There are seemingly endless combinations of jig heads and soft plastic bodies when jig fishing. Jig heads can be easily found painted white, red, or even chartreuse. It’s also common to see them unpainted in a natural silver metal color. With so many possibilities, many anglers wonder what is the best color for a jig head? When the water is clear and shallow (<30 ft), a red jig head or an unpainted jig head is best. In murky and shallow waters, chartreuse or pearl work best as they give extra flash to help attract fish. In deeper waters (100 ft+), most colors disappear, so jig head color becomes much less important.
The key factors to consider when choosing a jig head to use include the water clarity and depth, the weather conditions, and matching the colors of the baitfish swimming around. Read on to learn more about when to choose each jig head color, but remember, the soft plastic you choose to pair it with, is just as important as the jig head.
Water Depth Impacts Whether Jig Color is Visible
Water depth is the most important factor to consider for lure colors. The deeper the water is, the harder it is to see color. Light essentially gets diluted as it travels through more and more water. This is the reason why it always looks so dark in any videos and images from the deep ocean. As a ballpark figure, we will estimate that “deep water” means 100 feet or more. After 100 ft of depth, the jig can still be seen by a predatory eye, but the fish will see a lure body, and not the paint color at this point.
If you stay near shallow water, the chance of a fish seeing the paint color on your jig head is much greater. You can test the theory yourself in a pool with goggles on. You’ll still be able to see the jig’s paint job when you’re holding it at the bottom of a 6ft deep swimming pool. Since the approximate depth is generally something you know about your fishery before heading out for a day, plan your jig head color for the depth. When I go out to fish the shallow flats of Mosquito Lagoon, I rig up a couple Z-Man Redfish Eye jigheads with red eyes and some Mustad Inshore Darter Jig Heads in plain.
In mid-depth water, the visibility of color is diminished, so maximizing the light reflection of the jig is key. I’ll pull out my jig heads with pearl eyes or chartreuse heads to improve the chances of my jig catching the eye of a nearby bottom dweller. If you’re unsure what type and size of leader line to use, read my article Jigging Leaders: Why You Need One & How to Choose It.
Baitfish Coloring is Key: Always Match the Hatch
Most anglers will hear the phrase “match the hatch” soon after getting interested in fishing. Matching the hatch means choosing a lure that resembles the size and color of the baitfish you see. If you see small, silver pilchards, a white head with a pearlescent body would be a great option. If you find the fish still aren’t biting, try a jig head with a red eye and work the jig a little more erratically to mimic an injured baitfish. This kind of change up usually works well for me.
As another example, if you see shads around, an unpainted jig head with a shad body would work well. Its challenging to talk about jig head colors without also discussing the color of the soft plastic body. When the two are paired up, the soft plastic accounts for about 90% of the total lure size. In some ways, fretting over the color of the jig head isn’t going to make nearly as much a difference as getting the lure body color right. I try to match the jig head and the soft plastic body color together, and then match the combination to the baitfish you see as much as you can.
Sun & Water Clarity Affect Potency of Jig Color
The amount of sunshine also plays a part in which jigs work best. Jig heads with pearl eyes are intended to reflect light and catch the eye of nearby fish. You can easily see the light reflecting when the sun is up and there aren’t any clouds or weeds blocking the rays. Whenever you can see a slight shimmer in the water, the fish can too. A natural metal jig head with pearl eyes and a shimmery white soft plastic body on a sunny day with clear waters and silver pilchards around will surely produce a lot of fish.
On the contrary, if it's a cloudy day and you’re fishing near weeds or trees that block the light, and the water is murky, you’ll want to lean towards a jig head with chartreuse on it. The bright chartreuse will be noticed, without requiring the sunlight for reflection. Keep in mind that it depends on the baitfish you see too. If the baitfish are dark, a chartreuse head may not perform well and you may need to go with a black or natural metal jig head. The Jigging World Power Ball V2 Jig Heads come in several different color varieties, such as white, chartreuse, pink, glow(whitish), pink shine, nuclear chick (green and red), salmon red, and fire tiger (orange, yellow, green).
Does Jig Head Color Really Matter?
Nearly every piece of fishing tackle comes in an array of colors and sizes. It can be overwhelming for novice and even experienced anglers. When it comes to jig head colors, the varieties available are almost excessive, especially considering the minimal difference the jig head color makes. Soft plastic bodies account for nearly 90% of the overall lure size, so the color of the soft plastic matters far more than the jig head color. A tackle box with red jig heads, unpainted jig heads, and white jig heads is plenty of variety to keep on hand. You’ll need a much larger variety of soft plastic shapes and colors to help you “match the hatch”.
While you’re here, check out our other articles on saltwater jigging, such as Top 7 Saltwater Jigging Rods and Is Braid or Mono Best for Jigging? Tight lines, y’all!
