Color or Confidence? It's the bass fishing version of the chicken and the egg. Color or confidence - which came first? Does the right color give you confidence? Or, does a healthy dose of confidence make any color productive? And, what is more important, choosing the right color to match conditions or having confidence in what you're throwing? According to Elite Series pro Alton Jones, the two are closely related and, in his opinion, of almost equal importance. “I really think having confidence in what you're throwing and picking the right color go hand-in-hand,” said Jones. “Both are critical, but if I had to choose one, I'd go with confidence. In other words, if I had to choose between the right bait in the wrong color or the wrong bait in the right color, I'd go with the right bait. “I really see having the right bait type is the most important. Getting the right color is kind of fine-tuning. For instance, if I feel the fish will hit a spinnerbait, I'll start with a spinnerbait in the color I have the most confidence in. For me, that's usually chartreuse and white. If I see fish following it, but not taking it, I'll know I have the right bait, but need to change colors. Sometimes changing colors will be the difference between getting a fish to follow a lure and getting a fish to hit it.” Jones says confidence and color is his one-two punch for virtually any situation. “For every situation, I have bait types I'm confident in,” said Jones. “And, for every bait type, I have colors I'm confident in. So, I'll always start out with what I think is the right bait in my favorite color. From there, I'll observe how the fish are reacting and fine-tune my retrieve or my color choice. “Sometimes you need to completely change colors. Other times, it may just take a little change. For instance, when you're throwing a spinnerbait, you may just need to change the blade color. But, whatever change you make, the further you dial in - every time you make an improvement - it improves your confidence. And, the more confident you are, the more fish you're gonna' catch.” In order to become a well-rounded angler, Jones says it is important to become confident in a wide array of lure categories. That can be done, he says, but only if anglers are willing to step outside their comfort zone. “In order to build confidence in a lure type, you need to fish it,” said Jones. “It is important to read about it and learn all you can from reading and talking to people. But, that will only take you so far. You can't replace time on the water when it comes to building confidence in a bait. “If you really want to get better and build you confidence with a certain type of bait, leave your regular lures at home. The only way you'll stick with a new bait type is if you force yourself to fish it. Sometimes that means leaving yourself no other options. “For example, if you usually fish a worm, but want to learn to fish a jig, leave your worms at home. Because, if you don't, after a few minutes of not getting any bumps on a jig, you'll pick up a rod with a worm on it and be right back to worm fishing and not learning anything about jig fishing. It's only natural you'll go back to what you're confident in, so when you're working on learning something new, you have to take the other options away.” Jones says anglers willing to make this sacrifice will be rewarded in the long run. “The more confident you become with various lure categories, the more versatile you'll be as an angler,” said Jones. “The more versatile you are as an angler, the more consistent you'll become. Consistency is crucial, especially when tournament fishing.” And tournaments, Jones says, are not the time to try new things. If anglers haven't built confidence in a lure type, he advises leaving it in the box. “Game day is not the time to build confidence,” said Jones. “Practice is when you build confidence. When money's on the line, stick with your confidence baits. If you're curious about a certain lure, try it during you're practice days. That's when you have a chance to build confidence in a lure.” That confidence, according to Jones, is critical for fishermen of all levels. “Confidence is what gives you success,” Jones stated. “Whether you're tournament fishing or just out fishing for fun, having confidence in what you're doing is what helps you be successful. When you're confident, you work you're bait better, you're more alert - you expect a strike on every cast. When you're confident you catch more fish.” *Alton Jones photo courtesy of Jeff Samsel texas bass fishing, texas fishing, texas fishing reports, texas catfish, texas lakes, texas rivers, fishing in texas lakes, fishing in texas rivers