bass fishing again!!

Question
QUESTION: hello ken king! thank you so much for my previous questions, however, i do have 2 or 3 more questions to ask. i stumbled across bass proshop today and a question came across my ahead about line.

if i am right, i know i need to use 4-6 lb line for very light lures for 1/16 along with ultra light rods. my question is what color to chose. i want my line to be virtually invisible to bass, however, does line color really matter? if so, what are colors are best for what?


today i bought 3 lures. however, i am undecided which falls under category "darker" lures for murky water. i bought the baby bass rapala lure, which is the sane color as a bass, a bit dark green. since it looks more natural, i should use it in a clear/sunny day right? but the water has to be murky or clear?


i also bought a white crankbait with a bit of neon green, that suits the description of a light and bright lure.


however, i was really confused what colors to buy. i saw so much lures that were bright, that i did not know which one is for which. does it really matter what color i chose as long as it is bright? or do i want to match the realistic color and avoid those bright red mixed with neon green and sky blue colors?


i also saw lures with realistic color from rapala. the color was Tennessee shad? it was or bright nor dark, just a normal whit with green. same color as a perch or shad i guess.....what kind of condition i should use those in?

ANSWER: Hi William, and once again, thanks for your questions!
Bass are funny creatures, and very hard to predict. Try the lures you bought in all the conditions you run in to, you never know when the bass will want something that isn't "normal" for the conditions. In general, as I said, you'll want brighter lures on brighter days, but there will be cloudy days when the bass will want that color. That baby bass color will actually be a good color in clear water, and slightly stained, and probably is a decent color in both sun and clouds.
There are as many opinions about line color as there are colors. Cajun makes a red line, because red is the first color to disappear under water, (but to me that goes counter to the arguments for red hooks.) fluorocarbons have a very similar refractive index to water, so they are quite invisible too , and there are green lines for fishing weeds, bluish lines, yellow lines and, well, you get the idea. I use a fluorocarbon/mono hybrid line for the combination of invisibility, low stretch and flexibility.If you're fishing in heavy weeds, just use a braid and don't worry about color.
Don't be afraid to experiment. Bass fishing is all about having fun and learning... a lot. Fish every chance you get, and try something new or different for a least a few minutes every time you get to go. And, keep asking questions... the answers may give you some guidelines, but don't ever think they are the only way to do things.


---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you so much! if i could, i would thank you a billion times.

well, i use clear line by stern. that line is fine anywhere?

ANSWER: Hi William... I'm glad you're asking such good questions...thank you!
Yes, the Stren line is fine... though I use it pretty much only when I'm fishing something like a grub, which has a tendency to twist the line. Stren is very good at resisting the twisting. However, Stren mono has quite a bit of stretch, which can make setting the hook more difficult. It is also not a very "sensitive" line. Try some hybrid or straight fluorocarbon line and you'll see what you're missing, and what I mean.
To back up a bit... catching fish on an ultra light rod is a lot of fun, but be prepared to lose some of them because you can't get a really strong hook set with a real light rod. Also, 4 pound line is probably not strong enough if the bass you're catching have any size. The smallest line I use is 6, and down south, where bass grow pretty big, they'd laugh at the "sissy" line I was using... 10 would be about the lightest line you'd see in most southern waters.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: thank you so much for answering my question. ha ha most people would have been annoyed by now with all the questions. but thank you so much for being friendly.


oh ha ha ya i am using a 4lb line because sometimes I'm in the mood to fish for blue gill, and also the pond i fish at usually has 1/3-3 lb bass, so i like using a lighter line and ultra light rod for the fun of it. ha ha but there was one 10 lb bass i caught once there, wow i though my line was going to snap, as long as my rod. but i was using a 8 lb line during the time. i could not use the rod bc i felt too much tension, so i had to use my hands. i couldn't really drag him up with an ultra light reel.



well i did not know using fluorocarbon can set a better hook-set, no wonder i been losing so much fish.



well i have one more last question so ill leave you alone b/c i know i been pretty annoying ha ha.

well the pond i fish at is like a blueish/greenish water. i can maybe see like 3-4 ft maybe more, into the the water. it is not muddy or anything, it is just the water is that color. is that considered muddy? or clear? or like dingy? if it is dingy do i still stick to dark colors or more like neutral?   also canal water is like a dark brown, i cant even see like 3 ft inside. i was just curious, what do you classify that kind of water? it is not muddy, it is justr dark dark brown.

Answer
Well, if you can see 3 or 4 feet into it, I'd probably call it clear. Here in New England that might not be considered clear, but in most other places it would be. Your canal water would be considered stained, so you want to use darker lures, probably with rattles them to help the bass "see" them.
Don't be afraid to ask all the questions you think I might be able to help you with, you're not annoying me at all. In fact, thanks for having lots of questions!