Mastering Soft Plastic Bait Selection: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Colors That Catch Fish

Mastering Soft Plastic Bait Selection: The Ultimate Guide to Choosing Colors That Catch Fish

In this informative video, Mike Iaconelli is back in his shop to help you pick the right soft plastic bait color. With an overwhelming selection of colors available, it can be daunting to choose the perfect one. Mike simplifies the process and breaks it down into three factors, which work in every fishing environment. He shares his tips on matching the hatch, water clarity, and contrast, and how to use the right colors for panfish, crawfish, and baitfish. Mike also shows you his limited selection of colors and how he uses Spike dye pens to customize his baits. Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from the pro and catch more fish!

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44 Comments

  1. @mariodavidmataspaul9784 on July 3, 2025 at 12:02 pm

    Gracias Mike โค

  2. @justynesansoucy7674 on July 3, 2025 at 12:02 pm

    I appreciate this video man. Sometimes i just throw a bunch in my backpack because I donโ€™t even know what color the fish want. Sometimes the pond will be smashing and sometimes not a single bite lol. Iโ€™m going to keep this in mind with my color selection on my baits and see if it helps with the hook ups.

  3. @ELECTRICEYE1776 on July 3, 2025 at 12:02 pm

    Green Blumpkin

  4. @Buzzin-i3r on July 3, 2025 at 12:05 pm

    Greg Deucette of fishing ๐ŸŽฃ

  5. @stevelanier6293 on July 3, 2025 at 12:05 pm

    Will that apply to hard baits as well

  6. @johnhelms8226 on July 3, 2025 at 12:05 pm

    For ice fishing, I usually pick a bright glow colour for low light and stained water and a natural colour for clear water.

  7. @bfishin2183 on July 3, 2025 at 12:07 pm

    Good info Mike love your Channel

  8. @jukebox5308 on July 3, 2025 at 12:10 pm

    That stupid Pink or Bubble Gum is the one gets them

  9. @machoman5928 on July 3, 2025 at 12:11 pm

    Wish the pit boss had more colors

  10. @Duh_Internet on July 3, 2025 at 12:13 pm

    I’m still pissed Berkeley dropped the havoc line and incorporated it into scent, I hate scented baits. I’d rather have a unscented bait than something others are putting in their faces constantly. I bought a lot years ago and am still reusing them, super glue them back together til they are completely done, thanks berkley fixing what ain’t broke.

  11. @fanntasmicStudio on July 3, 2025 at 12:14 pm

    Thank you Sir! This is Gold!

  12. @jobrandofishing on July 3, 2025 at 12:17 pm

    Junebug and or watermelon candy ! Great colors !

  13. @Doktracy on July 3, 2025 at 12:19 pm

    I have a small pond with brim,catfish and largemouth bass in NC,plus tons of frogs and turtles. Water is usually fairly clear with a tannic tinge. Recommendation?

  14. @jenlvjim on July 3, 2025 at 12:20 pm

    Does anyone know if the spike it pens work as good as the dip?

  15. @johnbutler307 on July 3, 2025 at 12:20 pm

    Mike thanks for all the tips.

  16. @AaronKellerFishing on July 3, 2025 at 12:22 pm

    I hope everyone reading this catches their pb this spring!

  17. @matchuyee on July 3, 2025 at 12:23 pm

    The Jordan Peterson of fishing ๐Ÿ’ฏ

  18. @johngifford1704 on July 3, 2025 at 12:23 pm

    Great information Ike.

  19. @nulled9863 on July 3, 2025 at 12:25 pm

    You’re scaring me!

  20. @bondonutz1 on July 3, 2025 at 12:26 pm

    Mike Yellconelli ๐Ÿคฃ

  21. @dawnparker2014 on July 3, 2025 at 12:28 pm

    Always a pleasure watching your videos. Here in Florida it’s always a battle to pick the correct color.

  22. @michaelleady9089 on July 3, 2025 at 12:32 pm

    ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ˜Ž

  23. @jhonatanhernandez2727 on July 3, 2025 at 12:34 pm

    I like your chicken

  24. @williamchoate641 on July 3, 2025 at 12:34 pm

    Awesome video

  25. @jamesvircik2865 on July 3, 2025 at 12:35 pm

    Awesome now I got to be an artist lol I like it

  26. @samuelstrickland3678 on July 3, 2025 at 12:35 pm

    Have you done or can you do a video like this on hard bait color selection as well?

  27. @MrJohnB-qs6dp on July 3, 2025 at 12:37 pm

    Awesome video!!! Thanks for sharing the info!!! Stay Safe & God Bless!!!!

  28. @mikeford9176 on July 3, 2025 at 12:40 pm

    Excellent, thank you.

  29. @chrisb.1116 on July 3, 2025 at 12:40 pm

    Very well done.

