Confidence Over Comments. What Social Media Gets Wrong About Lure Color

Lately, I see the same type of post over and over on social media. Someone will say they are heading to a certain lake later in the week and ask a simple question. What colors have been best? Most of the time, that person is not lazy or uninformed. They are genuinely trying to narrow things down and show up prepared.

The problem is not the question. The problem is how much weight we put on the answers.

What usually follows is a picture of a lure that was hot last week. Maybe the guy posting it was there for two or three days and absolutely smashed them. Naturally, someone sees that post, runs to the store, buys that exact color and that exact bait, and expects the same results. Then they get on the water and do not catch a thing.

What never gets talked about is everything behind that photo.

Was there snow cover on the ice when that fish was caught? Was it sunny or cloudy? Was it before a front or after a front? What depth were they fishing? How aggressive were the fish that day? Even something as simple as light penetration can completely change how a color looks underwater from one day to the next.

This is why I always encourage anglers to start with confidence first.

Instead of chasing a specific lure someone else posted, focus on the bait you already know how to fish well. Whether that is a Buckshot, a Forged Minnow, a Tikka Minnow, a Dirty Bomb, a Tungsten jig and plastic, or anything else you trust. That confidence matters more than people realize. When you know a bait, you fish it longer, you work it better, and your cadence stays consistent. All of that leads to more bites.

From there, expand your color selection within that bait you trust. Carry a variety of colors. Go brighter. Go more natural. Mix in glow. Upsize or downsize when it makes sense. Most bodies of water do have a few colors that tend to shine over time, but there is almost always more than one color that will catch fish. Often it is just a slight variation that makes the difference.

Social media can still be useful. There is nothing wrong with doing your homework and asking questions before a trip. Just understand that it is a snapshot in time. Even if someone sent you their exact GPS coordinates, there is no guarantee that spot or that color will be good a week later. Conditions change. Fish move. Windows close.

My advice for anyone heading to a destination fishery is simple. Do a little research. Learn what the common productive colors are on that lake. Then take what you already have confidence in and broaden it slightly with size and color options. You do not need to chase every bait you see online. More often than not, the best lure is the one you already know how to fish.