Lure Colours - Dark on top light below.....but is this right?!

[Andrew P]

Hey Guys,


I was thinking about lure colours the other day and it had me thinking. This is just in reference to lures that stay upright for the most part, such as a plug. Most colour schemes are done to match the natural colouration of actual fish in the wild with light on the bottom and dark on top. In nature this occurs so that when viewed from above by a predator the dark top makes the prey hard to see....and from below, the light underside allows the prey to blend in with the light sky.

BUT, if you are actually trying to catch the attention of the predator......would you not want to switch this right around so that when looking at a plug from below it is dark against the sky or light when looking from above to have it stand out from the bottom. I am well aware that most siting are from below.

Thoughts?!

 

[Whole in the Water]

I remember reading a couple of books on studies done on what fish can see. Some basic things I remember:
- use darker lures on darker days and vice-versa
- the more contrasting dark and light colours usually the easier for fish to see underwater
- the right colour(s) are usually more important when fishing in shallower, clearer, fresh water.
- helps to know what happens to various colours at various depths in different light and water conditions (e.g. red is the first colour to go (i.e. changes to gray or black), blue is the last to go the deeper in the water column all things being equal, etc.

One researcher recommended to reverse the light/dark colours like you are saying for similar reasons as you give. There is lots of info on what colours do what under various light and water colour conditions on the web.

Check out the book called "What Fish See" http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=j...wHui6FHwTt7gHy9vJCsYOEg&bvm=bv.59930103,d.cGU

http://www.mepps.com/fishing-article/color-technology-what-you-see-is-not-what-you-get/77 - good basic article. There are lots of more scientific articles on the web as well.

Then again, you can use just about any colour lure when there are lots of hungry fish around. Remember that some lures out there are painted more to attract fisherman than attract fish. Obviously, nothing beats experience and time on the water.

 

[vanislehunter]

I would think that the first statement in your question is the key to this quandary. With reference to lures that stay upright for the most part. Most lures, including plugs, I have used have some pretty erratic action and I think this would provide ample glimpses from below of the sides and even tops of the lure when trolling. I use surface bass lures that run level with tops facing up and bottoms facing down but I think most fish are attacking the 'thing' making all the ripples in the water. This being said, I do not have a large arsenal of gear and may be unfamiliar with much of the other gear available. Do you have any other examples of flat running lures.

 

[Seafever]

I've always thought it was the other way around:-

use a dark lure on a bright day and use a bright lure on a dark day......for example in winter fishing where not much light penetrates , a solid white/glow lure works wonders

in the bright sunny summer I've used the solid black oil slick hoochy with great results.

White is unquestionably the color that shows up the greatest in many conditions......

I have used black/white hoochies with great success.....the hoochy itself is turning over and over behind the flasher , exposing both sides of the hoochy to the fish that are above or below it

Most natural bait etc is somewhat camouflaged by nature so the predators don't see it so easy...........but as we know , the predators don't seem to really have any trouble when it's dinner time....

 

[Andrew P]

I would think that the first statement in your question is the key to this quandary. With reference to lures that stay upright for the most part. Most lures, including plugs, I have used have some pretty erratic action and I think this would provide ample glimpses from below of the sides and even tops of the lure when trolling. I use surface bass lures that run level with tops facing up and bottoms facing down but I think most fish are attacking the 'thing' making all the ripples in the water. This being said, I do not have a large arsenal of gear and may be unfamiliar with much of the other gear available. Do you have any other examples of flat running lures.

I was referring to plugs, jugheads and the like.

I agree that the erratic action would have glimpses of both sides, but they do stay upright for the most part.

I'd like to know when colour really makes a difference...at what depth is the action/sound/vibration is all that matters. And, at depth, the glow seeeems to work magic.

 

[spring fever]

.
I'd like to know when colour really makes a difference...at what depth is the action/sound/vibration is all that matters. And, at depth, the glow seeeems to work magic.

Colour does make a difference but I'm not sure with any predictability when to change. If you are fishing the same lure in the same boat I have definitely seen one colour outfish another-when the change was made to the same colour things evened up. I have spent many years testing lures, baits whathave you for one manufacturer or another and I can confidently say that colour does matter however the right colour with the wrong action will not produce fish.
Glow was a huge innovation but you have to think on what its intended to do-glow colours seem to work better deeper where it's dark- makes sense-and I'm not sure that once you go to glow because of depth you shouldn't stick to the whites /near whites and light green /blue. In the top 50 feet if its clear water I see little difference between glow and the corresponding normal colour. I now test LED's one step along from glow- and they are a quantum leap from glow-but they too work best in dark or deep water but as my testing shows if the lures action is not correct then lighting it or colouring it won't help.
So what to do-go with a tried and true action lure- fish the other side of the boat with a different colour. Change frequently until you find what they want-don't just troll 1 lure for hours because it has worked before-give them what they want-something as close to the feed they are on. General rule going deep-start with white or near white(glow) or my preference LIT. Switch if it doesn't work!! Tight Lines!!

 

[KV1]

Man puts lure in water. Fish sees lure and bites. Man catches said fish and eats it. Primortal but eventually true.

 

[spring fever]

Man puts lure in water. Fish sees lure and bites. Man catches said fish and eats it. Primortal but eventually true.

Si essentially true-one man catches one fish and he's happy- till he runs into a real fisherman(usually a kid) who caught 10 fish and he wonders how that could possibly happen? Figures it has to be luck!!LOL

 

[KV1]

Said man hungers after eating fish and puts more gas in boat and catches one more fish. Kid sits on dock while feeding 9 fish he caught last year to crab as they are now freezer burnt. Man enjoys one more fresh fish and leaves rest in the ocean to be caught by greedy kid to feed to crab at a later date.

 

[spring fever]

touché!! Mon ami !!

 

[KV1]

I also agree with your post the techniques you are describing are definitely true. I prefer bait but when I want to save money or my hands lures in said sequences work extremely well. Slay often but conserve is my motto.