If I Had to Pick Just One Color . . .
By Jim Novotny
Western Staff Writer
January 22, 2010
I was once asked, hypothetically, if I had to choose one color to use exclusively year ‘round, what would it be? I thought how difficult it would be to have to limit myself to a single color. I gave the question some considerable thought and I’ve come to the conclusion that as difficult as it may be to limit myself, it would be possible. But in order to do that I would have to choose a color that incorporates all the qualities needed to cover the different situations I would encounter throughout the year. Before I divulge my choice it seems necessary to explain my rationale for this conclusion.
Fishing on the west coast, we generally have clear water conditions throughout most of the year so I would need to pick a natural color that was proven in clear-water. Since this would be used at several different impoundments at various times of the year it would also have to be representative of the different species that largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass all consume.
The color would need to mimic shad, crawdads, and bluegill; the three most dominate forage bass feed on. It would need to be light enough for high skies and clear shallow water conditions as well as dark enough for those cloudy days and deep or stained water conditions.
It would need to be available in the different bait options I would normally use, from Senkos to jigs, topwater frogs to crankbaits.
I have come to the conclusion that only one color exists that would satisfy all my requirements. Well, in all fairness, it isn’t exactly one color but it IS a color being offered more and more frequently by different bait companies. More importantly though, it is an option available from Gary Yamamoto Custom Baits which in turn provides almost all the different configurations and styles of soft baits an angler would ever use.
Are you ready to discover what color I’m talking about? I know, the suspense must be killing you! This color is proven again and again throughout the country. It’s commonly found in nature, dark enough for most conditions and still light enough for the rest. The color is representative of crawdads most of the year. It is found in some species of shad and very abundant in both sunfish and bluegill.
My go-to choice is Green Pumpkin/Watermelon laminate (912).
Look again at the criteria I’ve created above and see if you don’t agree with me that this is a color combination that would apply in almost any fishing situation you may encounter; a color that should be considered a staple in your tackle box. I hope you find and enjoy success like I do with the use of this popular color. More specifically, I hope this helps you un-clutter your tackle box and allows you to fish with confidence.