Lure colors

[alacrity]

does matching the hatch, then, mean that your lure color should match the color of the predator's prey?

[WAHOONBOX]

does matching the hatch, then, mean that your lure color should match the color of the predator's prey?

JUST READ YOUR "BEST CATCH" IN YOUR AVATAR AREA: flyball 1974 to win all star game


CARE TO ELABORATE....SOUNDS COOL!

[Questsportfishing]

if you don't want that lure you posted in the pic with the bill scratch on it I will take it and pay for shipping...

[alacrity]

JUST READ YOUR "BEST CATCH" IN YOUR AVATAR AREA: flyball 1974 to win all star game


CARE TO ELABORATE....SOUNDS COOL!

i'm the smallest guy on the team (by a lot!), with a wicked arm playing shortstop. the batter is 6' 170lbs of muscle at age 10-11 (an anomaly) and bases loaded with 2 outs. everyone takes 10 steps back (some more) and i'm halfway in the outfield. batter hits a fly ball in between shortstop and the left fielder who is in the next ball field. he aint gonna get it so i'm running with all i've got. i dive and catch the ball about a foot off of the ground and win the game. it's been all down hill ever since.

[canyongear]

Thanks for the info guys this is good stuff.
Canyongear, personally, I would love to read the original article. I try to read anthting I can get my hands on. Are there any book dealers on this site?

Here ya go..an index to a ton of occular and retinal pelagics studies..have fun!

http://de.scientificcommons.org/k_a_fritsches

[Bert Rodgers]

I knew some OC guys who used to swear by 8" Zuker Feathers with brown heads and brown skirts and white feathers. They called it Cocoa Puff. Whites and Tunas loved them.

Anyone know if they are still making them?

Bert

[Roddy Hays]

Plenty of interesting thoughts and ideas here so far, let me introduce a couple of my own.

I started fishing as a crewman many years ago, in British waters. There, much of the fishing I was involved with took place deep down, with species familiar with many northern US anglers - cod, pollack, pollock, ling and others. At the depths these fish fed in, it was important to produce results to ensure return customers. Pretty soon one learnt often to vary the colour of the artificial involved to produce the best results, whether the artificial involved was a plastic eel or a plastic squid. Black, red, white, blue, green, orange, yellow and even grey were common colours, and on their day there would almost always be a colour the fish would bite more readily than the others. Chatter on the VHF would always revolve around, "What colour are they biting ?" more than what lure was being using. In truth, the fishing involved little more than dropping the baits onto the fish, normally over wrecks or reefs, and then adding a little action to them. The main difference between those who caught and those who did not very often amounted to what colour the more successful fishermen were using.

In this respect, colour is important, and the interpretation of its use should incline more towards what the fish can see, rather than what the fish wants. Indeed, later in life as I fished commercially for other species, including European bass (similiar to, but smaller than striped bass), it became even more apparent to me that no matter how similar in size or appearance a bait might be to the prey present, success still depended on presenting a bait in a colour that the fish could find. Down in the murky depths of the English Channel, where current, silt, sand and shifting sediments and coloured water produce a varied landscape, the ability to understand that a yellow eel might be more visible than a black one on one day, and a blue one might be better than a red the next, played an important part in success. Notwithstanding the fact that there are no black sand-eels in those waters, for example, it still behove the fisher well to understand that on any given day that particular colour could outfish a plastic eel mimicking the colouration of its natural cousin.

This understanding is a facet of deep-water angling that is natural to me, and to many others, no matter where we fish or what we fish for. We do not consciously think this as we drop for AJ's over the Hump off Islamorada, or slick a Yozuri jig down deep on the 3 Kings north of New Zealand for a hapuka, but we understand the fact that we will, amongst our party, find a colour the fish want that day and one they will eat more readily than others. Yes, a selection of colours may catch, but by days' end you'll find a series of pigments that will not have used once rejected.

How does this translate into blue-water trolling ?

