How do you choose your skirt colors?

[Big Jay]

Reading the post about that Let It Ride's 1010 caught on the Moldcraft Super Chugger in blk/clear got me thinking.

Flip through any catalog out there and turn to the Black Bart 1656 (for example). You have 20 different inner skirt and 20 different outer skirt options.

I mean really...how the hell do you choose? May seem like a dumb question but it's always kept me from ordering.

For marlin there's obviously the old standby's:

Blue/pink
Pink/white
Blk/Purple
Mahi Colored

How do you choose your skirt color?

With the black/clear I would have never thought to drop that into the spread. Seriously...

[canyongear]

Jay,

that is a great question, first of all.

Second of all from my experience the "buyer" will usually choose skirt colors according to what "colors" has produced for them..in general, however it goes deeper than that. Waaaaaaaaay deeper than that...

I have customers, who know exactly what colors they want, without any guidance whatsoever, they just order head colors and skirts ...done.

Others, usually in an email or phone call will have "thoughts" on what they want, but look for some steerage in the color choice direction...

Finally, others will basically, again, via email or phone, leave it completely up to us to choose head colors and skirt colors...

Won't get into head shapes or sizes for obvious reasons.

Personally, for me it becomes a funnel process by asking questions of the customer. Starting with "where are you fishing"? and for what? class of tackle? Boat type and size? normal # lines in spreads and rigger types and center rigger or not? Gives me a feel for them and the fishing...always leads to a story or two on fish caught and on what lure or meat and colors..so that sorta dials it in...

Generally, for me, choosing SKIRT colors, is an extension of the color transition from the head color. To somewhat co-ordinate the head color to the outer skirt color, if you get my drift...so that helps in the decision making process..

Outer skirts, match up to head colors, inner skirts offset with lighter or brighter, but not always..

I find making the lure look good with skirts that transition a color theme are well received by the customer, in most cases...I firmly believe there is no right or wrong color however, geography has a huge impact on what colors are put in a spread due to previous success, so that in and of itself is a big factor. Not the only one but a biggie.

I do know, 10 people will answer your question with 10 different responses which re-inforces the fact that only the FISH knows what prompts the predator response to strike at a lure it see's as prey.

At the end of the day, color choice boils down to geography and success, which varies the color spectrum to a mind boggling degree.

Interesting article in the last issue of Marlin Magazine...by Peter Wright. "Red Is the New Black"..here's a quote from it: "A fish that is more than about 30 feet away from a red lure, in any direction, will only see BLACK"..

We could go on all day with this...getting into scientific studies...rod and cones of gamefish eyes etc etc...till we drop.

Color choice in many cases is a "Confidence" choice by the boat due to previous success.

[Big Jay]

Jay,

that is a great question, first of all.

Second of all from my experience the "buyer" will usually choose skirt colors according to what "colors" has produced for them..in general, however it goes deeper than that. Waaaaaaaaay deeper than that...

I have customers, who know exactly what colors they want, without any guidance whatsoever, they just order head colors and skirts ...done.

Others, usually in an email or phone call will have "thoughts" on what they want, but look for some steerage in the color choice direction...

Finally, others will basically, again, via email or phone, leave it completely up to us to choose head colors and skirt colors...

Won't get into head shapes or sizes for obvious reasons.

Personally, for me it becomes a funnel process by asking questions of the customer. Starting with "where are you fishing"? and for what? class of tackle? Boat type and size? normal # lines in spreads and rigger types and center rigger or not? Gives me a feel for them and the fishing...always leads to a story or two on fish caught and on what lure or meat and colors..so that sorta dials it in...

Generally, for me, choosing SKIRT colors, is an extension of the color transition from the head color. To somewhat co-ordinate the head color to the outer skirt color, if you get my drift...so that helps in the decision making process..

Outer skirts, match up to head colors, inner skirts offset with lighter or brighter, but not always..

I find making the lure look good with skirts that transition a color theme are well received by the customer, in most cases...I firmly believe there is no right or wrong color however, geography has a huge impact on what colors are put in a spread due to previous success, so that in and of itself is a big factor. Not the only one but a biggie.

I do know, 10 people will answer your question with 10 different responses which re-inforces the fact that only the FISH knows what prompts the predator response to strike at a lure it see's as prey.

That's awesome info! That's kinda the start a lot of ppl really never get.

I mean...I've never dropped anything black and clear into my spread.

I generally run my lighter colored/brighter combos on my flats in the water. Chuggers, surface bullets, etc. end up being darker colored as I feel the silhouette better against the sun enabling the fish to zero in on the lure better.

I am still learning stuff every day. Just never would have thought black and clear.

Which if you think about it...does make sense. There's a good amount of rat yellows and skips on the edge...black back, clear white translucent bellies.

[canyongear]

Yep...one of the most used skirts we have is a Black Back with royal blue/silver hologram and a clear belly with silver fleck...

In the first photo it's the skirt just right of center and in the second it's the 6th one down from the top.

[Deep C]

Now if Lowtide was here he'd probably say he's match skirt color to which shoes and blouse he picked for the outing...

