Best stickbait colours?
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: Saltwater Fishing
Forum Name: Popper and Topwater Fishing
Forum Description: If you're into a bit of action on top, this is the forum for you
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=121347
Printed Date: 06 Jun 2026 at 2:20am
Topic: Best stickbait colours?
Posted By: The Tamure Kid
Subject: Best stickbait colours?
Date Posted: 26 Sep 2016 at 11:34am
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I'm a newbie top water fisho, keen to have a decent go this summer in Waitemata, inner Hauraki, and hopefully from shore up in Northland. Would appreciate expert advice in terms of lure colours to buy (will be mostly lower end in terms of price, but can splurge on one or two high end). Recent posts on trip reports show good fish taken on pillie colour schemes (Carpenter and other Japanese makes). But they all seem to have pale pearl/white/silver undersides, which is the direction the kingies would be coming from before hitting the lures? Do they even see the upper colours, spots etc? Also a post by Stellamoon of a nice fish on a lure which looks dark maroon with silver detailing. So would be a much darker silhouette. Better in poor light? The one kingie I've hooked (and lost) on stick bait was an Orca in silver and bright pink, out with Nick Dobbyn. You could see the lure for miles, so definitely easy to see if my action was working. Tony O at Mangawhai has said black top/silver I think, in the Orca. Be good to hear your views on natural v bright v dark etc. |
Replies:
Posted By: PE Pete
Date Posted: 26 Sep 2016 at 6:49pm
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I'm not sure colour is the entire story. If you know the apex fish is feeding on mackerel then sure try to match the hatch but using a bait effectively requires appropriate hook set-up, good angler input/action, correct leader to mainline ratio, good knots, appropriate size lure & appropriate reel/rod combo. In short colour is just one part of the story. The wrong colour baits worked well will always out fish the right colour fished poorly. IMO ------------- Tight lines PE Pete |
Posted By: laidbackdood
Date Posted: 26 Sep 2016 at 11:25pm
The black/silver orca is a favorite of a few charter operators ...comes pre rigged and wont break the bank.....Carpenters are difficult to swim....especially for newbies.....starwalkers and shimano ocea pencils are easy to swim even if you are clueless...If its bright id use darker lures.......if its dark....something to stand out a bit more.....a sinking stickbait can be good when its not calm......Cant go past river 2 sea Doggies for those.....again cheap and the build is great.....some awesome pilchard/sprat look a likes(bottom two)......the rest.....as Pete said
 ------------- Once the idiots turn up..Im outta here...No time for Drama Queens. |
Posted By: The Tamure Kid
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 9:13am
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Thanks Pete and Dood, I appreciate the advice. From what you're saying, it's a bit like fly fishing for trout. Presentation is often more important than the fly (in this case, lure), but worthwhile having a range of colours if they are choosy or zeroed in on a particular prey? I certainly don't want to pay $200 for a lure that I can't get to swim correctly.
I think someone posted about the Doggies a while ago, had done well in the topics. So I've bought one of those in a natural baitfish colour, a bit like a kahawai - greenish back with silvery body and spots. I read somewhere - I think in an article by Milan from Big Angry Fish - that kingies tend to be silhouette feeders in the shallower water, which is why I was wondering how important realistic baitfish details were on a lure. Perhaps that level of craftsmanship and detail is more to please the angler looking at it, than the fish. Nothing in the natural world is bright chartreuse, but it does pretty well in lots of lure types, from fly to marlin. Ditto fluoro pink. But the fish don't seem to mind, maybe triggers an aggression hit. |
Posted By: DenimViper
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 12:29pm
Not that difficult. Certainly not Carpenter Bluefish anyway, you can just wind them in slow retrieve and they swim brilliant. Gamma maybe a little tricky especially if there is a little bit of chop. It all comes down to the rod as well as the angler and the lure.
