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I would say that if you asked 100 professional musky guides what is more important color or action, the response hands down would be action. For instance, is it more important to find the right color whether it is jerkbait, crankbait, topwater, bucktail?? Or is it more important to find the right action. To me hands down it is the action. Once the action is narrowed down, color becomes the key. Look at the success in the midwest with Double Cowgirls and DC10. The key is the giant blades and skirt / then the color pattern. As long as you were fishing big giant bucktails, you were ok.The key at that point was narrowing down the color. Jerkbaits, crankbaits, twitchbait don't even see the water. Action was everything. And I think you cannot dispute the success of those baits!! Once the water cools, big rubber becomes the key.

For us, our fish seem to like erratic twitch baits and gliders once the water gets cold. Get the action down then get the color. Regarding the success of one bait in one color versus the same bait in another. It may have been the color, or perhaps, that bait simply had a wobble slightly different than the other ones. Maybe it suspended more due to weight. Maybe it had a slightly wider roll or ran a little different. Most lures in the exact same style run a little different from each other. It is amazing how 1 lure seems to work great, but other baits exactly like it don't have the same success. I used to see it with bass spinnerbaits all the time and to me it was something unique with the blades, hence the action.

Therefore, to me, it is action first, then color.

Musky Hunter magazine did an article a few years agso regarding color distinction with different clarities of waters. Of all the colors out there, there were only 3 that really stood out in the three water types they tested. Black, Chart. and to a lesser degree flo orange or red. Personally, I think the color definately has something to do with a strike, but I tend to think that action is more important. Under low light situations, color has no bearing at all. I'm sure someone will prove me wrong, but just my opinion.

T- I use the "what would I do" approach and apply the same principals to " if I were a muskie, I would.........." .

Here's an example: I am in the market for a new truck. The very first thing I consider is the overall style of it. I like the look of the Chevy better than the Ford, Dodge, Toyota and Nissan. I am going to buy a Chevy. Once I know this I then consider what color I like. Only a fool buys because of color first.

Example 2: I'm out for dinner. I read the menu and I order a steak. I often don't get past that part of the description to know what kind of fancy reduction sauce it has been prepared with. Furthermore, I don't know how the presentaion (color) is going to be before I commit to ordering it. Quite honestly, it doesn't matter if all I wanted was a steak. Nothing was going to convince me to order something else.

This is why I also have a lure disorder. I say "boy if I were a muskie and I was going to be tricked into eating a piece of wood, I sure would hope it was pretty and cost at least fourty bucks!" No one wants to be the cheap date!

I agree with Greg that some baits just have a little extra magic. While smallmouth fishing this summer, I watched the guy who I was fishing with out fish me four to one using the same bait in the same color pattern. I'm man enough to admit that he is a good fisherman and probably better than me, but he is not four times better! To be fair, we switched rods and location on the boat and the tables completly turned. That bait just had a little something more.

My advice, find a lure that moves fish and stick with it. There is something about it that is getting the fishes attention. Eventually, one is going to take it. This is the confidence that Greg is talking about. -Eric