For me it is simple. When we put out our four or five lures, normally each with a very, or slightly differing, selection of coloured skirts, we may be fooling ourselves into thinking we are imitating the prey species we think might be present or inherently uppermost in our prey's mind. I, however, do not think this is the case - in practice, I rather think we may be offering a selections of hues and shades in our lures of which one will be more readily apparent than the others to a pursuing predator. And by this, we should not just simply think in terms of visibility, but also in terms of the different tones of colour the prey takes according to state of mind - black with excitement, pale with sickness, brown with fear and silver with electric communication. Indeed, if a fish could be measured in colour in the deep blue, it would be black, silver and white, with some shade of electric as a fourth . Uncle Freddly is right on with his summation.

However, there is much, much more to this issue than simply that. For it is not solely colour that leads to success offshore, much as it might seem to do in inshore waters. For on the one hand we still have to find our fish, and on the other we are dealing with different species too, and a marlin is very different to a tuna, and a wahoo is very different to sailfish. To try and discuss the colours of a spread on such a broad scope is all but impossible. And here are a few thoughts :

- what do you make of the tuna spread with a myriad of colours when everything is eaten by a full-house of predators ?

- do wahoos prefer darker colours because they are silhouette feeders, ambushing from below ?

- in a blue marlin double-header, why are often two different colours are eaten ?

- why, at the dock, do you find so many different colours have been successful during any given day ?

- why is one colour so successful for one boat, and not so successful for another ?

- why is one colour so successful in one country, and never used in another ?

- if we knew what colours are so successful, why are some captains not ALWAYS more successful than others ?

- why does a colour we run against our will so often pick out a fish, against our better judgement ?

- why are bright colours more successful in tropical waters than in colder ones ?

- why is white such a successful colour for commercial tuna fishermen in some parts of the world ?

- why is black such a successful colour for commercial tuna fishermen in other parts of the world ?

The thought process could go on and on, and this even before one considers the other aspects of lure fishing such as head shape, wake position, boat speed, hook-rig and line angle. And in marlin fishing these aspects are more important than in tuna fishing, when lure size and numbers come into play. What we see as colour might not be the same to a fish, notwithstanding its biological abilities. Colour recognition from a fish's point of view depends on a myriad of factors, including plankton levels, water temperature, sediment, above water light levels, cloud cover, seasonal sun strength, chlorophyl, strength of eyesight and fish condition.

I can truthfully say that having fished around the world, in a variety of oceans and sea conditions, that colour selection is not the end-all and be-all for me, and when I have all my other eggs lined up, then I prefer to think in terms of contrast far more when it comes to colour selection. Indeed, for marlin fishing, I like my lures to have two tones, and then to have bars, or spots, or shimmer as an accent - each of those criteria being something a fish will readily see in bait and something easily replicated in a lure’s skirting. I also accept that at 8 knots none of the above might even matter a jot, but it makes me happy, and in marlin fishing that is a major factor, and it allows me more time to spend looking at the GPS, the sounder and the tide-table, rather than the wake. I also think head-shape, and action, is of far more importance than any set colour combination. I have given up thinking the black & purple is boss when another boat catches all theirs on a yellow and orange !

In tuna fishing (and I speak here of YF, BE, skipjack and albacore), I think size is of such vital importance that colour becomes a small part of the equation - almost anything black through to blue or green is good, dark is good for me - I want the silhouette and I want it in numbers, in the right size. Spreader bars, lots of them, baits the same size as the quarry the tuna are feeding on, and I’m done - on a general basis. There may be exceptions, but they do not fall into this argument.

The other blue-water species warrant much more discussion, but you’re probably all bored, so I’ll leave you with this thought :

“The truth is, a man new to game-fishing could go into a decent tackle store, be sold six or seven lures for marlin fishing by a knowledgeable salesman and never need to buy another if he didn’t listen to other people. Those seven heads would cover just about every situation he’ll meet, the only uncertainty surrounding their selection being colour - since that is still the matter for debate in every pub. Do colours matter, do fish see them ? Why does the black&purple Moldcraft seem to work so well compared to the pink one ? Why does blue & pink seem to catch more fish than plain silver ? Are colours important to fish ? We may find out eventually, but if colours are important to you as a fisherman, choose a lure system that lets you change your colours instantly - at least that will make you feel happy !........

