Best Soft Bait Colors - Spotted Bay Bass

Hey all thought I would ask a question about colors for our beloved spotties. Seems like we all have our confidence colors and more often than not, I am seeing from reports the HUB spectrum used and being referenced. As I recall I think that the following members use these colors most often based on brief conversation and reports:

JeffCPR & Painted Fish: HUB- Mint
SPDan: Hub Sardine Green, Mint
Logan: Crab
JP: Chovy
Myself: Chovy, Sardine Green and Crab

I am interested in what other colors may be good for spotties as well. Perhaps Watermelon Red, New Penny, Pink, Pearl White, Nuclear Chicken, or Smelt? Has anyone had any luck with other colors?

Thanks

Great question for me in HUB the Glow Green is my go-to while Painted Fish is Mint. As for other color choices for me I have always had confidence in White as a lure color, maybe with a little color on the belly side say red.
That is just me other colors I will lean to in times of trouble Big Hammers Spottie Special (which is 2 tone green) and the more natural colors like Chovey, Shad type colors. This is just me no real science just what I have typically in my tackle box.

jeffcpr wrote:Great question for me in HUB the Glow Green is my go-to while Painted Fish is Mint.  As for other color choices for me I have always had confidence in White as a lure color, maybe with a little color on the belly side say red.  
That is just me other colors I will lean to in times of trouble Big Hammers Spottie Special (which is 2 tone green) and the more natural colors like Chovey, Shad type colors.  This is just me no real science just what I have typically in my tackle box.

Glow Green! Recommended by HUB but I have not had much luck with it in the past. Need more testing on it, just like Mint works for many and I just caught my first fish on it this last outing.

Its all about confidence. I know guys that catch with a specific all day long if I put it on I am lucky if I get a bite. That is me with white, I can honestly fish it anywhere and catch if the fish are feeding of course. I don't understand why other than I just have confidence when I tie it on.

My go to color at HH is Sardine green/silver. Following a close second is mint. My third chose would be Chovy. These three colors get me fish in the open waters of the harbor. Around structure, moorings, I use glow green and orange. These are all HUB colors.
Big Hammer baits, I use the 4 inch swim bait, color margarita with the under spin jig head, 3/8 ounce.................GT

Interesting. I used to start with Anchovy or Sardine, then go to Red Crab if the bite wasn't there as the day progressed. My grandson is sold on red crab because he had early success.

However, when I first started fishing the bays last summer my go to lure was a dark tube with red flakes (with coffee flavor). I would alternate with white--which was also effective at times. It happens that was the go-to small mouth bass bait in Virginia Rivers. It worked very well in the bays; but, I had to try other things. Think I need to get back and try it again--maybe with glued on eyes.

I have wasted a lot of money trying to find the secret. I just read a successful HH kayak fisherman say that he only fishes GULP. Down around the bridge he fishes the Gulp 4" jerk bait in Anchovy, and also has a lot of success with a Red swimming mullet, as well as white. I couldn't find the Anchovy, but bought some Walmart Gulp minnows in smelt. They worked quite well.

Saw a guy doing well under the bridge the other day, and he gave me a small kalin curly tail grub in clear with dark spots. He always fishes those, although prefers red dots.

Apparently the guys who post on the Mission Bay site use Z-man almost exclusively. Of course they are fishing grass flats for the most part.

So, there is obviously a variety opinions. I follow a site based in my home town of Tampa, Florida, Salt Strong, although much of the information does not apply out here. The Head guy there said he spent a fortune on lures before he decided that they are not the most important element. He now advocates that the secret is to study the environment and learn the patterns, so as to fish where the fish are under given conditions. (He will teach you for a price.) Then concentrate on presentation. He allegedly only carries a dark and a light color of a single type for Red fish, snook, and sea trout. I have seen pictures of his catches, so believe what he says.

Right now, I am a bit confused; and think that the main thing is to simplify and, as the man says, concentrate on the presentation.

I've successfully landed fish on all the HUB colors but I personally favor the green and or blue colors.

"The main thing is to simplify and, as the man says, concentrate on the presentation" and to get your bait into the spot to where the fish are laying-up in ambush.

SP Dan      <"))><

I have to agree with your Florida friend, conditions as in water movement play a big role in fishing HH. Slack or slow water tides don't produce as many fish as a fast or large movement of water during low and high tides. I always bring an anchor on days when their is a fast moving, out going tide. I use incoming to go around Trinidad Island......GT

swimbaits: sexy shad, chrt shad or regular shad
other plastics: watermelons, smokes and pumpkins with assorted flakes
hardbaits: white, chrt or firertigers

My go to colors in HH are clear red flake, white and Brown with an orange belly on either a red, brown or white cool bait under sping head.
Fishing LAB at night Gulp Shrimp in Nuclear Chicken, New Penny or Molton has been good. If I use the Gulp Minnow rainbow is a good color. I have also had luck on the SD custom color AA shrimp in LAB as well.

TobyB wrote:My go to colors in HH are clear red flake, white and Brown with an orange belly on either a red, brown or white cool bait under sping head.
Fishing LAB at night Gulp Shrimp in Nuclear Chicken, New Penny or Molton has been good. If I use the Gulp Minnow rainbow is a good color. I have also had luck on the SD custom color AA shrimp in LAB as well.

Wow these are some colors I had not heard of before. Clear with red flake, white / brown with orange!! Very interesting, wonder what those spotties think they are seeing

Alakai wrote:

TobyB wrote:My go to colors in HH are clear red flake, white and Brown with an orange belly on either a red, brown or white cool bait under sping head.
Fishing LAB at night Gulp Shrimp in Nuclear Chicken, New Penny or Molton has been good. If I use the Gulp Minnow rainbow is a good color. I have also had luck on the SD custom color AA shrimp in LAB as well.

Wow these are some colors I had not heard of before. Clear with red flake, white / brown with orange!! Very interesting, wonder what those spotties think they are seeing

Sorry should have read White, and brown with orange belly. Clear red flake is a common color with the big hammer swim baits. These colors have all produced fish in HH. These are my three favorite colors to use. Pretty much red in general has been a good color.

As I reread this (over and over really), I see the orange color coming up a couple of times. Think I would like to try a color like that next. Maybe that's why the Red Crab is successful and has an amber "belly" just like the Orange color from HUB

I did try a color like New Penny (Pumpkin with Copper/Black flake) this last Saturday and I caught a med sized Spotty.

Thanks all for the advice, I do have the most success with Chovy but maybe just because I don't have confidence in Mint, Glow Green and White yet.