Jig Head Colors

Just read Bill Binkleman's "Catching Walleyes" guide and he is very specific about his head color preferences, specifying that they should be FLUORESCENT.
Orange 30%,  Yellow-chartreuse 20%,  Pink 20%,  Green 10%,  Purple 10%,  Blue 10%.

Personally, fishing walleye mostly at night and not having color tested, find JiggerJohn's shiny unpainted heads preference to be satisfactory.

For trout however, being practically always outfished by flyguys with dark buggy patterns, have been using black head dark mink tie Boolies which at least keep up with or exceed Power Bait or worm dunkers catches. Unpainted head dark gray muskrat tie Boolies aka Skroos also work well, but I tend to go with black ball Boos cuz they are purtier.

Very recently, inspired by JSC's preference for red heads and JiggerJohn's remembrance of how effective red & white lures were WAY back in the day, I tried red head light tie Boolies for trout. SURPRISED, since they don't resemble any local natural forage that they worked as well as or better than the blacks!

Thought I'd share this, and ask if others have some especially effective head colors for certain species?

Just painted up a few red and a few yellow beads for pin and beads for trout. I think red head looks like an egg sucking leach. Right now the whitefish are spawning and have really light/pale color, I chose yellow and probably try pink too.

I haven't made any boolies, although I really want to. I don't have that style of head. I got some props, so I was going to experiment with what I have.

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I won't show my first pin and bead attempt as I'm making my own beads and custom pins to fit. Probably going to add contrasting pink dot as eggs have an "eye". I see a lot more pins and beads in my future.

For smallies, natural colors like pumpkin,brown, black, green pumpkin seem to work

For some reason, so does chartreuse. For the literature, I gather the color pisses them off enough to strike

For 'eyes, chartreuse or school bus yellow has mostly worked for me, with bonus 'eyes on the natural colors

For eye's here it seems like chartruse and then yellow/orange, orange. We've had good luck with unpainted jig heads with a big ole nightcrawler gobbed on and just set on the bottom too. Perch colors seem to work well for bass and eye's too which include all those colors. If your selling lures they only have to do two things, Catch fish or Catch fishermen.

Think the color is the one you have confidence in.That being said have caught a lot,a Lot of fish ,trout,crappie,bass walleye on unpainted jighead's. On our deep lakes we like a fl pink over a white base.Which gives what we call " Bubble gum"
which will catch fish of all kind's and colors.

orange or pink heads for me primarily. I try to tie baits with three colors showing from the bottom. The lakes I primarily fish would be considered muddy by most standards.

I think it depends on presentation i am planning (how active i think the fish might be) for what i end up tying on first when i get out on the water.  Fluorescent colors do shine (pun) for faster fishing and active fish, but have also found my self using a lot more drab colors regardless.  Black, green or blue heads with other muted color tail/bodies work about any time it seems.  Match the hatch - those walleye can still easily pick off a yellow perch in the weeds even though the perch have one of the best camouflage pattern for weeds.  Black with blue or green glitter is probably my favorite bass and walleye color.   If i am going to go bright in clear water, just about always go for orange first. But my favorite orange powder paint color is actually called flo. red.  I seldom us bright colors in dirty water.

I do keep some tied with unpainted heads in my box..... they tend to be my fall back when all else fails.  Maybe that means those shiny heads are actually the most productive and should be putting those on first?

Red and Whites have been a consistent producer for perch, bass, walleye, and especially crappie for me over the years (thinking about it, I've probably caught just about every game fish species in Nebraska on a red and white colored jig of some kind). Red jig head, white body materials, Or red jighead, some red body materials with a white tail. Definitely doesn't match any hatch, but attracts and catches fish well enough. All black is probably my second favorite color, catches everything, and looks like everything/nothing in particular. Plain shiny (Hawnjigs lead-free) heads have worked well with flashy tails and props for the last few seasons (or dabbed with a little sparkly nail polish), this is best when baitfish are the main forage. And Chartreuse/glow heads have caught me lots of walleye, probably attractive and somewhat baitfish like.

My top jig head colors > Red, Black, Shiny, Chartreuse/Glow, Pink.

For sacalait, only fish I really target, i really just want three paints.

Fl orange
Fl pink
Fl yellow


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Was doing some color research. Take it for what it's worth, or make of it what you will. Blue colors can be seen the deepest, then greens and reds has the shortest refractive wave length.

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Colors is my down fall. I started out making soft plastic. I have 37 colorants and 22 flakes. Jigheads I have around 20 colors now and growing. lol Jighead color #1 Yellow chart. Pearl white and watermelon.

Fin and Fur said:

Was doing some color research. Take it for what it's worth, or make of it what you will. Blue colors can be seen the deepest, then greens and reds has the shortest refractive wave length.

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Click to expand...

I think it's diff with every species when it comes to color.
Salty fish here eat funny natural colors.
But that's bc, NOONE TRIES THE OTHER COLORS but in teeny tiny sections of the lure.
But I do know regular red and regular green ain't going on my heads.
Maybe Fl red or Fl green [emoji2].
And If'n they don't work, Ya just gotta bounce it on their noses.....
Just pickin'


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While color is important. I think depth and speed is the utmost primary concern. Next would come size and then color. Was a devoted fan of Buck Perry and still am. Think about it.

You can have the greatest combination going. But if you are fishing under the fish you won't be catching much. Most of the time gamefish look up when feeding crappie especially. Better to fish over then under. The fishes mood or level of aggression will determine how far up they will move. Depth and speed also happen to be the easiest things you can control. Size and color are almost tied in importance to me. In that you can have right color for that day but size will prevent success. A 3/8 ounce jig is not going to catch much in front of bluegills and or perch. Everyone reading this has had to down size or up size to get in the game for a particular day. So size slightly edges color out in ranking no# 3

Color can be a day saver or maker. BUT if you have the right depth and speed and size. You stand an excellent chance of catching something. I believe color is the final key to the puzzle for that given day. I haven't mentioned location. I think everyone knows you can't catch them where they ain't.

Regardless of what those info mericials that sell those " magic " lures.