  30. @Old-School-Bassin on July 3, 2025 at 12:42 pm

    Ike youโ€™re a nut job, (Your thumbnail pic are hilarious!), but I love your videos because they make me a much better Angler! โ€œI Like Ikeโ€

  31. @elizabethsumpter9129 on July 3, 2025 at 12:42 pm

    ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿ‘

  32. @rgr798 on July 3, 2025 at 12:44 pm

    Doooooode, the Pit Boss is my #1 soft plastic. It’s given me many, many 50+ fish days!!!

  33. @arthurdirindinjr1792 on July 3, 2025 at 12:45 pm

    Thank you Mike for the help. I am a shore fisherman
    Once the lakes by me weed up in late April early May 90% of my fishing is with weedless T-Rigged soft plastics
    Weedless Flukes being #1
    Was at Bitters Tackle Co and they offer OVER 200 different colors JUST for flukes alone
    Mind boggling indeed
    I found myself overwhelmed trying to decide on what colors to buy and was very concerned on just how quickly I could end up spending $75 or $100 just on 3 maybe 4 colors for 5" and then 7" plastic flukes alone
    Now add in different colors and 2 different sizes for speed worms Senko’s Trick worms and it adds up to $300-$400 just in soft plastics real fast now add in buying two or three different hook styles (EWG, OS, Tlock) for soft plastics in #1, #2, 2/0, 3/0, 4/0 and 5/0 then tungsten weights in 1/16, 1/8, 3/16, 1/4oz and it gets scary scary expensive
    Now I do exactly as you recommend
    Match the hatch equals six different BASE colors and variants of those and contrast colors equals four different colors
    Match the hatch colors in flukes is:
    For shad/minnow base colors
    Ghost shad
    Albino shad
    Smoking shad
    Baitfish
    For panfish base colors
    Watermelon red flake
    Watermelon RF pearl
    Bluegill Flash
    Baby bass
    Mar Di Gras
    For contrast
    Sight Fish tail dyed Chartreuse
    Peral Chartreuse tail
    Pink
    I dont often need to use dark black blue contrast color’s with flukes as the water in the lakes I fish is quite clear and I can clearly see my bait up to about 3′ down
    I do use darker black/blues in my worms and creature baits though with great success
    And as you recommend I carry a color stick in orange blk and Chartreuse as well as a small jar of Chartreuse and orange luer dye and all three get used every trip and results prove they definitely help me get a few more fish every trip
    Great Advice Mike
    Like to add was just fishing a week ago and bluegills were on thier beds it after 5pm was mostly sunny water clarity was 3’+ or max for this lake mild WSW winds
    I rigged up a 5.25" Zoom Super Fluke in Watermelon red flake pearl and I used my orange marker to mark up the belly side of the entire fluke and dipped tge last .75" of the tail in Chartreuse luer dye
    Absolutely murdered the bass that trip.

  34. @Bj-vi3tq on July 3, 2025 at 12:45 pm

    Awesome video, Mike. I’m all about the California 420. I also love a redbug in hot water, like dragging a worm in 8′-15′ or in the evening. What are your thoughts on redbug?

  35. @christiancognigni6234 on July 3, 2025 at 12:45 pm

    This really is the whole enchilada on color strategy! Fantastic video, Ike!!! I LOVE those Spike It markers. LOVE THEM – If you have 5 minutes to try something – grab a green pumpkin swimbait and use the chartreuse marker to make yellow perch bars on each side… then touch the bottom in a couple spots with the orange marker and you have instant yellow perch!

  36. @scottsamuels8245 on July 3, 2025 at 12:46 pm

    What’s the best way of rigging these baits?

  37. @EastCoastHammers on July 3, 2025 at 12:46 pm

    ๐Ÿ”ฅ

  38. @moepizl on July 3, 2025 at 12:50 pm

    Hey mike. Im from ur neck of the woods. Huge fan since atleast ’02 ’03. Wat would u recommend for the rancocas in the Burlington county areas

  39. @TopWaterFrog on July 3, 2025 at 12:53 pm

    What are you keeping in your fish tank? Things a little low on water ๐Ÿ˜‚

  40. @davemccann3730 on July 3, 2025 at 12:54 pm

    What size EWG hook do you use in the Powerbait Gilly?๐Ÿ˜ฎ

  41. @southpawjinx421 on July 3, 2025 at 12:55 pm

    In a pond full of generic anglers- Mike adds color & contrast!! Thanks for another great video!

  42. @GAbassmaster on July 3, 2025 at 12:56 pm

    2nd can i get a shoutout

  43. @laurievanbruggen3705 on July 3, 2025 at 12:57 pm

    That was a very interesting Video thanks a Million

  44. @michaelwalsh6000 on July 3, 2025 at 12:58 pm

    Ike, what if itโ€™s stained tannic water, but a bright sunny day? And also an overcast lower light day?

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