2011 Bassmaster Classic winner Kevin VanDam and 7th place finisher Scott Rook were fishing side-by-side on the Louisiana Delta throwing not only the exact same model square bill, but also the same color -- chartreuse with a black back and a bit of orange on the throat. While that color combo is tried and true, you shouldn’t hesitate to try an “oddball” color when the going gets tough.
When targeting bass on the Arkansas river, Elite Series pro Clark Reehm says a black crankbait can catch fish when nothing else will.
Arkansas River expert Kevin Short started using black crankbaits back when he first took a Zoom WEC E1 and a magic marker and colored everything black except its yellow eyes.
Ish Monroe has favored black and blue crankbaits since his early days starting out on the California Delta.
These days, Monroe prefers a Norman crankbait in solid black/blue fleck. According to Monroe, “It doesn’t resemble anything. But when you think about it, a black and blue jig is always good. So is a big black spinnerbait slow rolled.”
Kevin Short and Oklahoma pro Kenyon Hill both rely on Norman color number 165 in muddy water conditions.
Elite Series pros Pete Ponds and Matt Herren like a Bandit 200 in the “Mistake” pattern, red with black bars on one side and chartreuse with black bars on the other.
Elite Series pro Bill Lowen takes it one step further; he’s been hand-foiling his own cranks for years.
Lowen’s custom-foiled crankbaits include versions with one gold side and one silver side.
Under certain conditions, Elite Series pros rely on black and blue crankbaits over more traditional shad or chartreuse-base
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