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laidbackdood wrote:Posted By: Ahi_Slayer
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 12:41pm
 Check these ones out on trademe.Just posted
They are pretty nice and sweet price for quality! http://www.trademe.co.nz/sports/fishing/salt-water/lures-jig-heads/auction-1167767718.htm |
Posted By: The Tamure Kid
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 5:15pm
Great info about the Bluefish DV. I'll just contact KiwiBank about a mortgage extension to buy the rod, reel and lure upgrades I need, and I'll be all set to join the party!
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Posted By: DenimViper
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 6:19pm
| Will do some landbase top water soon. Welcome to tag along when you get yourself sorted. |
Posted By: Troutzilla
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 7:56pm
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In a recent session the pink 90g ASWB was getting hit early morning and when we were under cloud cover. When the sun came out the 60g Bluefish came into its own. Interestingly the gannets were absolutely fooled by the carpenter, with multiple dives on it, while showing much less enthusiasm on the other baits we were using.  ------------- It aint no use if it aint chartreuse! |
Posted By: The Tamure Kid
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 8:47pm
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Good info TZilla. That Bluefish looks like it's had a bit of action, worth their weight in green and gold! I know Ben Pokaia of Nomad prefers smaller baits for early season, and your 60g success backs that up. Good work. The day we were out with Nick Dobbyn from Sandspit it was fairly overcast for our kingie stint, and the pink really stood out in the steely light conditions. Got the most hits of the various Orcas he got us to throw at them. But livies out-fished top water on our trip, particularly the slimeys the boys caught when we were picking up livies by Kawau - no surface action to speak of, though, that day. We probably only got three or four hits, and none landed. Not like you, DViper and Johnny Watson had with your recent corker days on the stickbaits. Tailor made for top water action. |
Posted By: The Tamure Kid
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 8:50pm
That's all the motivation I need! Concentrating on squid fishing in the past month or so means i haven't used up daytime brownie points - with two little fellas in the family, I have to be judicious with fishing trips and the thought of a kingie off the bricks would be time to cash in some chips!
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Posted By: DenimViper
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 9:05pm
| Yeah mate save those brownies up and we can use the yaks to get to some rocks otherwise not accessible. Troutzilla is a friend of mine who is also top water fanatic or fishing in general. |
Posted By: The Tamure Kid
Date Posted: 27 Sep 2016 at 9:45pm
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Funny, I met Mr Zilla attempting to slaughter squid along Tamaki Drive one dark night with another forum miscreant Stripstrike. Small world. Stripstrike was kind enough to explain the basics of egi etc to me a few weeks back. Very helpful and typical of what I've encountered in my short time on the forums. It must take a bit of adjusting to go from the gentle art of squid to kingie mayhem and back again. But each method is rewarding in its own way.
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Posted By: The Tamure Kid
Date Posted: 05 Oct 2016 at 4:20pm
Good tips LBDood. I like the look of this colour too, very kahawai-ish in the right light, though I think it's supposed to be a baby mahimahi.  |
Posted By: Wallopit
Date Posted: 06 Oct 2016 at 8:35pm
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most of the more expensive baits are worth what you pay with beter craftmanship/ swimming action. in terms of beginner baits. a pink and a black shimano orca will get you started. pink for low light and black for when the sun comes up. |
Posted By: The Tamure Kid
Date Posted: 06 Oct 2016 at 10:48pm
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Thanks Wallopit. I just grabbed a RAL Haku off the for sale forum yesterday, which I understand is a good NZ made lure in a different league to the mass produced lower end ones - now out of production with the designer moving on to Garage Tackle. It's a bit frustrating looking at the specialist NZ top water/lure stores online as most of the recommended mid-to-high end lures seem to all be out of stock. So I have got some on the way from Ebbtide in Australia, which seems to have a good range available and really good service/advice. As you say, the finish and artwork on the more expensive wooden ones seems a big step up. But i won't be casting my two or three most expensive prizes in rocky terrain, save them for off the boat in summer!
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