Walk into any tackle shop in the country, and you’re instantly confronted with hard and soft bass fishing baits in more colors than you can imagine. Modern molding and painting techniques have allowed lure manufacturers to quickly design and produce colors that in years past wouldn’t have been possible.

As good as this is for anglers with unlimited bait budgets, it can make crankbait color selection a nerve wracking proposition, as it can be downright difficult to decide which colors to buy.

To help out, we thought it would be a good idea to put together a basic guide to which colors are necessities, and under what conditions each shines brightest. Here is our guide to clear water and stained water crankbait color selection.