Clear. You can see well down into the water. Fish get a long, careful look, so they can be picky. Lean on natural, true-to-life colors.
Light stain. A slight green or tea tint, still mostly see-through. Naturals still shine, and you can start adding a little contrast.
Stained. Noticeably colored, with visibility down to a foot or less. Fish read the profile more than fine detail, so darker colors and a bright accent start to win.
Muddy. Chocolate-milk dirty, usually after rain or wind. Fish can barely see and hunt by feel, so go dark for a bold silhouette or bright/glow to get found, and add sound or scent.

Light & weather the columns

Bright sun. High, clear sky with lots of light in the water. Fish see everything, so give them realistic naturals that hold up to a close look.
Partly cloudy. Sun and clouds trading off. A little less light and a little less caution, still a naturals game with room to go bolder.
Overcast. Flat, gray light with less glare and less penetration. Fish roam and feed but see less detail, so more opaque colors that show a clean outline do better.
Night / low light. Dawn, dusk, or full dark. Almost no light, so fish key on silhouette and vibration. Dark solids for a bold outline, or bright and glow colors around dock lights.

Color families the cell color

Natural / Translucent: Imitates. The goal of natural and translucent baits is to look like real food. These colors mimic the look of actual baitfish, worms, and other forage, so a fish that can see the bait thinks it's the real thing and decides it's edible. This is why it's the go-to color family in clearer water and calmer light, where fish get a good look.
Dark Silhouette: Outlines. The function of a dark bait is to give a bold, opaque profile a fish can pick out against the brighter surface above it, or in the murky view around it, when the water's dirty or the light's low. A dark silhouette isn't trying to be the spitting image of any particular animal. The goal is to be findable.
Bright / Glow: Attracts. Chartreuse and baits infused with glow aim to be seen when nothing else can be. It's pure high-visibility, enough to tempt a hungry or curious fish, or trigger a reaction strike, when the water's too dirty or dark for anything subtle to work.

Weather & tide beyond the chart

The chart above sets your color by water and light. These are the weather wild cards: they shift how the fish are biting and where they're likely positioned, not necessarily which color or style bait you use. Use this chart in addition to the Sweets Sixteen charts to maximize your catches.

Tide and river flow. Up here the tide teams up with the river's own current. A falling tide is often best, draining the marsh and creek mouths and sweeping bait out to fish stacked at the edges. Even near slack the freshwater push keeps a little current going, so fish points, creek mouths, and drains where water is moving.
Before a storm. As the pressure drops ahead of a front, the bite usually picks up. Fish it hard right up until the weather turns, then give it a day or two to settle once the front has passed.
After a cold front. This water is the refuge. When it turns cold, fish push up into the warmest wind-protected creeks, coves, canals, and deep mangrove cuts, and sit over dark mud that holds heat. Cold-sensitive species like snook run the farthest back. The midday warm-up is your window, so work it slow and low.
Rain and runoff. A big rain floods the system with freshwater and shoves the salt line downstream toward the mouth. Fish follow the salinity they like: salt-lovers like trout drop down toward saltier water, while freshwater-tolerant fish like snook and reds hold happily up top. Find the seam where fresh meets salt and you find the bait.
Dog-day heat. Still, tannic backwaters go warm and low on oxygen in a heat wave. Fish slide toward creek mouths, current seams, and deeper cuts where it's cooler and better oxygenated. Fish dawn, dusk, and after dark, and favor anywhere the water is moving.
Wind. Tucked up in the creeks and rivers you are mostly sheltered, so wind bothers you far less here than out on the open flats. A blown-out day on the bay is a good day to run up a creek. A light breeze still helps by riffling the surface and giving you cover.