The 2 Best Bass Jig Colors
The bass jig is my absolute favorite lure of all time. It it the most versatile lure in all of bass fishing. It is very forgiving because there is no wrong way to fish it.
And the jig is also weedless which allows you to fish it in places where you can’t fish most other lures, and prevents your from snagging and losing money.
And as with any bass lure, color makes a big difference. I have found that color selection with jigs in incredibly simple and you really only need a couple. So here are the 2 best jig colors for bass fishing.
Color x Jig Type
There are many different types of jigs, but for the most part, these two color options will be the same for every style of jig.
There is one exception, or addition when it comes to swim jig colors. There are really three color options for swim jigs. But these two colors are all you need for every other style of bass jig.
1. Black and Blue (Or Really Any Black Focused Color)
If I could only fish with one jig color for the rest of my life, it would be black and blue. This colors is simply the most universal jig color there is.
First, black and blue creates a very clear silhouette in muddy water or on cloudy days, making it easier for bass to see.
That clear silhouette will get you a lot more bites in those low visibility water conditions. But even if the visibility is very good and the water is very clear, black and blue just looks like a dark, shadowy color.
It isn’t super flashy or unnatural. So no matter what the water conditions are, bass can easily see black and blue jigs and they still look fairly realistic, making it my absolute favorite jig color.
Additionally, a dark black jig will stand out a lot better when the jig is sitting or dragging along the bottom.
The bottom of most lakes and ponds is brownish orangish color. So a very dark black contrasts against the bottom and is very easy to see from a longer distance.
And I have always been a big believer that this helps a lot to draw bass in from a farther distance, because you can catch their eye and their attention from much farther away.
For all of those reasons, I think black and blue (or any primarily black color) is the best overall jig color in bass fishing.
When to Use Black and Blue:
- Muddy Water
- Cloudy Days
2. Green Pumpkin (Or Any Brownish Greenish Color)
Different companies might name them slightly different things or adjust the skirt colors a bit, but the greenish brownish lure color, or green pumpkin, is certainly the best jig color for making your jig as natural as possible.
A jig (with the exception of a swim jig) will pretty much always be imitating either a bluegill or a crawfish.
And both bluegill and crawfish are generally some soft of green or brown color depending on the body of water and time of year.
So a green pumpkin jig is the exact color of what a jig is meant to be imitating, making it your best option for matching the hatch.
This isn’t as important when fishing muddy or cloudy water, but when you do fish very clear water it can make a big difference.
So green pumpkin is going to be the best jig color for fishing clear, high visibility water where bass can see your baits very well.
Ultimately, a jig imitates greenish brownish forage, so when bass can easily see your jig, a green pumpkin color is the best option for the job.
When to Use Green Pumpkin:
- Clear Water
Reeling this In
Whether you’re dragging a brush pile or flipping into the thickest cover you can find, you don’t need a tackle box overflowing with every shade of the rainbow to be successful.
By sticking to the “Two-Color Rule,” you simplify your decision-making and keep your bait in the strike zone longer.
Use Black and Blue when you need that bold, high-contrast silhouette in stained water or low light, and switch to Green Pumpkin when the sun is out and the bass are keyed in on a natural, “match the hatch” look.
Master these two classics, and you’ll be prepared for nearly any condition the water throws at you.
