Best Color Lures For Striped Bass

If you are looking to catch striped bass with lures, you will be surprised to find a massive range of colors that you can choose. This is because striped bass has a comprehensive visual color range, especially during daylight. They see yellow and chartreuse the best, followed by white, black, red, and blue color variations.

Striped bass can see a large part of the color spectrum. Right in the middle of the bass’s optic range are the colors yellow and yellow-green. They see yellow and chartreuse lure colors the best. As a result, the best lure colors for striped bass are: chartreuse, ghost patterns, white, black, blue & red.

This however doesn’t mean other lure colors won’t work, as many colors of lures can work but these colors give you the best odds at catching more stripers.

The retina of a striped bass contains an adequate population of rod receptors. They also have cone receptors allowing their vision to be similar to ours. During the day, they can see an array of colors; however, when it gets dark, their ability to see color diminishes, as the rods in their eyes only allow for low-light vision and essential contrast recognition.

Top Color Strategies For Striped Bass

There is no set rule when it comes to what color your lure should be when fishing for striped bass. Sometimes you will be lucky enough to catch a striper with a white lure at night, even though most anglers suggest using a darker lure at night time and lighter colors during the day. Some believe that the lure needs to look like the actual fish that striped bass eats, and they put in great effort to create this realistic look.

Primary Color Lures

A successful strategy implemented by many surf casters is to use the primary or the tried and tested striped bass lure colors. These primary colors are the top four colors for luring stripes, and some anglers only use them when fishing. They are white, black, yellow, and chartreuse.

White Lures

Using white lures is a good idea as the color mimics baitfish’s bellies. The lure will look fishy and familiar to the striped bass.

Black Lures

Using black lures for nighttime fishing is a good strategy, as the black lure will be more reflective against the dark sky than a colored lure. Maybe it does not make sense, so try it out, take a black lure and a white lure and hold it to the dark sky.

The profile of the black lure should be more visible, and so it is to the stripers as well. Do not be afraid to add some yellow or chartreuse to the black.

Yellow And Chartreuse Lures

These two colors are known as striped bass fish- catchers! The two colors combined, or on their own, is what striped bass see the most clearly, and will always catch their attention. And by capturing their attention, you will be catching them.

Yellow and chartreuse lures can be used during daytime or nighttime fishing, especially with sunrise and sunsets, as the color is evident in the low light. Chartreuse works exceptionally well in rough and discolored water.

Mix And Match Color Lures

Some anglers like to mix and match colors to their lures that imitate the prey, which striped bass normally eat. This strategy involves using shades that resemble the striper’s regular diet.

Black And Orange Lures

Using this combo is a good strategy when there are lots of sea robins in your fishing area. Mimicking the colors of this prey fish will attract the striped bass.

Gold Lures

If you are fishing on Rhode Island’s shore, you may have noticed that there are a lot of scups in the water. Striped bass will feast on these fish, and for you to catch them, a gold lure will closely resemble the scups. Thinking out of the box is necessary to land the bass of your dreams.

Black, Blue, And Purple Lures

Black and blue, or black and purple plugs, resemble small sea bass.

Brown Lures

Using brown lures will mimic a whole bunch of fish that striped bass eats.

Blue Over White

Blue over white lures and some intricate and realistic design patterns will mimic the baitfish in the area. An olive over white lure will also be a realistic-looking fish type.

Wine Red

Wine red lures are also very effective all year round. This color lure will deceive the striped bass into thinking that they are either a lobster or a squid. Pink-colored lures are also not a bad idea.

“Wonder Bread” Lures

The fisherman who caught largemouth bass implemented the “wonder bread” colored lure. Take a white lure and add red, blue, and yellow blotches to it. The ‘’wonder bread’’ combo has a high success rate.

How To Choose The Right Lure Color For Striper?

Most successful anglers follow one of two approaches when it comes to selecting a lure color to use.

Approach One

They stick with their favorite color, be it yellow, chartreuse, black, or white. Whichever color has brought the most success when fishing for striped bass.

Approach Two

Should approach one not be working, then you change the lure color to suit the conditions. For example, you use transparent and translucent colors in clear water and bright colors when the water is stained and muddy.

Match The Hatch

As a fisherman, you will have to adapt your lure color to the conditions. During windy and overcast conditions, you might want to consider using solid colors like cold or white. Adding bubblegum and chartreuse to the mix will make the lure more visible in low-light conditions caused by clouds and waves.

Elite Series anglers swear by watermelon and green pumpkin lure colors for clear and dirty water. Try to mimic the colors of what the striped bass is eating, and you are sure to get better results. A lure needs to look inviting and like a familiar threat to the fish.

Striped Bass FAQ

While we discuss striped bass, the following questions are frequently asked when it comes to the most sought-after gamefish.

Do Striped Bass See Colors?

A study performed at the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences found that striped bass sees the color yellow and chartreuse (color between yellow and green) the best. These colors are considered to be right in the middle of the striped bass’s optic range.

Striped bass can also see other colors like red, white, and dark colors. When distinguishing between colors like blue and purple, they see it the same way as they would see black.

What’s The Best Time To Fish For Striped Bass?

The best time to fish for striped bass is early in the morning, around dawn, until about two hours after sunrise. If you missed the morning session, try late afternoon, two hours before sunset, until dusk arrives.

It will be the best time to fish, and the reason for this is that striped bass are visual predators. They rely on the light hours of early mornings and late afternoons to hunt, as they have better vision than that of the prey they are hunting.

Regarding fishing for freshwater striped bass, the same timeslots will apply. However, bear in mind that you will be able to catch them any time of the day, as long as you present them with fresh food (live bait works the best.)

What Does Striped Bass Eat?

Striped bass is opportunistic feeders and will adapt to the menu as long as what’s on the menu is not larger than them.

Saltwater Striped Bass:

They will target numerous sea creatures and fish when scavenging the ocean for their next meal, for example:

Eels (bass candy)
Shrimp
Crabs
Mussels
Seaworms
Flounder
Alewife
Croakers
Squid
Sardines
Bluegills
Bunker
Mackerel
Herring
Anchovy

Freshwater Striped Bass:

They will eat any fish they can find that is smaller than them. As for bait, they love the following live ones:

Eels (bass candy)
Sandworms
Bloodworms
Crayfish
Bluegills
Shad baits
Bunker
Bucktails jigs

Conclusion

Striped bass fishing is one of the most exhilarating experiences in the fishing world. Choosing the right lure color is one of many elements that you need to get right to catch them.

Please start with the primary colors and see how it works out for you. Experimenting with different colors is advised, especially mimicking what they eat. However, do not invest in hundreds of various color schemes; instead, stick to the basics. Some anglers have great success with using only 2-4 colors.