…….As a species, fishermen spend a lot of time preparing tackle, tying knots, making sure our reels work and laying out the right clothing and accoutrements. To be blunt, once the hooks and leader are put in the lures, they go in the bag and we don’t spend a lot of attention to them till they go in the water. We’ll study tide-tables, weather reports, phone people endlessly, browse on-line forums, read books and generally do a bunch of stuff rather than open the lure bag, look at them and then do it up again. Lures really are a small but simple part of the equation.

When your flies are rigged, your waders on, the car parked and the river stretches out before you, do you stop at the first stretch of water you come to ? The knowing angler might, the idiot almost certainly will.

When that late-night caller whispers, “ Behind the north-east reef in 300 metres of water at 3.35pm today, the sky was full of wheeling birds, 20.5 degrees, and just after the tide-change we raised four - be there tomorrow !” before hanging up, are you really going to call him back and ask him what colour he raised them on ?

Pay more attention in life to those who tell you “where and when”, not “what on” - I guarantee you’ll catch more fish.”

[Roddy Hays]

Jeez guys, I just realised how long the post above it. Ooops, sorry.

[alacrity]

thanks for sharing your experience, analyses and thoughts.

[canyongear]

So that's what was in the mystery ingredients of the Krabby Patty..Eugene is going to be pissed! Bikini Bottom will never be the same...

Onward..
I believe in the Fluorecsent color theory that allows predators of all kinds and species including pelagics to see into the ultra-violet range of colors. Just some thoughts from some papers I read.

"Fluorescent colors have the added advantage of reflecting ultraviolet. Remember, most predators can see into the ultraviolet range. We can't even imagine what the color values are to them, but we can observe and deduce what attracts them. Blood is a fluoresence material predators including fish can see it. It makes sense that predators would both be able to see this color and be attracted by it. I believe that this phenomenon accounts for the fabulous attraction of the color chartreuse. It may not look anything like blood to us, but to a creature that can see into the ultraviolet range, it very well might.


Fluorescent Colors Increase Visibility
Fluorescent colors, especially chartreuse, 50% green 50% yellow, are very popular with saltwater fishermen. I almost always start fishing with a chartreuse Half & Half, even if it's just to see if there are any fish in the area. Under the right conditions, fluorescent colors, which are not naturally found in nature, can be very visible under water and seen for considerable distances. A fluorescent color is one that will be bright when exposed to light having a shorter wavelength. For example, fluorescent yellow appears as bright yellow when exposed to ultra-violet, blue, or green light. Alternatively, fluorescent yellow does not appear yellow when struck by red light that has a longer wavelength. Because of this unique characteristic of fluorescent colors, they do not have as dramatic a change of color when they are fished deeper.
The fluorescence of fluorescent colors is mainly due to ultraviolet (UV) light, a color that is invisible to us. Humans cannot see UV light, but we can see how it brings out the fluorescence in certain colors. Ultraviolet light is especially dominant on cloudy or gray days, and when UV light hits something having fluorescent material, its color becomes especially visible and vibrant. On bright sunlit days, the fluorescent effect is considerably less, and of course if there is no light, there will be no fluorescence.
Research shows that fluorescent colors are visible and distinct for longer distances than regular colors. To be more precise, a fluorescent color having a slightly longer wavelength than the color of the water has better long-distance visibility. For example, in greenish waters, the brightest colors would be fluorescent green or chartreuse. As good as fluorescent colors may be, they will usually not work if the fish are actively feeding on a specific bait, since it is highly improbable that the fluorescent color will resemble any color in that bait.

The absorption or filtering out of color also works in a horizontal direction. So again, a red jig that is only a few feet from a fish appears gray. Similarly, other colors also change with distance. For a color to be seen, it must be hit by light of the same color and then reflected in the direction of the fish. If the water has already attenuated or filtered out) a color, that color will appear gray or black. Fluorescent colors behave a little differently.

Credits:

Dr. David Ross is a senior scientist emeritus at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

Mr. Rabbit Jensen fly tyer.

Besides the normal solid and shades of the Chartreuse family, which we use quite a bit in almost all our lure skirts..this particular skirt has done extremely well..note it has all three components of the theories on color..

Black
Purple/Violet
Chartreuse/Green
Chartreuse/Yellow

You will see alot of this skirt color combination on our lures.