The advancement of paint schemes has left a lot of proven fish catching colors in the dust, but you shouldn’t sleep on them because nobody else is using them. They still catch lots of bass!
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2) Berkley Money Badger Firetiger – https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Berkley_Money_Badger_625_Crankbaits/descpage-BFMB.html?from=MSFG
3) Berkley Stunna Blaze – https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Berkley_Stunna_Jerkbait_112/descpage-BSJK.html?from=MSFG
4) Xcalibur XR50 Chrome Blue Back – discontinued
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I was born and raised in Chicago, but after working 12 years in the financial Industry regulating the futures and options markets at the CME/CBOT I decided to pursue my passion fishing professional tournaments and left my full time corporate job. At that point, I moved to Junction City, WI with my wife Sara and two boys Hank and Duke. I’ve been fishing professionally since 2011 and full-time since 2015. I’ve qualified for seven MLF Championships and won over a half million in tournament winnings at the professional level.
I still use chrome and blue pretty often- especially in the fall though- chrome and blue Knockin' Trap, works really well. Also, the chrome and blue Luhr Jensen speed trap is a favorite of mine. Fire Tiger has never been a good color for me, but I remember it being big back in the 80s though- huge. Blaze orange/red I use in the spring but, that's usually the only time I use it. Black Neon- which is just black with red flake- is one of my fav. old school colors. I think it's been around for decades now; I remember my grandfather throwing black neon curly tail worms when I was like 8 years old. I'm in my fifties now.
Holy cow! As a custom painter. Chrome and blue or black is one of best. I also get a lot of fire tiger.
Red is one of the first colors to fade to a neutral brown as water depth increases/light penetration decreases. Red was a favorite plastic worm color for me when I was learning to fish. It seemed to work everywhere.
Three for three! That chrome/blue is good any time. One I’d add is yellow. I don’t do the great on square bills. A medium diver ( think DT-6 DT-8) or a suspending jerk bait can be a killer. A black back, sometimes with black ribs rounds out the paint job.
Thanks for the videos
Tight lines and Godspeed
I was kinda expecting to hear about Labatt Blue!
Chrome blue back with an orange underside is killer. …. I also like the rapala crawdad, orange / goldfish color with an orange underside. … idk why every bait maker doesn’t offer these two colors.
The original black back chrome floating rattle trap is still one of my go to baits. Love that color!
Absolutely agree that chrome/blue back/orange belly is great, especially on lakes with a lot of blueback herring. A couple years ago I started using an old Cotton Cordell chrome/blue back deep Red Fin that was buried in my tackle box and now have either that or a smaller Bandit B-Shad in the same color tied on almost all the time when fishing Lake Hartwell. They work year round for spots, largemouth, and the occasional striper or hybrid.
A color for me that I haven't seen in a while for plastic worms that was really good for me is motor oil. Sometimes people or manufacturers forget that Bass can only see certain colors.
Matt I stopped in Harney Pond and spoke mometarily last feb I think. U were talking strategy with a bed. U always are competitive. My point here, is how informative that u are in endless subjects with ur channel. I salute and hope u move to BASS. HOT MUSTARD is another goody.
Firetiger is the green pumpkin of hardbaits for me. LOL!
Clown, clown ratting rogue has caught me more on lowlight winter moon nights.
Thanks Matt, I remember seeing old timers tackle box's when I was a kid and they all had a couple white lures with bright red heads. I think that was a staple color back then.
Firetiger lures are alive and well where I fish. Works great in tidal fisheries. Largemouth and smallies blast firetiger. Your so right about deep lures in clearer water, firetiger shines. I heard that chartreuse turns to white below 6' to bass. How they know that is beyond me.
Every Spring I go back to the old school I throw a Smithwick jerkbait fire tiger color I've never had it let me down in the spring just an FYI thanks for all you do Matt
I have a box full of chrome blueback lipless, a staple when bass or striper are busting on shad , just got a 15lb striper yesterday at Watts Bar lake on a YoZuri rattlin vibe in chrome blueback , stays tied up this time of the year , the blaze color is one I saw you mention last year, have to thank you because I caught some good ones on that Stunna in blaze last winter
It’s mid November and I live in Tennessee. 40-50 degree days 30 degree nights and I’m still throwing traps, square bills and crank baits in crawfish red. And I’m catching good size B.A.S.S. each time I go out.
