Toby Kvalevog‘s home water is the ultra-clear Leech Lake where he guides with Leisure Outdoor Adventures, and he employs some specific strategy for this body of water. Contrary to Anderson, Kvalevog avoids flashy colors and sticks to natural colors that closely mimic forage certain schools may be keying on. He points out that the belly of most fish is white, so he likes to use baits with a white belly. With leeches, for example, Kvalevog likes a small black jig when fishing under a bobber to match dark-colored leeches. When fish are keying in on soft-bodied baitfish like shiners, cisco, or whitefish, he then turns to a white and blue combo.
Brain Brosdahl of Bro’s Guide Service on Leech, Winnie, and Bemidji area lakes should have a degree in color science with his level of obsession. He, too, though, bases color choice on water clarity and forage. Bro uses flash like gold or silver to attract fish from a distance in stained or dark water. When fishing clear water, he leans on natural colors again, like green/orange, to match perch. Brosdahl points out that blue is a common color in the underwater world, so he loves using blue to mimic minnows and even rusty crawfish with their vibrant blue claws. The classic Fire Tiger pattern is also a favorite of his when mimicking perch, typically green and orange with black bars or stripes. He, too, agrees with both Kvalevog and Anderson when it comes to colors that are indiscernible. Black contrasts highly in both clear and dirty water and can come off as a less offensive color when trying to be subtle. Brosdahl notes that fish feed heavily on bloodworms in certain fisheries, so red is the ultimate color to trick fish into slurping up a bloodworm. Additionally, Bro notes that reds and pinks are your best bet during a dreaded bug hatch.
Chuck Hasse, long-time Leisure Outdoor Adventures guide on Leech Lake, likes to go as basic as possible regarding color. He leans more toward drab and flat colors like dull green, brown, black, or plain lead heads. He notes that when crayfish are molting in summer, they turn vibrant orange, and he will use a bright blaze orange jig or Rapala jigging rap when the molt is on. Early in the season, when forage is less available, Hasse likes parrot and clown colors as they stand out more.
CONCLUSION
Color is determined heavily by water clarity or weather. So stick to more natural colors in clear water or high sun and louder colors in dirty water or cloudy days. Observe what forage is available or pay close attention to the stomach contents of cleaned fish to determine what they’re feeding on. Native crayfish molt? Go with bright orange. Invasive rusty crayfish? Go with blue. Perch? Fire tiger or orange/green combo. Minnows and other bait fish? Go with a blue/white combo. Leeches? Go with black.
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Have you noticed any patterns when it comes to color? Comment below and let us know your thoughts.
