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Old 11-22-13, 04:17 PM   #1
joedog
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Talking Back to the color of lure discussion

Now here's some easy reading that explains what fish see.

Choosing Colors that Catch Fish
Different Fish See Different Colors
In order to see color, a fish needs to have at least two cone cell types in its eyes. Bottom-dwelling fish (i.e. catfish) have only one type of cone cell so they see everything in shades of gray - they can determine an object's brightness, but not its color. Many shallow water surface-fish (i.e. trout, minnows, carp) have four cone cell types, allowing them to see all colors, including the hidden ones in the ultraviolet spectrum. Other fish such as the bluegill and the bass have two cone cell types, limiting their color distinctions to black, browns, greens and reds (and possibly yellows for the bass). Although most of these fish can discriminate between very fine shades of the colors they can see, this ability has no effect on what they select for food - recent tests have shown that, all other things being equal, the shade/tint of the color (bright red vs dark red) doesn't influence a fish's willingness to attack bait.
Unfortunately, there is no chart explaining the color viewing capabilities for each species of fish. With this is mind, it is best to make color selections based on color contrast rather than actual colors. For instance, pick a lure with two colors that would appear differently, regardless of their actual color. Here is an example of how a some fish might see a blue and red lure - notice the color contrast exists in all three views:




Color Filtration in Water
Water filters light. And since all color is actually colored light, water will filter colors. Certain colors cannot be seen below certain depths because light is broken apart when it hits the water and certain wavelengths (colors) are filtered out. The severity of this filter depends on the clarity of the water, wind conditions, time of day and lure depth; dirty water, high winds, deep water, and evening hours mean fewer colors. To understand these effects, we must first understand the relationship between light and water.

The colors of the spectrum (the colors of light) are Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, and Violet. A mixture of all of these colors produces white. If an angler were to stand in the center of a very deep lake and shine a bright light into it, the colors within the light beam would gradually disappear as it traveled toward the bottom. At 10 feet, red is almost gone, orange is disappearing, and yellow is starting to fade away. At 35 feet, orange is gone, and yellow is quickly disappearing. At 75 feet, yellow looks greenish-blue and the only visible colors are blue, indigo and violet. As we pass 150 feet, blue and indigo are hard to see and violet is disappearing. At a few hundred feet, ultraviolet is the only color left, and it is not visible to the human eye anyway.



Neon colors, however, do not disappear when the spectrum colors do. This is because they "fluoresce", meaning that they glow when hit by ultraviolet light. We have heard reports of brightly visible fluorescent pink and yellow colors at depths of 125 feet and deeper!

Keep in mind, however, that these water color filtration rates assume that the water is crystal clear. Pollutants, sediment, and wind can drastically affect these numbers by rearranging the filtration order and decreasing the overall depths of all colors. Under these circumstances, red-orange seems to be the most visible, assuming that your lure depth is not greater than 20 feet. That said, here are some tips from anglers on how to pick lure color:

Super Clear: White or clear. Use glitter for color. All colors are visible to 10 feet.
Clear Water: Blue is most visible. White is visible. All colors are slightly visible to 10 feet.
Green Water: Green is most visible.
Stained Water: Orange, green, and chartreuse are most visible. Red is slightly visible.
Muddy Water: Red is most visible.

Here are some additional suggestions to help with low light (first light until sunup), medium light (sunup until the sun reaches 20 degrees to the horizon), and high light (from 20 degrees to the opposite horizon) conditions:

Low Light: Blue, purple or black work best. Use with silver flash.
Medium Light: Red and orange work best.
High Light: Brown or gray work best. Use with fluorescent accents.

NOTE: When the light level falls below 0.1 foot candle (clear night, no moon), all colors become just shades of gray and cannot be seen by the fish.

And added this because I think you will enjoy the Complementary Color Scheme section.

Kind of explains why lurers come in so many colors.
Especially after you see what they see.
Now this info came from a site that teaches lure making/ painting, for personal and commercial.

And the Analogous Color Scheme explains why firetiger works so well.
I'm thinking the same applies to 'clown' color scheme.



In addition to primary and secondary colors, there are also other colors known as "intermediate" colors (Figure 3). To create an intermediate color, you mix a primary color with a secondary color. For instance, to make pink, you mix orange and red.


Figure 1Figure 2 Figure 3



Color Schemes
Now that you understand how the colors on a color wheel work, you can use the color wheel to figure out which colors look good together. There are many ways to do this, and many different color scheme approaches.

