Chartreuse color
Chartreux is a luminous color, bordering on fluorescent, halfway between yellow and green. To be more precise, this color even comes in two, with one chartreux tending towards yellow and another chartreux tending towards green.
Great versatility
Chartreux is a color that absorbs little light, so it reflects a good deal of it back. This luminosity allows the lure to be visible in all conditions, including low light, morning and evening, cloudy weather and tinted waters. In clear water or in very bright conditions, as it's fairly close to white, it's just as suitable.
As a result, the lure is extremely versatile, and the angler can also get a good look at it.
Soft lures
As far as soft lures are concerned, chartreuse is a color that's fairly easy to find, and I'm not going to dwell on it here. Whether on pike-perch, pike or catfish, the effectiveness of this color has been proven, but strangely enough, it is much less common on hard lures, at least in France...
Pike fishing
Fire tiger is one of the most popular colors for pike fishing. On closer inspection, this color includes a majority of chartreuse, with orange, dark green and black stripes.
The other basic color for pike fishing is white. The chartreux combines these two colors, offering a luminous lure halfway between white and green.
It's the color I'm using more and more. Before, when I acquired a new lure, I often took a fire tiger and a white. Now, I only take the chartreuse if the opportunity arises, because with just one lure, I cover what I used to do with two.
Fishing for asp
For asp fishing, in the morning and evening, in the dark, this is THE color to have! About ten years ago, as there was no such thing, I used to paint my own lures with fluorescent yellow, because chartreuse is so effective against this fish, which is very selective when it comes to lure color.
Other species to fish
Of course, the target of this color is not limited to pike and asp, as all carnivorous fish, both freshwater and saltwater, are concerned.
Outside our borders, it's a popular color for freshwater fishing, as in Australia, Latin America and Asia.
A few references
Among the top waters, I can mention reference 006 of Ima's Chappy 100 and Illex's Bonnie 95 in Mat Lemon.
There are also a few hard swimbaits, such as the Baby face 180BB and the Madness Balam in 250 or 300, all good lures for pike.
It's the minnow jerkbaits that are in short supply. I can, however, mention the Kanata sw from Megabass. Incidentally, Japanese lures are often the best choice for this color.
Normally, you're interested in a lure and then choose the color you want. In the case of chartreuse, the opposite is true. You have to look at which lures are available in that color, and choose the one that comes closest to what you want. To widen this selection a little, you can look for hard lures that incorporate chartreuse, giving you a wider choice.
To find the right lure for your needs, you can paint your own, or buy your lure abroad, where this color is more readily available.
The chartreuse color is all-purpose and effective in most conditions. If you want to start lure fishing without asking yourself too many questions, this is clearly the color I'd recommend!
