bass lures

Question
QUESTION: hello! well first of all i would like to say thank you!

anyways, i have a question

what color lure should i use in a sunny day for rapala minnows, or any minnows? for all types of water listed, that would be great!   all for bass fishing

also what is the difference between baitcast, spincast and spinning reel. i know what they are, it is just, what are their purpose?

ANSWER: Hi William, and thanks for your question.
    In general you'll want to use lighter, brighter colors in clearer water and sunny conditions, and darker lures for darker days and stained water. I try to use a color that more closely mimics the colors of the forage fish for the body of water also.
    Spincast reels are the "push button" reel, like a Zebco 33 or 202. These are the simplest and easiest to use. They're great for kids or people who don't fish often and want the simplest and lowest cost equipment.
    Spinning reels handle light lines and small lures well, so you'll see them used for finese techniques in bass fishing. They are also the easiest to learn to skip cast with. This technique lets you put a bait far under a dock or low hanging tree branch, which can greatly increase your catch on those bright sunny days when the bass are in the shade of cover.
     Baitcasting reels are the only reel that doesn't have problems with line twist or line looping. They do have the ability to get "backlashed", which is when the line on the reel spool gets all wrapped up in itself. It's caused by the spool continuing to spin when the line has stopped because the lure hit the water, or an object. It takes a very coordinated  thumb to cast a baitcaster without backlashing it. These reels handle heavy lines very well, which makes them popular with tournament anglers who fish heavy cover. Learning to use this reel can be a pain, but having the ability to cast heavy braided line makes it worth the effort.

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

QUESTION: that part is a little confusing because most people say use bright colors in sunny/clear water, but then try to match the fish that the bass are hunting for.

so if it was a super bright day, full sun out, would i use like a chartreuse? or maybe a yellow or orange? or would i want to use like a white or bright gray?



there was one question i did leave out though!

that is rod size.  what is the purpose of a super short rod? one that is like 5 ft to 5ft 6in compared to a 7 footer? i know the longer the rod, the easier to cast. so whats the point of a short rod?

ANSWER: These are great follow up questions.
Myself I would use the more natural color, which would be the white or light gray, especially if the lure had a reflective quality. However, there are times when the bass do things that just don't fit what we think we know about them, so this would be a good time to try those bright colors if the more natural colors were not working. Another good time to use the yellow, orange or chartreuse would be during the spawn if you needed to see your lure in the water better. Also, keep in mind that sometimes the bass hits your lure out of reaction as it goes by, and in this case, color does  not matter at all.
While a longer rod makes it easier to cast greater distances, shorter rods allow more accuracy. For example, I do a lot of skip casting, and for this I use a 6 foot spinning rod. I'd love to try a 5foot 6 inch spinning rod for this technique, but haven't found a maker of a really good rod in the right power yet. As in everything else in the bass fishing world, there is an exception when greater accuracy is obtained with a long rod, and that would be when flipping or pitching.

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

QUESTION: so when is it a good time to use shiny lures, such as shiny gold or shiny blue or silver/chrome? i caught bass a few times in shiny lures in sunny days, but i heard never to use shiny lures when it is sunny bc it would like scare the fish or they can tell it is fake!?

Answer
You would more likely find the fish wary of a shiny lure on a cloudy day... live fish are quite reflective, so they can flash quite brightly in the sun, but not in the shade. That's why you'd use gold blades on spinnerbaits on darker days. A silver blade is shinier and brighter and looks more natural (if a spinnerbait ever looks like something natural) on sunny days.
A good crankbait color, by the way, is chrome with a black back, or with a blue back.