Monochromatic Color Scheme
In this color scheme, all of the colors on the lure are made by tinting or shading a single color. Here is an example of a monochromatic color scheme on a lure (see image to the right). Notice that the entire lure is painted using versions of green. To create this type of lure finish, all you need is green, black, and white. Using different ratios of white to green or black to green will give you all of the color variations you need for the lure.


Complementary Color Scheme
In this scheme, all of the colors used are opposites on the color wheel. A sample lure painted with complementary colors (purple and yellow) is shown in the image to the right. You'll probably notice that this color scheme tends to stand out more than the monochromatic colored lure. This is typical of lures painted in this fashion - people notice them (and so do fish!). The human eye tends to be drawn to items that contain complementary colors. Keep this mind when you're designing fishing lures to sell to the public; if a monochromatic lure is sitting on the shelf next to a complementary colored lure, the fishermen is more likely to buy the lure with complementary colors (assuming the paint job is good of course!).


Analogous Color Scheme
Last, but not least, we have the analogous color scheme. In this approach to selecting colors, you choose 3 to 5 colors that are adjacent to each other on the color wheel. The most famous analogous color scheme used on fishing lures is the classic "firetiger" pattern consisting of bright green, yellow, and orange. We have heard rumors that lures with this sort of color scheme tend to land more fish. That would make sense because most sportfish cannot see all of the colors in the color wheel. By using this color scheme, chances are you'll include a color that the fish can see and recognize - increasing the chances of attraction.




I may have shared this before, I can't remember.
If I did, sorry for the repeat.
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Old 11-22-13, 06:30 PM   #2
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nice read thanks for sharing
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Old 11-22-13, 09:07 PM   #3
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I think I just learned something. You've just proven that an old dog can teach you a new trick.
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Old 11-24-13, 12:00 PM   #4
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Quote:
it is best to make color selections based on color contrast rather than actual colors. For instance, pick a lure with two colors that would appear differently, regardless of their actual color.
That and color filtration, available light and confidence are IMO the most important considerations. Hue not so much because the angler can only guess what a color looks like down below. (I was surprised to see how yellow my white spinnerbait looked in tanin stained water.)

Too much of anything may be a bad thing: too bright or too drab and to much like the background. As with finesse lure action, I believe that finesse colors that include a bit of flash can sometimes seal the deal. We've all seen the subtle tip action of Senkos and other sticks. Well, a bit of flash and black flakes in soft plastics is my favorite combination. Other than that, pearl is a great color in hard or soft baits. (Pearl reflects in a finesse-like fashion whereas bright white and solid silver/chrome reflects the most light.)

For some reason, black is my least favorite color - even when using jigs because lure contrast (color and action) to me set a lure apart from any living thing fish have seen and annoys it (kind of like a cape to a bull). Underwater videos show many instances when bass are hanging out with prey but immediately charge a lure for whatever reason. This applies to all predator fish species which is nice since fish don't have to be feeding in order to strike. Something that appears out of nowhere and out of the ordinary IMO push a fish's on button, with color somewhat important at times, but down the list from presentation and lure action.

I remember that topic and color chart from a site I haven't visited in years. A very good one in that it puts into context color physics underwater, fish-eye physiology and color appeal, if any vs. what a bass may think a color represents. Too bad lure sponsors always push that misinformation and that so many echo it on different forums. Logically it doesn't pass the smell test (and neither does using scent IMO).
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Old 11-24-13, 03:00 PM   #5
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it is best to make color selections based on color contrast rather than actual colors. For instance, pick a lure with two colors that would appear differently, regardless of their actual color.


Agree
Actually I'm kind of a three color angler.
But the third color can be glitter or fleck/flake as opposed to a third base color.
Color with some flicker in stained or dark acheived with glitter can really help.

And to add the dog insight.
Only color I have never been fond of is chartuess.
I know the whys.
I know the success EVERY other angler has with the color.
I personally never have had the same success.
I got chartuess markers even, so I could mess with the color and have NEVER noticed an increase in bites.
Except in black water (flooding, heavy rain and run off, multiple back to back heavy rains)


Thanks everyone for the feedback!
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Old 11-29-13, 09:55 PM   #6
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Only problem with that explanation is that the color bass see better is not necessarily the color it will bite.

