Bass Forage and Its’ Chameleon Characteristics

Written by Matthew B. Morgan

Forage for bass or other predator fish change color depending on their surroundings.  It’s that simple!  Green pumpkin and watermelon may be the best two colors for bass fishing ever.   The reason isn’t simply because that is the color that they like, but maybe more associated to what type of bottom composition you are fishing.  For example, the chances are pretty good that if green pumpkin is working and watermelon is not, it is because you are fishing around brownish weeds and a muddy bottom.  If watermelon is working and not green pumpkin, you are probably fishing around green weeds and a hard sandy bottom.   

If you are fishing an open flat for bass and using a white spinnerbait, you are probably using it because you think that the baitfish is white.  Sometimes in really clear water, I will use fast baits like spinnerbaits and crankbaits with a blue hue to them.  I use that because the baitfish that I see looks somewhat blue.  If I think the fish are eating more bluegill then anything else, I will use something with a little light brown in it. 

           When fishing in the mid to late summer and I know that the bass are hunkered down and eating crayfish, I will try to catch a few and see what color they are in order to duplicate them.  I will also note their surroundings because I know that if I’m fishing somewhere totally different, the color of the crayfish may change with their surroundings.

Have you ever caught a largemouth that is pail looking and not dark green, or a smallmouth that is dark brown compared to one that is light in color?  They also change color depending on their surroundings.  They too are forage for bigger fish. 

Now comes the curveball.  Chartreuse is effective in muddy water because it looks whiter than white itself.  The same thing goes for a parrot colored crankbait.  In stained or muddy water, it looks like light blue and white.