Lou Gramm once said his father told him life was simple, it's either "cherry red" or "midnight blue". A very good point Lou, and a very simple and to-my-liking approach. Lou, you should make a song about that! Anyway, in January I took the time to watch the other presenters a little bit at The Bass University in Philly where I was presenting as well. Just about every presenter there and everywhere I go is/was asked thequestion about lure/plastics color choice and I believe Mark Davis answered it best, he said something along these lines....."Color choice is important, but people prioritize it too highly.
For example, are you fishing the right pattern in the right part of the lake around the right cover and so forth?"....oh wait, that may have been Hank Parker saying that at another event this spring.....oops. But either way, someone admirable in fishing said it and it stuck with me. The point was to keep your choices simple and make the other choices in fishing more important. That is something I say in my seminars all the time as well. But here is the reality, marketing in fishing would be pretty darn boring if there were only 4 identical colors on the shelves to choose from.....green, black, brownish/red, and grey. No "Victoria Secrets Shad", "Viagra Lasting Longer than 4 Hours Shad", "Bushy Armpit Craw", or "Dale Earnhardt Jr Signature Series Yada Yada BOO BOO Tasty Toe Jam Craw/Shad. " It would be too simple with no propaganda!
Although "Bluegill Belly Button Lint" has always been a favorite color of mine, I always wondered if fishing would be better or worse overall without the marketing of "only for the market" colors. What if all the shelves were stocked with 4 colors only like I mentioned above. The argument could go both ways. One critic could say, (insert deep important sounding voice here) "Well son, in niche markets only some colors sell because in the surrounding bodies of water of East Bumble TN the only color they bite is Toilet Paper Craw.....". But really, give the best guys on the lake Green Pumpkin, Black and a shad Grey color all year and their still gunna catch em. On the contrary to Toilet Paper Craw man, the other side of the argument could say, "What if all the suckers that waste all day throwing Toilet Paper Craw and catch nothing or little because they heard it was good....just kept it simple and spent the day throwing proven productive colors?" Statistically fish catches in general(overall) would go up drastically. I guarantee it! It really is an interesting concept but it sounds a little like Communist fishing or something. There's an idea, Joseph Stalin Shad???
I guess my point is this and it really isn't a new concept at all: catching the fishermen is a lot different then catching the fish. As a professional angler, I go out on a limb and try a semi-radical color here and there but I guarantee there is more money wasted on my behalf as well as in marketing departments of companies' behalfs in order to try and hit a homerun on the end-all vibrant color. I will save everyone some time here, be innovative with the product designs and choices and don't worry as much about the colors! Save the rainbows for Pinatas, Pink Floyd Concerts and Sour Patch Kids. Keep a simple selection of colors at hand and a couple regional favorite colors to try here and there if you are dialed in on every other fishing front. I agree that if the Easter Bunny brought green pumpkin eggs and Santa and Spiderman were dressed like Men in Black, life would be a lot more boring. But in the eyes of a fish, I tend to think that they see everyone dressed like the Secret Service or in the trademark khakis of The Crocodile Hunter Steve Erwin, God rest his soul....-dw
Special thanks to Lou Gramm, enjoy!