Does color matter?

Every fisherman has it's opinion on baits color. Color in one of the most important parameter where angler can easily have an influence on. By systematic searching often you will be able to find some rule for colors. Sometimes this rule will last weeks, sometimes just for an hour. Even anglers opinions are varying, there is some clear rules that last from year to another and from angler to another.

Some of our most popular colors have been white, chartause-yellow and motoroil. So, is other colors needed? Not necessarily, even with that sortiment you might be able to have fish year around. But if you bother to search each day the precise "hot" colors will you get more and propably bigger fish. And that is for sure. Plus fishing becomes more fun when you will be able to choose right colors matching the enviroment and weather. Often especially bigger zander tend to like different colors than smaller ones. And the peaks when zander feed aggressively are often really short. With right color you can shorten the dead perioids in between the fun stuff.

What color fish want is determined mostly by: ammount of light, temperature, currents and presence of natural bait fish. Basic rule often is: in murky water stong contrast and bright colors, in dark weather dark color and in cold water cold color. But every rule has its exception. Of coure.

Now, here in scandinavia, when water is still relatively warm are orange, green and brown tones effective. So basicly, in warm water warmer color tones, like Sea blaze, Motoroil, Bottom power ja Zander special. When water temperature drops begins perioid when colder tones are generally most effective. Purple, white, light yellow and pearl white are good to have. When it is raining Deep shrimp has been killer. In november/december fish can be really annoying precise of what they want. Now it really pays to spend some time and adjus colors carefully. Find a spot where is some your target fish. Go through enough many colors so that you find out what is the rule of today. Pick aside the colors that have worked best. And go ahead to find bigger fish.

Optimizing colors is rewarding. It really is worth of spending time on. Marking up weather conditons and hot colors you will spare your time in future. Reading these markings later may give you some "heureka!" moments. Often in really difficult days your own courage, knowledge and trust in your own doing is generously rewarded. One more good hint: if place is crowded by other anglers, try something totally different what they use.

Basic palette in Finnish archipelago