Chrome/Blue back 3.5" original Rebel Minnow has caught me 100's of bass.
California delta largemouth love the firetiger … i think going against the popular color's or lures can have it's benefits just saying
I'm 40 years old. To relay a related story, back when I was a little tyke (late 1980s), my uncle gave me an IBM desktop computer and two boxes of those big floppy disks worth of software… This was pre-windows, so I had to learn DOS, just to give you a sense of the time period. Anyway, one of the disks had an old bass fishing game, the graphics sucked, but the game play wasn't bad for the time. I remember you couldn't ever see your lure, but you could choose a type of bait (they had crankbait, stickbait, plastic worm, buzzbait, jig, frog, and spinnerbait). Then, you chose a color, I remember they had Fire Tiger, Chrome Blueback, Root beer, Motor oil, and of course black, white, brown, green, etc. And interestingly, they did NOT have green pumpkin, or sexy shad. I don't know if color choice had any impact on the game, but I love throwing Fire Tiger, and so do the non-virtual fish I catch.
I have to admit, I have avoided the fire tiger pattern, I guess because I have never seen anything in the water that color ! but I do like pinks and purples, they seem to get their fair share of bites.
Firetiger is a money color in clear water where they are feeding on perch. Still one of my favorites
Kids don’t see anglers on BASS live throwing firetiger. So they don’t either, some haven’t seen that color.
I’m as old as you, and like you don’t feel it. I agree with all color selections you had.
Thank You .
Good video Matt, soft plastic bait colors I miss motor oil and cream pink
i went to my local tackle shop today and seen a bunch of the core tackle stuff. was there a few weeks ago and they did not have it then. that stuff is starting to get around.
Fire tiger is my secret juice, it crushes!! let’s just go ahead and stop talking about it


2 weeks ago, I picked 12 1/2oz Cotton Cordell spots NIP never displayed 1992 Bass Master Classic winners, chrome sides blue back. Hello, my Rapala on the wall. Good luck and safe Holidays To you and yours Matt.
Thank you for your hard work.
Thank you again for sharing your knowledge!
Firetiger is my favorite for river fishing in Iowa. Purple would be number 2.
Still love them colors! I totally agree with you. Cant think of any others in crankbaits But In plastics I see some not being made as much that still work awesome, like red shad and tequila sunrise, or just a plain purple worm
I have a old bomber flat A firetiger one of my favorites
One of the best big fish days I've ever had was throwing a jerkbait in chrome blue back on smith Mt lake. Any shade you could find throw in it jerk jerk and multiple 4-7lb fish would bang heads trying to get the bait. It was absolutely amazing. Plus it was one of the last times I got to fish with my father figure before he died. R.I.P. Larry.
Matt
A bomber model a sleeper
Clear with the silver insert
It won 2 classics
Stanley Mitchell
Clunn on Arkansas River
They had a defect
On screw tails anyway
Theyd leak and mirror would fog
Yes, Firetigers catch river bass. It tends to work in breamy lakes. Red Craw I have never used, but I can tell you it's a superb color for catching fish. I wouldn't put it in classic colors bc the new variations are off the chart and the older ones aren't as effective. I think mostly older colors are bad and just made on bad lures. Chrome is hot everywhere unless if your lure isn't as effective by itself.
Caught my first fish in a state Tennessee BASS tourney on Bomber Model A Firetiger
Redhead,white body bass oreno, clown jerkbait had some crank baits custom painted clown. Thanks for sharing Matt
Hey Matt, I’m loving the Core Tackle Products! I have been sharing the tush and Hoover Rig with a few of the guys in my Kayak Fishing Club. For the 2024 Season I’m stepping my game up and fishing a larger AOY style trail and also still my regular club events. Not to mention I’m going to try to start producing content again sharing these experiences over the upcoming season. Would love to work with Core Tackle if that was ever a possibility. Thanks for all the knowledge you share with us fishermen
That blue chrome is a good color, Rayburn red , and the mid size Zara spook with a red head on chrome body. I’ve actually had fish jump out of the water for the spook. The sexy shad is a dud for me. You always do a great job explaining your material for your show. Thank You
I don't think pink gets enough attention.
I love old school fire tiger!
a lot of baits are designed this day and time are designed to catch fishermen instead of fish lol
More than anything what happened was these companies started coming out with all these wild off the wall colors made to attract us fisherman not the fish necessarily and we forgot about the ones that caught fish.