Understanding how fish respond to color is one of the most important skills in soft plastic fishing. Many anglers change lure colors constantly without understanding how fish perceive contrast, visibility, light penetration, and forage patterns under different conditions.. Anglers often change colors constantly without understanding how fish actually perceive contrast, visibility, light penetration, and forage…
Part 2 of the Soft Plastic Lure Color Guide Series Understanding fishing lure color contrast is one of the most important skills anglers can develop when selecting soft plastic lure colors. Many anglers spend countless hours debating lure colors. Entire tackle aisles are filled with hundreds of shades, laminates, flakes, translucent finishes, and custom patterns….
Designed soft plastic lures are built around purpose — not marketing trends. A complete breakdown of how to evaluate plastic compounds by performance variables rather than novelty claims.
A soft plastic lure selection system removes guesswork. Adjust depth first, then movement, then cadence, profile, and color last — a simple repeatable decision order that consistently improves catch rates.
A perfect lure does nothing outside the strike zone. Depth control is the framework everything else is secondary — fish hold at specific depths and react within very narrow vertical windows.
Soft plastic scent retention is controlled by polymer structure and plasticizer content — not how much scent is added. Includes absorption vs retention breakdown, salt effects, measured retention comparison table, and when scent actually matters.
The final part of the color guide — applying visibility, contrast, and imitation principles into a simple repeatable color selection system.
Lure action frequently triggers strikes before color does. A complete breakdown of when action matters more, when color becomes critical, how they work together, and the most common mistake anglers make.
