Lure Colors
by Mark Sosin
Two questions that come up all the time on this website are; "What's the best lure for ____?" (fill in the blank) and, "What is the best color of that lure to use?" The first question is far more complicated to answer, due to the many variables involved. 
They include: the species of game fish you are targeting, what natural prey that predator prefers, the depth of water you are fishing, the depth where the bait fish are holding, the depth the predator prefers to hunt at and whether the predator hunts by smell, vision, sound, etc. Basically, all these variables determine the general shape of the lure, the speed at which it is designed to be retrieved, the depth at which it runs at that retrieve speed and whether or not it has features that add noise (rattles, propellers, or a dished "chugging" face for example). Of course, there are many other variables to consider. Otherwise, there would only be one company making one lure in one color for all fishing applications.
The question of which color to use is a little easier to answer. Recently, I cleaned out and organized my tackle bag for the season. As part of this periodic inspection, I check all my plugs to see which ones need trebles or other hardware replaced. When I looked at the plugs, I realized that there are only three basic color combinations that I use for most fishing situations, with two other color combinations reserved for specific species and circumstances.
The Three "Go – To" Colors
90% of the time, when fishing with plugs, I'll use one of the following three color combinations. So, I call these my "Go – To" colors.
1.) Mackerel or "Fire-tiger." This combination is basically dark green to bluish-green on top with a light or silver belly (occasionally, a yellow or orange belly). The side has dark "tiger" stripes that make this lure look similar to a juvenile mackerel or, perhaps, a blue runner. Note that these species are all very fast swimmers, so these lures seem to work best when retrieved fast. This color combination also seems to work best for top-end predators such as barracuda and sharks, although I've caught many other game fish on them as well.
2.) Dark top, silver sides, white belly. These lures are all very dark on top – olive green, black or navy blue. I prefer olive green or black. They look like many of the dozens of baitfish common in Florida: mullet, herring, pilchards, scads and sardines. In freshwater versions, these color combinations are frequently called "Shad" patterns. Deeper – bodied versions of these lures look like pinfish, pigfish or menhaden while long versions look like ballyhoo or flying fish. In other words, they represent about 99% of all the bait species found in Florida waters. Several of the lures that I have in this color combination also have a flash of orange or red at the "throat" or gill opening area of the lure. I think that the idea behind this is to make the lure look more like a wounded baitfish to the predators.
3.) Olive top, chartreuse sides, orange belly. I'm not exactly sure what these lures look like to a game fish, but they sure do work! This color combination most closely resembles the colors of freshwater bluegills (blue sunfish) but, for some reason, works very well in saltwater. I have found this to be a great inshore or back-county color combination, so think that it may resemble a juvenile redfish, or some similar species (I'm open to suggestions) to a predator. Another very similar combination is olive top, metallic gold sides and orange belly, which seems to work just as well.
Special Colors – Special Purpose
In addition to the basic three "Go – To" combinations, there are two other color combinations that I keep handy in my tackle bag for specific circumstances.
1.) Chartreuse top and bottom with white or silver sides, or solid chartreuse. All my plugs in this color combination are surface running, long minnow-type lures. I normally use these specifically for barracuda. I think they work because these lures bear a striking resemblance to needlefish, one of the barracuda's favorite snacks. They also work well on other species that target needlefish. Although not a plug, I always keep a chartreuse tube lure, which looks even more like a needlefish, rigged and handy in those locales where I expect to find the great barracuda.
2.) Red head, white body. This is one of the oldest color combinations ever put on a plug. I always keep a few long minnows and several other plugs in this color combination ready to use. Normally I use these plugs to target snook at night. However, I have also caught other species on these plugs, day and night, including speckled sea trout, striped bass and bluefish to name a few.
Well there they are, my three basic "Go – To" plug colors and the two "Special Purpose" plug colors that are always ready in my tackle bag. There are many other color combinations in that bag as well, but one of these five basic color combinations will normally be tied on the end of my line!