Surf Lure Color Selection
There are so many lures that can be effective for surf fishing. From big swimmers like the Danny, to 3 inch Storm Shad and everything in-between, the sheer number of choices is almost overwhelming. This piece focuses on the the role that lure color can play and how to maximize your chances of success by having a selection of lures in various colors to make your trips to the surf more consistent and rewarding.
To be very frank, sometimes lure color has very little to do with success as everyone up and down the beach is hooked up with whatever they are throwing and it is just mayhem. Those are the days where it makes the surf fishing game seem too easy. The fish are all cranked up and in a feeding mood and as long as your retrieve speed is in the ballpark, you are getting hits. What do you do when you get down to the beach and nothing seems to be going on or it is just “a pick”? You can opt to switch lures and techniques and you can also try different colors of lures to try to find the right mix of lure action and color to trigger the most strikes.
Water clarity can have a big effect on what lure colors will work best under the given conditions. In an average surf (not gin-clear and not dirty either) many lures will be visible to the fish (I am talking about bass and blues here) and under these conditions, it is sometimes best to go with what you have the most confidence in from a color perspective. A yellow Bomber might be a good choice if that is what you have had success with in the past. I believe that the yellow plug is versatile and gets good results in a variety of conditions. A white or chrome Creek Chub Striper Strike or a white Gibbs Polaris could be effective choices from the popper family. The bronze/silver Yozuri Crystal Minnow is very visible without being overly loud from a color perspective. The green/silver bomber (XSIG color pattern) is a big time winner in my book. A metal with either a white or yellow bucktail or tube tail could be a winner under these conditions. The point here is your color choice under average surf conditions is pretty wide open. You can pull out that chartreuse plug and it gets slammed right along with the black and silver plug. Go with what has worked in the past and what you have confidence in.
What do you do when you get down to the beach and the martini you had last night was dirtier (no pun intended) than the surf you are looking at? Here is where having a few “stealth choices” can sometimes make a big difference. The Smokey Joe Redfin is one that has “put ‘em on the beach” with some regularity under these conditions. Its dull grey sides and black back are visible and the small size 5/8 ounce make it difficult for the fish to determine that it is a fake and not the real thing. A dark green/white or olive/white needlefish might be a solid choice. The natural looking color schemes make it more difficult for the fish to sense it is a fraud. With metal lures, the newest one in your bag may not work as well as one that has seen action and does not give off as much flash. An olive or white bucktail on the back of the metal “might” get you more hits than yellow or chartreuse. Smaller lures tend to work more consistently than big ones in very clear water. That is not to say that you can’t pull out a 2 ½ ounce Parrot Danny and its gets smacked right away. A lot of what I am talking about here concerns generalities or tendencies. Knowing how to select colors will definitely help the angler when looking for “consistency” when plugging. Plastic lures with a chrome finish become dull white or “bone” colored once the chrome falls off the plug. This bone color works very well in clear water so save those well worn plugs.
When the water gets dirty is when the savvy angler pulls out the stops as far as plug color selection goes. In a frothy/dirty surf, the fish can’t see the outline of the lures all that well so any added color or contrast aids the fishes ability to see and ultimately, home in on the lure. Did you ever wonder why school buses are painted black and yellow? That is because from a contrast perspective, that combo is tops. Don’t try to tell the police officer “I did not see the school bus,” after you hit it with your car, you’ll only get a couple of more tickets for that statement. Lures that stand out in an off color surf are either very bright, have a lot of contrast, or are very dark. A school bus pattern is very hard to beat in this type of surf. All Black or black-n-purple is another winner in tinged water. The Halloween pattern (orange belly/black back) has proven itself time and time again in dirty water conditions. When throwing metals, bright yellow, chartreuse or black bucktail/feathers will help versus the standard white colored bucktail or feathers. Chartreuse plugs seem to be effective if it is sunny out but the surf is dirty. Bright yellow plugs can work well as do fluorescent green and multi-colored bright color combos. It is the contrast in color and brightness that the fish can detect in this situation.
At night, the argument over plug colors seems to take on another life. I have caught stripers on just about all the plug colors and color combinations I have mentioned previously. All black, yellow, school bus, white and black-n-purple probably lead the “hit parade” in terms of putting bass on the beach. On a bright night with a clean surf, almost any color pattern will do and that is no joke.
In short, it is wise to have both a variety of plug types and plug colors or color combinations to make your time standing in the suds or on a jetty the most productive that it can be.
Good Luck!
06-10-2010, 06:06 AM
Surf Lure Color Selection
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