Saltwater Assassin Color

[ben_beyer]

I was going through an older Texas Saltwater Fishing Magazine article by Jay Watkins. There's a Saltwater Assassin color that I can't seem to figure out what pattern it is. I'm more interested in what it could be mimicking to be able to match the hatch.

Any ideas?

[kickingback]

Mullet. The colors look different in the water depending on clarity. Mullet can have a green/blue hue with sunlight.

[karstopo]

http://txmarspecies.tamug.edu/fishdetai ... ysochloris

Probably a herring like the one in the link, but that’s a guess.

[karstopo]

http://txmarspecies.tamug.edu/fishdetai ... l%20curema

White mullet is another possibility.

[The Angler]

Just picked some up the other day.

[The Angler]

Just picked some up the other day.

[karstopo]

I’ve not used that particular color assassin in the OP, but I’ve seen where a specific color, that blue back being one, really outperforms any other color. It’s always an interesting exercise trying to match the hatch. I usually have a “natural“ and something that stands out color wise. If the natural doesn’t get any love, then I might try something more gaudy.

Steve Farrar Blend has a lot of shades and some bling to capture that shiny Baitfish look. There’s a boatload of Baitfish varieties and other critters the predators will dine on. Seems like they can be super selective and then not at all. Take a look at the stomach contents of any fish you might keep. Redfish in the marsh often have blue crab parts, but I hardly ever toss anything that looks exactly like a blue crab at them.

For jigging action patterns, I mostly rely on redfish crack and borski sliders. Redfish crack can really be souped up to stand out with the addition of shiny eyelash yarn.

Of course, there’s a million varieties of soft plastics. I like having a bunch without the Chartreuse tail. Sometimes, I think that Chartreuse tail is a negative. DSL tails are nice change of pace from the bigger tails on some of the others. Each plastic has its own action. I get the idea the big wobbly tails sometimes turn off the predators.

It’s fun to try and work all this stuff out. The worst may be finding fish, but not having anything in the box that they respond to but maybe not finding fish at all is worse.

[Neumie]

I think these are the lures in that box, if anyone was curious. (L to R)
Provoker Geuax Gleaux and SW Assassin Fried Chicken
Lil John Watermelon Copper Glitter and SW Assassin Cajun Croaker
Double D Double Bubble and Double D Pearl Harbor

[ben_beyer]

Thanks for the responses!

[The Angler]

I think most bait fish in our area have that olive/ blue,green colored back, or at least some iridescence of it. It looks like a good versatile pattern to throw for the presence of various types of baitfish, but remember, matching the hatch isn’t always just about color; size/profile, and action are usually just as,if not more important.
I originally thought it was needlefish, but it seems yours has more silver in it. Still, I think yours would mimic needlefish just fine.
I generally choose the colors I throw based on water color, and in my opinion, I like that color for clear to green watercolors.

[TroutSupport.com]

You don't have to match the hatch perfectly 99% of the time... like other above have said, most the baitfish in our waters look substantially the same.. really if you want to get right down to it it's mostly a silver flash almost a whitish silver flash. There are some notables that don't like croaker, pin/ piggy perch, and gulf killifish (some mud minnow species) but I've found over time that as long as you downsize when the bait is small and throw a baitfish when they are on baitfish and a shrimp like shape when they are on shrimp... note.. rat tail soft plastics do well in both situations. The most important part of match the hatch is being where the hatch is and if there is fish there or not. Also, many times there is one guy catching them on ONE color; that's more about his presentation and rigging than it is about the other guy not having his color. Size is sorta important but not super important.. if fish are there and feeding then they'll eat a mullet even if there are loads of glass minnows in the area (one caveat is redfish with shrimp in the water.. it can be hard hard to get a red to bite when all they are eating are tiny shrimp and there's 1000's of them in the water in front of them. Similar with trout and tiny shad.. but it is what it is. I can tell you that even if you got super close in those situations if the fish arn't bitting a smaller lure they probably arn't going to hit the identical replica of what is presented if that is their mood. I've also caught them during the same situation using something that was nothing like the bait they were on.. ie tiny glass minnows and catching them on a 4 inch mullet bait or one knocker. The most important part is being in fish and finding them.

[ben_beyer]

I understand. The first time I went out without a guide I caught most of my fish on Gulp shrimp but also caught a few on some Chickenboy Lures.

I had to make a trip to South Texas the past few days. On the way down I saw the sign for the Waterloo Proshop and decided to stop in. I walked out with a 7' Salinity Spinning Rod.

On the way back I stopped at Rockport Tackle Town and got some Rapala Twitchin' Mullets (interested as an alternative to Corkies and just to be another option), a package of K Wigglers, and some more Saltwater Assissins including the Cajun Croaker which is the pattern I believe I am asking about.

I'm looking forward to my trip to Port Aransas towards the end of this month. I just need to decide where to fish while I'm down there. I've only fished Wilson's so far and I'm just trying to figure out where else I want to try and begin learning the different areas.

[Ron Mc]

Water color and light angle are a big factor in what lure color looks more like bait to game fish.
This late morning tall sun shows how much green comes out of Tobin's Birthday Suit, a really good clear water/high-sun mullet

Blend colors are for clear water and high-sun, to match the surrounding structure, which naturally mirrors off shiny baitfish.
A reason greens are such good bright-light colors in tall bright sun
and TSL chicken on a chain

In turbid water and high bright sun, a white lure (TSL bone diamond) is tough to beat.
Add overcast, and darker lures, and darker color like purple in turbid water, take over.

For low angle daylight, pinks and reds work best, I think it's probably because the ambient light showing up guts in the baitfish. I always paddle out in the morning with a pink TSL grasswalker, and bigger water will go to a red cocahoe. Then switch to the more natural-looking colors with higher sun.
I've caught plenty of fish with before-sunset sun in my face on red cocahoes.
That said, my buddy Steve likes to fish pink under just about any condition, and catches his share.

If you don't have glow, blue is the best color for night.

[ben_beyer]

Thanks Ron!

I've been researching what colors to choose but I haven't read anything about changing lures as the day progresses.

I have some other colors of the Assassins in white, Texas Roach, some of their other designs in Chicken of a Chain, etc as well. And some of the original Chickenboy's I bought 2 years ago are the Bubba Clucker in white with a chartreuse tail.

The last time I was down in Port Aransas I caught my first redfish in a kayak (not my first redfish though). I had picked a gold spoon because it was overcast and tossed it in a mangrove channel where I thought I red should be. Few cranks of the reel and I had an nice 18" red on.

[Ron Mc]

You're welcome, friend.

my dad only fishes two cocahoes, red with white tail, and white with red tail. They always work for him, but bright days on oilfield flat, I always liked the green with white tail - a little red glitter never hurts


Since I found it, though, my favorite Cocahoe color, especially effective in low-angle light or off color water, is cock of the walk
Fishing is fun, fishing is simple, though it was a lot simpler before lure colors were given strange names.