When you are walking through your local tackle shop or looking at fishing lures online as you get ready for some spring bass fishing, you’ll notice there are a ton of different color options and styles out there for any particular bait.
Selecting the right color with so many choices can be overwhelming at times. So, you may be wondering what colors do bass like in the spring? The best spring time colors for bass fishing are: red, chartreuse, ghost patterns, white, black & blue and browns depending on the light penetration and water clarity.
In this lure color guide you will learn everything you need to know about selecting the right spring fishing colors as well as some tips and tricks that will save you time, money and most importantly help you catch more bass in the spring.
Make sure to check out My Recommended Bass Fishing Gear and Tackle Guide to ensure you have the right gear for your next fishing adventure.
How to Choose the Right Color
There are two fundamental factors that you should considered when selecting a lure color to throw: water clarity and the sun. The combination of these two things will help you decide what the right colors to throw are on a given day.
Water Clarity – The water clarity on your lake is a huge factor. In clear water with high visibility ghost, reds and natural colors tend to work best in the spring. In stained water chrome, chartreuse and flashy colors will outperform.
Sun – The sun or lack thereof can also play a big role in what color or lures you should throw. When the sun is high and out chrome and lures that have some flash are going to be your best bet. The sun will reflect off these lures grabbing the attention of any nearby bass.
Here is a spring bass fishing lure color chart that will help you determine the right color.
Spring Bass Bait Color Chart
| Sunny & Clear | Cloudy & Clear | Sunny & Stained | Cloudy & Stained |
| Chrome, Metallic Ghost, Flashy & Reflective | Ghost, White, Red Dark Green, Dark Natural colors | Chrome/Metallic Flashy & Reflective Chartreuse & White | White, Chartreuse Black & Blue, Black & Red, Purple |
Best Spring Bass Fishing Colors
Ghost Colors – The Ghost colors are the transparent/see through style baits that are perfect for clear water situations with high visibility. This color pattern will look the most natural in the water and will be the best imitation of bass forge in clear conditions.
Chrome/Flashy Colors – On sunny days, one of the best colors to throw are chrome/metallic style patterns, and something that has some flash to it. When the sun is high the light penetrates the water and will reflect of the scales of the fish. That’s why reflective colors do well in these conditions, it’s because fish are used to seeing this type of reflection of baitfish.
White/Chartreus – The white and chartreuse category is best when you are fishing in stained and muddy water or on dark and gloomy days. You want a color that will stand out in these dark conditions to make it easier for the fish to find your lure.
Red/Orange – Red and orange colored crankbaits and soft plastic are a great spring fishing color. The red & orange color patterns do a great job at imitating crayfish during the spring. This color could also fall into the natural category and can be effective in most conditions.
Black & Blue – If you are fishing on super stained and murky water nothing can beat a black and blue or black and red color combination. In these conditions dark colors and lures that cause a lot of vibration tend to outperform other types of lures. These type of colors when paired with noisy baits will help the bass track down your lure more easily.
With hundreds of different color options out there we tend to over complicate things and become overwhelmed. Choosing the right color is simple if you use the different categories and apply them to your lure selection process.
What Color Do Bass See Best?
You may also be wondering what color do bass see best? During a recent study published by the Journal of Zoology, they found that bass have dichromatic color vision; this is like seeing through a yellow filter. They learned that bass can easily identify red and green colors, but can’t tell the difference between white and chartreus and from blue and black.
Where Do Bass Go in the Spring
The spring months are a great time to be fishing for bass. The fish are waking up after a long winter and are starting to feed heavily in preparation for the spawn. It’s game time now.
No matter where you live, the spring season is one of the best times to fish for largemouth and smallmouth bass, but where do bass go in the spring and how do you catch them?
In the spring the bass are focused on two primary things: food and spawning. In the early spring the bass feed heavily and bulk up as they prepare for the spawn. This can be one of the best times to catch a giant bass. During this period bass are on secondary points and transition areas.
As the spring progresses and the water temperature starts to reach that 60-degree mark is when bass will start spawning. During the spawn bass will be found on spawning flats and in the shallows. Here are some of the top areas to target in the spring.
Key Spring Areas to Target
- Secondary Points
- Transition Areas
- Spawning Flats
- Ledges
To learn more about finding and catching bass in the spring time check out this in depth video by Tactical Bassin.
Best Spring Bass Fishing Lures
The best way to catch bass in the spring or at least in my opinion is power fishing. This means fishing fast with lures that allow you to cover a lot of water quickly. Weather, conditions, temperatures and bass behavior are constantly changing in the spring. That’s why you need a bait that will allow you to fish fast so that you can find trigger those big aggressive bass.
Here are some of the best lures and baits for bass fishing in the spring:
- Lipless Crankbait
- Spinnerbaits
- Jerkbaits
- Squarebill Crankbaits
- Chatterbait
- Jigs
- Underspins
Other Bass Fishing Resources
- Best Lure Colors for Winter Bass Fishing
- How to Chose the Right Bass Fishing Colors
- 11 Bold Lures to Catch Giant Bass
- Gear Every Bass Fishermen Need
- When is the Best time to Fish for Bass?
- Best Windy Day Bass Fishing Lures
- Bass Fishing in the Rain – Complete Guide
Final Thoughts
Bass fishing in the spring can be one of the best times of year to catch some nice fish. Having the right color of lure tied on in the right conditions will help you trigger more bites, save money and have a lot more fishing success. Now go out and give these colors a try this spring, you won’t be disappointed.