Welcome to Galvman's Fishing Tips

The Question Is Color

I have been asked, ' What is the best color to use to catch fish?' Well I believe it's not what color but what level of contrast. Let me pose you a question, on a saltwater flat that is clear with a light sandy bottom, what color do you think a shrimp will be that is near or on the bottom? The shrimp will try to match the color of the bottom, light and sandy. If the flat is clear with a dark bottom, what color would the shrimp be? The shrimp will try to match the color of the dark bottom. Ok, what if the water is sandy or murky? The shrimp will be dark.

So what have we learned? It's not color itself but the level of contrast with the environment. Match the contrast with the environment and you have a successful formula for catching fish. Here in Galveston I fish the beachfront when the water is clear and green. I typically use a pearl shrimptail with a chartreuse tail, or a pearl colored shad tail with a chartreuse back or a silver spoon. My hook up ratio improves when I complement this combination with a contrasting color such as a brown or red shrimptail with a white tail, or red shad tail with a white tail or a gold spoon. When one combination doesn't work I immediately switch over to the contrasting color. This also narrows my selection in my tackle box. Have you ever been in a situation when you've looked into your tacklebox, and you have too many selections to pick from? Or how about when you only use those few lures that you consistently catch fish with. Take a look at those lures, are they contrasting colors? They probably are, and you've probably learned to use the color that matches the environment, either light or dark. If one doesn't work switch over to the other but be sure to give your combo time to work. Remember there are a lot of other factors in catching fish than just color. My rule of thumb is to keep fishing simple, use contrasting colors and buy only the lures that work for you. Thanks for coming!