Tims dead on for matching the "fade" from head to skirt. How I choose colors for an area usually comes with local knowledge. If I don't know an area I try to pick the locals brain. Yes, color selection in different areas does vary. Even places close to each other. Like at chub for me its blues or dark purples but 70 miles away at bimini I can't seem to buy much action on the purples so its all blues. Up north gets greens. Upper keys gets dolphin or blue hues. Lower keys though its halloween colors that seem to get the nod...

[Team Karma]

I believe the color of lures is more important to the fisherman than the fish. Here are a couple key factors, IN MY OPINION, about lures/lure fishing.

1. When a fish is approaching from below, all of the lures in the spread are the same color- they all appear dark because they are backlight by the sun. This is why I believe it is important that....

2. The lure must run correctly. We have a lure on our boat that has been re-skirted multiple times, each time the colors changed because identical skirts were not available where we were. The lure caught fish equally as well. One day, after about 4 years and 500 fish the head got slightly chipped. The lure still ran ok but it did not run the same. We never caught a fish on that lure again.

3. The lure you put in the water the most will catch the most fish. Once you get a lure dialed in to run perfectly in a certain spot in the pattern, you as the fisherman become confident with it and put the lure in the water more frequently, which results in catching more fish on it than a lure that gets thrown out there occasionally. (it makes sense you've never caught anything on black and clear if you've never run one... that is my thinking here)

4. Match the skirt to the head. I believe that fisherman should be perfectionist. There are so many factors we cannot control when fishing, so anything we can control should be triple checked. Matching the skirt to the head makes the lure pretty and although I don't think the fact that it matches will attract more fish, hopefully it won't scare a single one off.


I love fishing with lures and I like to use examples of things I have seen before to base my opinions on. For example, ever watched a dorado come racing in from 100 yards out on the port side of the spread and then hammer the lure on port long rigger? I've seen it multiple times. Never have I seen a dorado swim past the the first lure and across the spread to a different one.

Ever seen a blue marlin come in and whack the shit out of a big teaser only to turn around and eat the next lure that passes over its head? I doubt the marlin checked out every lure in the spread and then decided on its favorite two based on color....

Notice that the grander caught on the black and clear was a moldcraft chugger.....great running lure that gets eaten up no matter where it gets put in the water.

Hopefully some part of my crazy opinion helped.

[Big Jay]

I appreciate ALL the feedback. We've had a handful of blues and a bunch of whites.

98% of all the marlin have been on the flatlines in just outside the wash and on islander/bally combos.

As far as lures and colors go....most of my arsenal is Moldcrafts, a Big T blk/prpl bullet (seems to catch everything that swims), Ilanders. I am going to add a 1656 Flat (runs better in all seas) into the mix and probably one of canyon gear's lures...now for skirt color selection...

[canyongear]

Jay, here is a pic of a few escapee's that ended up at Pirates' Cove..the (red/orange color) is actually pink..not a great pic but will give you some ideas perhaps..

picture courtesy of F/V Steel Shark

[Wound Up James]

I believe the color of lures is more important to the fisherman than the fish. Here are a couple key factors, IN MY OPINION, about lures/lure fishing.

1. When a fish is approaching from below, all of the lures in the spread are the same color- they all appear dark because they are backlight by the sun. This is why I believe it is important that....

2. The lure must run correctly. We have a lure on our boat that has been re-skirted multiple times, each time the colors changed because identical skirts were not available where we were. The lure caught fish equally as well. One day, after about 4 years and 500 fish the head got slightly chipped. The lure still ran ok but it did not run the same. We never caught a fish on that lure again.

3. The lure you put in the water the most will catch the most fish. Once you get a lure dialed in to run perfectly in a certain spot in the pattern, you as the fisherman become confident with it and put the lure in the water more frequently, which results in catching more fish on it than a lure that gets thrown out there occasionally. (it makes sense you've never caught anything on black and clear if you've never run one... that is my thinking here)

4. Match the skirt to the head. I believe that fisherman should be perfectionist. There are so many factors we cannot control when fishing, so anything we can control should be triple checked. Matching the skirt to the head makes the lure pretty and although I don't think the fact that it matches will attract more fish, hopefully it won't scare a single one off.


I love fishing with lures and I like to use examples of things I have seen before to base my opinions on. For example, ever watched a dorado come racing in from 100 yards out on the port side of the spread and then hammer the lure on port long rigger? I've seen it multiple times. Never have I seen a dorado swim past the the first lure and across the spread to a different one.

Ever seen a blue marlin come in and whack the shit out of a big teaser only to turn around and eat the next lure that passes over its head? I doubt the marlin checked out every lure in the spread and then decided on its favorite two based on color....

Notice that the grander caught on the black and clear was a moldcraft chugger.....great running lure that gets eaten up no matter where it gets put in the water.

Hopefully some part of my crazy opinion helped.

that's worth more than 2 cents..........very good observations and feedback from a 'student'....cheers.

[Little Miss Magic]

People in North Carolina consider themselves not fishing if something blue and white isn't in the spread. Whites and blues will clobber a blue and white islander.