That was and still is the Achilles heel of the Color C-Lector. what bass can see better doesn´t mean it will bite more oftenly.
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Old 11-30-13, 02:11 AM   #7
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Originally Posted by Raul View Post
Only problem with that explanation is that the color bass see better is not necessarily the color it will bite.

That was and still is the Achilles heel of the Color C-Lector. what bass can see better doesn´t mean it will bite more oftenly.
Yes but I guarantee that if it can't see it, it diffently won't bite it.
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Old 11-30-13, 07:30 AM   #8
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Yes but I guarantee that if it can't see it, it diffently won't bite it.
It's been proven in the lab that a blind bass can detect the location of bait or prey with its lateral line and inner ear, as well as strike. (Knowing Bass, Jones) On a pitch black night, bass feed by vibration detection.

The Color C Lector was never a success because it chose too many unnatural colors anglers weren't comfortable using, especially crankbait colors. That and the idea fish strike a color versus a lure's action was way off the mark when it comes to which senses fish rely on to track and attack, vision not being the only one. One good example is punching heavy weeds and then jigging a lure on bottom. The sounds the lure makes draw in bass through a jungle of weeds; when close enough to see and hear the lure, allows it to decided whether or not to bite.

If vision was the only factor, anglers could cast a cube in certain colors and get bit.
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Old 11-30-13, 11:57 AM   #9
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Jones says they find fish with the lateral line but actually feed/bite by sight more than anything else. More than smell or laterals and inner ear.
When any animal or living thing looses the function of one of thier senses they will compansate with another sense.
You poke out the eyes of a fish and then release it, it will die WAY before it learns to adapt to no sight. But born blind, a few may survive.
Plus Jones did testing in a tank. No predators so I really don't think a blind fish would make it in the wild.
Plus Jones also mentions the overload fish get from laterals and smells and inner ear. They get alot of information that 'leads them to bait' but actually want to see something before actually biting. Even catfish like to see what they are eating although they may 'find' it by other senses.

In the wild I'll stand by my previous statement,
"If they can't see it they wont bite it."
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Old 11-30-13, 12:40 PM   #10
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It is important to note that while bass can continue to see reasonably well under dim light conditions, they make some visual sacrifices. The rod cells, although more sensitive than cone cells, are less adept at resolving fine details and detecting motion. By themselves, they are also incapable of seeing color. Their strength lies in detecting differences in brightness, but even that ability is diminished at night. During the night, bass visually locate prey by contrasting them against a lighter or darker background. Motion detection is relegated to the lateral line. Because of these visual limitations, the emphasis is on object detection rather than object appreciation.
Quote:
When feeding at night, a bass must rely more on its lateral line system for motion detection than during the light of day.Given the choice, a bass prefers to feed with its eyes; it shift to its lateral line out of necessity. It's a good idea to slow down nighttime presentations to give bass more time to detect lure vibrations, locate the lure, and finally get a bead on the target when it comes within visual range. On moonless night, a bass's visual hunt may be limited to 1 foot or less.
A better statement would have been, if bass can't detect a lure, vision makes no difference because motion detection via the lateral line and vision is primary, but if visualization is not possible (as in heavy weeds), other senses must be used to target a moving object in order to see it within visual range.

Quote:
For a bass out searching for a nighttime meal, the finer points of prey quality take a back seat to simply finding the prey. Its strategy, visually speaking, is first to find the prey and then to capture it and let its mouth do the sorting from there.
A perfect example is using a noisy surface lure across a weed bed toward and edge where a bass is stationed in ambush mode. The bass can't see the lure coming its way, but but by way of its vibration detectors can feel it and picture the distance reduction until it slams the baits as soon as it clears the weeds. Granted, it visually sees the lure at the last moment, but motion detection is 99% of the time to hook up.

Last edited by senkosam; 11-30-13 at 12:46 PM.
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Old 11-30-13, 01:39 PM   #11
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ya but if it's blind......
just messing with Sam

I agree.
Totally agree.
We should also remember none of the senses work as singular event. They work together. Similar to if you hear a bang. The rest of our senses are now also peeking. We look to see while still listening and we are smelling and even our sensation recepters on our skin are at thier peak.
Ever hear an unknown loud noise in the dark and go and investigate? Someone barely touches your back and .
Senses are all working together simutanously.

Sam again,
thanks for some great insight!
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Old 11-30-13, 03:41 PM   #12
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Ever hear an unknown loud noise in the dark and go and investigate?
Yea, at night when my wife farts and wakes me up!






(Good thing she doesn't read anything I post!!!)
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