“Hey what’s your favourite colour?” I’m requested this query on a regular basis in reference to many lure classes. I personally can get misplaced within the dazzling choices discovered on the partitions of favourite sort out shops that I frequent in my travels.
In the case of jig fishing, skirts are available in any attainable mixture conceivable. I take advantage of jig colours provided by my sponsor All-Terrain Sort out, however I additionally tie a lot of my very own skirts and personal an enormous assortment of colour shades in a large spectrum of hues. But when I step again and pull my head out of the rainbow, I clearly understand that I solely really want 4 primary colours of jigs to cowl each conceivable situation. These colours could be black/blue, brown, inexperienced pumpkin, and white.
Now right here’s when and the place to make use of these colours:
Black/Blue. That is the primary jig colour that I started utilizing when beginning to be taught the secrets and techniques of jig fishing again the Nineteen Eighties. It nonetheless occupies trays in my tacklebox, however I now have a greater understanding of when it excels. The primary factor to recollect with this colour is — use it beneath circumstances of restricted visibility! This implies circumstances of murky water, cloudy skies, or within the heavy shade of docks or overhanging bushes/laydowns. Use it in tanic-stained waters as properly. Black stands out higher than some other colour in restricted visibility conditions, serving to the bass zero in on it. Different colours mix too properly in limited-visibility circumstances and get misplaced.
I avoid black/blue in actually clear water or brilliant skies (except the water is muddy). That’s as a result of your entire jig stands out, changing into too apparent as pretend, particularly when fished slowly. Frequent variations which are interchangeable with black/blue are black/purple, black/purple, black/chartreuse, black/brown. As you possibly can inform, black is the important thing beneath the circumstances described above. Generally fishermen will add “accent” colours to the skirt, which means simply a few strands of a special colour like orange or chartreuse. And naturally, accents come within the type of steel flake too.
Brown. Think about a brown shade darker than cardboard, however lighter than a primary brown Sharpie marker. This turns into my major alternative in waters which are someplace in between on the water visibility spectrum, particularly if the water is extra “brownish” than “greenish.” The hue is extra camouflaging than black/blu, however nonetheless is noticeable. I’ll reserve it for mid-day, sunny circumstances on intermediately-murked waters, however could set it apart for black/blue on the identical waters beneath low-sunlight circumstances. The colour can also be efficient within the heavy shade of laydowns and docks on sunny days in clear water, however I’ll go for black/blue if the water is muddy and I’m fishing these shady targets.
There exists numerous variations of browns. I normally select a skirt that has two totally different shades of brown and likewise has black pepper combined in, I really feel this skirt has a good mix of camo but in addition remains to be noticeable. Lately, I’ve been trending with a variation that has blue accents, however not over-poweringly blue.
Inexperienced pumpkin. I favor this colour if the water visibility is evident or intermediate. I additionally stated to make use of brown in intermediate clarities, nevertheless brown is for brown-tinted waters, whereas inexperienced pumpkin is for green-tinted waters. Water usually takes on a inexperienced tint ensuing from an algae bloom. Word that if the algae bloom is excessive and clarities are beneath 18 inches, then I’m preferring black/blue. My inexperienced pumpkin skirts all the time have various shades/tints of inexperienced pumpkin strands. I additionally like black pepper, and accents of blue strands are a pleasant contact as are skirts strands with steel flake. Currently, I’ve been trending with blue and inexperienced steel flakes.
White. Whereas all of the earlier colours I take advantage of each on swim jigs and bottom-hugging jigs, white I restrict to solely swim jigs. I take advantage of a white swim jig after I really feel just like the bass are consuming baitfish up within the water column. It doesn’t matter the water readability or colour, so long as bait is focused by the bass, then white is my alternative. Probably the most traditional scenario is throughout the shad spawn, that is the primary time to make use of white on a swim jig. Moreover, a form of a distinct segment scenario for a white swim jig is when bass are consuming frogs.
After all there exists many variations of white – snow white, off white, eggshell white, creamy white, and so forth. My rule of thumb for white is: choose the brightest white for restricted visibility circumstances and choose a blended white with translucent beneath excessive visibility circumstances.The blended skirt will comprise white strands and translucent strands containing steel flake in blue, silver, and/or inexperienced. Chartruese is one other accent colour I’ll incorporate at a low quantity.
I all the time put soft-plastic trailers on my jigs and I favor that their colour matches and blends in with the jig skirt. An ideal match could not happen, however I wish to be within the neighborhood.
With the 4 primary colour jigs listed above, an angler will likely be ready for any physique of water, anyplace. From right here the query turns into – can an angler enhance upon these primary colours by including the best combo of accents within the type of flake or different strands? Personally I can’t assist myself from chasing that subsequent degree of perfection and that’s the reason I generally really feel overwhelmed by the sheer variety of additional skirt materials that I stick with it my travels!
