Reaction Strike: Why White?

Joseph Zuzevich of Rockford, IL wrote: "I love the site and am reading your book for the second time. I live in an area where I believe my personal best (7 pounds) could be improved upon. I also have a lot of Esox swimming in local waters so I think this year I'm going to focus on big tubes with a multispecies approach.

I wanted to ask you a question. I know this question is probably the kind you dread because it could imply that I'm not getting the message of the book and the site. In every photo of you in the book with a big bass (where a tube lure's in the picture), the tube is white.

Without overemphasizing the importance of color as a variable in catching fish, is white your go-to color? Is this just a coincidence? If you were going out with just one color tube what would you throw? Thanks again for the great book and the great site.

Here are some excellent questions from someone who's really paying attention. To answer your question Joseph: No, the predominance of white in the photos is no coincidence. The very design of Bill Siemantel's Lindy Tiger Tube is to produce the illusion of a shad ball, not an individual fish.

In most water clarities, white creates this illusion of realism quite satisfactorily. In extremely clear water conditions, a smoke/flake or similar pattern probably does a better job at creating the illusion by producing a more muted appearance. If you had nothing but these two color patterns, you would rarely find yourself at a loss in all but the most unique situations.