The screen of my sonar unit showed the submerged tree nearly 30 feet below me was stacked with fish that I suspected were crappies. But my best efforts had only produced a couple light bites, ones that did not result in hooked fish.

I was nearly ready to leave the spot, pass it off to “they just weren’t biting,” when I opted to be a bit more active and see if a change in color would be effective. I popped off the chartreuse body that had been on the 1/16-ounce jig and replaced it with one called “pink lemonade,” a two-tone offering that featured a blend of pink and lime green.

It took the best part of half a minute for the light jig to flutter down into the uppermost branches of the sunken tree. But when it did, a light tap was transmitted through the ultra-thin 10-pound test braided line. Moments later, a fat 13-inch black crappie was in the boat. Five others of equal size quickly followed suit before the action died.

I chastised myself for nearly taking the lazy approach and not offering up more colors when I knew the spot held fish. Color can make a difference, with certain species in particular. Crappies are one of them.

Walleyes are another. I recall a period a couple of years ago when summertime Pymatuning walleyes showed a decided preference for Storm Hot n Tots in a gold/orange color. This is not to suggest that they would take nothing else when there are dozens of color options out there. But of the dozen or so varieties that we put out there, only gold/orange would trigger a bite.

Over the years, I’ve come to rely on certain colors for various species and lure choices.

For walleyes in the lower Allegheny River, from late fall through early spring, it’s tough to beat a chartreuse jig when the water is stained. If it’s muddy, orange is typically best. If it’s clear, white or white/blue shines.

On the free-flowing middle Allegheny, bucktail jigs in olive green or black take both smallmouth bass and walleyes. On clear water lakes like Keystone, white bucktails seem to trigger lots of bites, and it doesn’t hurt if some pink is mixed in. Bucktails come into their own right about now.

The Ned Rig, the short three-inch worm coupled to a light jighead, has been the rage on the bass scene for several years, it simply catches lots of fish. On the Allegheny, I do best with half of a Z-Man ZinkerZ in coppertruse color; the jighead either red or orange.

On Keystone, I like a variation of the Ned Rig, more specifically a Z-Man Hula Stick in “The Deal” or Mud Minnow. These are fished on light jigheads painted either black or green pumpkin.

Zoom super flukes produce a ton of bass for me from spring through mid-fall. In clear water, I do best with watermelon green or cotton candy. In stained water, bubblegum often excels. Pearl white works in clear and stained water.

It’s likely that Rapala X-Raps put over 1,000 smallmouth bass in my boat each year, from mid-spring through early fall. My favorite clear water colors are olive green, yellow perch, and olive muddler. When the water’s dirty, hot mustard muddler and rusty crawdad are effective.

These are just a few of the color preferences I’ve noticed over the years. Admittedly, they can become a self-fulfilling prophesies. Since that’s what we typically fish, that’s what puts fish in the boat. The trick is to not be stubborn and try other things where the norm is not working.

Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle