Bass can see colors very well. Some days they will hit most any color but there are times when they are very picky, and that is from an (on the water test with fish) not some clinical study.

I wrote an article last year about fishing silent CBs vs. rattling CBs. I found that a silent bait in stained water did better than the rattling. Don't know why, but that was what I found. It is listed in BFHP articles section. I have been throwing Stanford Cedar Cranks and Gary Dees D-baits for over 15 years and still prefer them over most others. They are flat sided and have a GREAT wobble to them. I like chartreuse/blueback and shad colors for this. I will PM you a secret though, as long as you keep it to yourself. Hope this helps. Here is a link to the article:

http://www.wmi.org/bassfish/articles/T214.htm

Tight lines, keep safe and good luck.

Thad Rains

All great suggestions mentioned. Also:
Citrus Shad
Fire Tiger
Chartruse anything
Rattles seem to help the Bass hone in on the baits in muddy conditions...

Storm Arashi


I like this crank in the hot chartreuse shad.

Anything 6th sense is money! I love the new storm cranks. But would like to see them come out with better colors

My best day in muddy water,chocolate milk at that was with a Tennessee shad kvd 1.5.

Thanks for all of your responses!! I share some of the same ideas with shallow water cranking and colors offered. I will definitely try throwing squarebills. I have several Strike King in the 1.5 and 2.5 in chartreuse and black back as well natural shad colors as well as a couple of Storm Arashi #5 in a crawfish pattern and bluegill. I will mix it up and let the fish tell me what they like!

I am a big fan of a lure sold by Bass Pro Shops called "The Egg". I dives about 1 foot deep and comes in 2 sizes. This lure travels right above grass and rocks. It comes in great colors, is very well made and is very inexpensive.

Ive had good luck with Excite XB-1 silents. Shad colors mostly.....

Shallow chunk rock + boulders = beat up crankbait. Good cost effective options include the Norman Fat Boy--the chartreuse black back is often carried in the Wmart fishing section for less than $5

I've also been pleased with the H2O Express CRS (Academy brand) square bills also (I change out the hooks) They are available in silent and rattling. These are usually $3.99 and often on sale for less, so get several colors
Sexy shad, red craw, gold, blue gill, chartreuse shad,

+1

I was getting really sick of beating up and losing 7-14 dollar squarebills and tried the CRS and I've been really impressed with them. The only problem I've had is that the hooks get caught up on the line more than KVDs and Lucky Crafts.

Very good post....according to this article unless you fish below 30 foot most lure colors are visible so the controlling factors are water clarity and weather (wind, clouds etc.) With that said it seems a dark lure color with some fluorescence would be a good choice. Chartreuse and black makes sense.

I like the Fat Boy's and H20 Express lures. The Academy SCSFW will dive 0' - 6".