Merwin: Is Sexy Shad Fishing’s Hottest Color?

A couple of years ago, popular bass pro Kevin VanDam came up with a crankbait color that Strike King lures (his sponsor) produced as “sexy shad.” [photo] It’s basically a blue-green back with a chartreuse stripe along the sides. Now just about every lure company is offering their own, similar versions in a wide variety of lure styles. I have never seen a new lure color become so popular so quickly.

I have not yet fished one of these, but probably will this spring just to see what all the fuss is about. Fashion in fishing lures is, I think, more marketing and media driven than created by the fish themselves. Sexy shad just might be the new miracle lure, but I doubt it. Having seen lures come and go through a lot of years of fishing, I’ve learned to be suspicious of any wild claims.

Yes, some lures work better than others at various times. And it’s also true that a really skilled angler can catch at least a few bass on just about anything. So has anyone out there been fishing “sexy shad” crankbaits with great results? Or is it all just fluff…