The Hunt For Big Fish with Larry Dahlberg

Hey Larry, do you think color makes much difference with Small Mouth Bass? Check out some of the catch from yesterday. I just got a bullet cam set up so I have video also. I think I could start doing some TV shows one day.
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l178/ ... lmouth.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l178/surfspot/yel.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l178/ ... redeye.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l178/ ... blkeye.jpg
http://i96.photobucket.com/albums/l178/ ... 010039.jpg
all fish caught on my 1/8 oz. ceramic plugs.

hi ss,
I spent 23 years as a smallmouth guide and on many occasions had opportunities to observe their reactions to various colors under totally natural, but relatively controlled circumstances.
In a nutshell, when they're agressive you can't beat bright and flashy fast and large. When they're not you can't go wrong with dark, small and a dead drift almost neutrally bouyant approach.
Frequently when fishing a school, starting out with something like Chartruese, you catch a half dozen in as many casts then nothing. Switch to grey or rust or black and bing, bing. A couple more fish react. Go to white maybe one more. In the meantime, your friend who stuck with chartruese got bit again.
However, if during the exact same circumstance with the same fish, if I'd been able to climb a tree or get on a ladder so I could see each fish, if I'd present a size 4 black wiggle nymph on a dead drift/twitch lift type deal into a space about 4"X4" I'd likely catch every one of them.
If I let the fish I'd hooked just sit out there tugging and shaking his head and my fishing partner quickly pitch out a slow sinking white jig/flyy/soft plastic the likely hood is high that another smallmouth would grab it, thinking it's a free meal in the form of his buddies half-digested freshly disgorged breakfast.
When I'm seriously making a bunch of flies to catch smallmouth I always make divers (rabbit strip): white/pearl flash, chartruese/lime, natural deer hair head with gold flashabou tail. Poppers: green/green grizz, natural/grizz.
Wiggle nymphs black
Prop and walking baits same colors, jigs and cranks add orange/root beer.

Aftera all that, the last thing is IMO, of all the really important stuff, color is the least important!
Nice photos!
best,
L