My advice is to keep it simple. With all the options of baits and colors, you can drive yourself completely nuts trying to figure out which bait and color is the best for a given day. I found myself falling into that trap, and it was hurting my success.

I made a decision to keep it simple. I now only use a bait that is proven successful under almost all conditions, and thats the 4.5" roboworm. I also only use 5 colors, all of which are proven as well. Since Ive committed to simplicity, my confidence has soared, Im happy with my success, and I spend more time fishing then playing with a bunch of baits.

Note: at times I will use a color or bait that is hot on a particular lake (i.e., the brown with purple flake at shasta). However, I rarely deviate from my system. This doesnt apply to heavy shotting.