3 Best Lure Colors for Crappies | Jigs and Plastics

Crappie jigs and plastics are available in nearly endless color options, but that doesn't mean you have to stock up on all of them. Professional crappie angler Todd Huckabee has greatly simplified his approach to soft plastic and jig colors for crappies. He shares his top 3 color pairings for muddy water, clear water, and even cloudy days.

The days of guessing what color works best are over for savvy crappie anglers equipped with forward-facing sonar. Huckabee notes that he observes how the crappies respond to his bait. If he doesn't get a favorable reaction on forward-facing sonar, a color change is in order. Here's how Huckabee chooses and refines his lure color based on the weather conditions and the fish's mood.

Huckabee's top 3 lure color combinations for crappies (jig and plastics):

1. Huckabee usually starts with a black and chartreuse plastic with an orange head. He fishes a lot of muddy water, so naturally, a darker color gets the nod.

2. He then switches to a gold flake-colored plastic with a gold head if the crappies don't react positively to the black and chartreuse pairing. This more muted offering works well when the crappies are more tentative. It's also a more natural color, so it works well in clear water.

3. The third core color combination is a chartreuse plastic body paired with a bright head. Chartreuse gets it done often, so it's a staple for Huckabee.

Huckabee has so much confidence in these 3 color pairings that if the crappies don't react, he switches to a different bait style, such as a finesse hair jig.

And generally speaking, a darker color is the best lure color for muddy water crappies. On the flip side, clear or natural lure colors are usually the best option if the water is clear.

But don't limit yourself. The above recommendations are experienced-based guidelines, but Huckabee also factors in the light-reducing effects of cloudy days, especially when there's some wind, to reduce visibility on clear lakes further. Try using wild and bright colors on clear lakes in these conditions to trigger reaction strikes.

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[johnanderson]

I went to a pond yesterday and did as you said the water was muddy so I used an orange jig. Head with a black and short body and the Croppie bite was on fire. Best crappy bite I’ve ever had. Thank you for sharing

[shadygraves]

The guy that taught me to crappie fish was an ARTIST at crappie fishing. It was fun just to WATCH him fish a jig. He gave me an ORANGE Tiny Shad once. I kept it in my box to remind me that, MOST OF THE TIME, color doesn't matter once you've found them. Anyone can catch crappie; it's the FINDING them that's hard.

[ralo]

Good stuff Mike! 🎣 👊🏼💯🇺🇸
Thanks for the tips my friend!

[mikerhodes]

Great tip's. We love to complicate things. Find the fish and then tweek the presentation.

[shawneldridge]

🎣 when I do crappie fishing
i will use colors like electric chicken, green with red flakes, white chartreuse, black chartreuse, white and red, pink lemonade,
Blue with silver flakes, black with red and green flakes and a white and Gray.
Very good colors and I do catch them.
Also very good tips and information plus enjoy the video
👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[Dopey_Fudd]

My main crappie lake wants lime and chartreuse, or a medium green {dip it June bug} with a black head. Sometimes, yellow or white, but 99% it's its some sort of green.

[donaldmartin]

The three best colors are the ones that work where you fish .

[thegiant]

I find one color works best for the day, then if they stop bitting a quick change can get them bitting again.

[billsutorius]

The information was really great but the camera work was not good