DeFoe also uses water clarity as one factor for selecting a crankbait color , and also considers wind and weather conditions .
“ When the water is pretty clear and you have bright skies , I like a color that has a little flash to it ,” he says . “ In the Rapala DT Series , the green gizzard shad is a good one and in the OG lineup , live river shad and big shad are great . They ’ re good shad imitators and do better than a solid white color when the bass can get a better look at them .” For windy or overcast days or when fishing dirtier water , DeFoe believes that contrast is essential .
“ I like a bright color but one that also has contrasting colors ,” he says . “ Ike ’ s penguin in the DT Series or original shad in the OG lineup are great for those conditions .”
The Fall-to-Winter Transition Means Crawfish Colors
As late fall slowly turns to winter , DeFoe and VanDam turn most of their attention to crawfish patterns .
“ There ’ s a point , usually when the water is in the mid- to low-50s , when I start to focus on cranking rocks as it gets colder ,” DeFoe says . “ I ’ ll fish crawfish colors more the later it gets in the year . When it gets down into the 40s , I ’ ll be fishing these colors almost exclusively .”
DeFoe is not too particular for crawfish crankbait colors and generally uses just one or two for most instances .
SHAD PATTERNS FOR DIRTY / MUDDY WATER Rapala Ott ’ s Garage Slim 06 in shad , Strike King KVD 1.5 Squarebill in chartreuse sexy shad , Strike King KVD 1.5 Squarebill in gizzard shad , Rapala Custom Ink DT4 in Ike ’ s penquin .
“ If your bait is digging down in the bottom and scooting along making a dust trail , I don ’ t think the specific crawfish color is that important ,” he admits . “ Dark brown crawdad in the DT series and crawdad in the OG
Series are about all you need . They work when the water is clear or a little dirty and when it ’ s sunny and cloudy .”
DeFoe relies on these two crankbait colors almost exclusively unless he ’ s faced with muddy water .
“ That ’ s when the red stuff like red crawdad and demon comes into play for me when the water is muddy ,”
DeFoe says . VanDam adjusts his crawfish patterns with more regularity and adjusts them primarily based on water clarity .
CRAW PATTERNS FOR CLEAN / STAINED WATER Rapala DT4 in dark brown crawdad , Strike King Series 3 Crankbait in DB craw ,
Strike King 3XD Crankbait in green craw .
74 MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM | OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2021