Why Red Hooks?

[Stoisy]

Just curious why some guys choose to use red hooks and what the belief is behind using them instead of black or chrome etc..? I run them often, and sometimes as a trailer hook, but just want to hear why others use them, not really sure why I do... Something a little different i guess?

 

[Papacorn]

Far from expert but, I use red hooks because I believe the color red disappears at a depth of about 15 feet in seawater and the hook is not seen by the fish.

 

[spring time]

they look cooler, better than plan black

 

[Finished Business]

because fisherman are easier to catch than fish. If they build it we will buy it LOL.

I've heard of people using just red hooks when river fishing steal (i guess it represents small blood worm)


And I believe Red becomes a sillouette at around 60'.

Here is a good general graph that details the color spectrum x depth of water. It should be noted that Blue light, and purple, penetrate FAR deeper than 125'. Blue light is visible well below 400' (down to 900' blue light can be seen if I'm not mistaken)

 

[Rum Buddies]

it wouldn't be invisible at depth but it may appear gray. Silver, black red or purple I don't believe the color of the hook plays any part in the decision of the fish to bite the bait. FB said it, it looks cool and fishermen buy stuff that looks cool. I could maybe buy the argument that it looks like blood, therefore making the bait look wounded but I think that's a stretch.

 

[Fish Assassin]

I thought it was all about money. The more expensive gear catches larger fish. Same goes for those that can afford to go to fishing lodges...They alway catch 50 pounders at the lodge.

 

[salty-dog]

Of all colors of the spectrum, red disappears first when in water. Though the color is gone, the object still exsists. So fish do, in fact, see it. A proper understanding of how fish see is required.

From a distance, the red will appear as a shade of grey. Black hooks retain their dark properties. Natural metal will appear as a grey while shiny hooks produce the shimmer of something shiny. As the fish enters the color field, the colors do become apparent.

Here is something for y'all to consider. Imagine a triangle with a straight line drawn from the top peak to the bottom center. This line represents point of origin for each color. At the top is red, then orange, yellow, green, blue and violet is found at the bottom. Inside this triangle, you can see where red covers the smallest of distance before disappearing, orange is next the yellow.... violet being the color that travels the greatest distance from the point of origin. This is how color dissipates as it leaves its source { that center line from top peak to bottom center}.

As expected, the way fish see things depend largely on depth, water clarity, patterns of objects, coloration, and the species of the fish in that general area. Eye design between the various species is just as varid as the species. Some fish have more cones than rods while others will possess more rods than cones and some have equal or nearly equal of each.

Cones allow the fish to see colors while rods give the ability to see in various light conditions. More rods equals better dark enviroment sight. This is why many species are attracted to light- it gives those with fewer rods the ability to see what they normally would not.

Because the eyes are on the sides of the head, most sighted objects will appear in 2D. If the fish moves its head from side to side, the brain in most fish can reprocess the image to 3D. Oddly enough, this 3D vision allows the fish to hone better, making a sucessful strike and we perceive the frequently caught fish as "dumb" because they fall for the bait so often. The truth is they are better able to process depth perception than fish with limited {life saving} 2D.

In the end, the hook color really makes no outstanding difference as, again, the fish must enter the color field to strike the lure/bait. You have to rely more on the targeted species sight capabilities and exploit that when choosing your gear. Those that chart when, where, time and tide info on catch rates and failures are tracking what works without realizing they are actually doing biological studies. Each variance in lure color in relation to water conditions and species and sucess/failure rate is what makes or breaks a day on the water so be sure to record details and gather as many details as you can from others.

That red hook may work great for one species but not for another.

 

[Rockfish]

One theory (which may or may not have much validity) is that for big Chinook heading to compete on the spawning beds is that red or close to it is an aggression color being the color of salmon eggs which can cause increasingly pre-spawning non/less feeding Chinook to strike. I have used red hooks, flashers, teaser heads, and lures with red in them fishing shallow for the big ones with pretty good success.

Theories and experiments; isn’t that what sport fishing is all about and if you find one that seems to work for you; use it.

 

[Stoisy]

Awesome info guys! I figured it was mostly due to the loss of the red colour at depth. Rockfish I really like that theory! just like a raging bull gets all amped up by red, why not a monster chinook?! haha I have found that while using flashers, most of the larger fish I have ever caught have been while using the classic hot spot silver with red blade. But I always fished it below 30 feet, the green side I would experiment with and keep the red between 30-40ft. Like you said RF half the fun of sport fishing is experimenting! Even if it costs a little extra money sometimes...

 

[Seafever]

hmmm...so the minute a ball of reddish-colored krill goes below 60ft it turns to grey/black because the color is gone..........but the fish will still eat them. BTW for some reason fluorescent colors do not disappear as quickly as "normal" colors. I think the only reason guys use red hooks with teasers/bait is because it looks like blood/injury. And the reason they use them for Sockeye is because it has a crustacean/krill element to it. Funny how Momma Nature colors things. At 150ft deep...Orange should have disappeared.....but as a former diver I know that at that depth a Canary Rockfish or Red Snapper looks exactly the same color as when you see it at the surface for some reason.....

 

[salty-dog]

because fisherman are easier to catch than fish. If they build it we will buy it LOL.

I've heard of people using just red hooks when river fishing steal (i guess it represents small blood worm)


And I believe Red becomes a sillouette at around 60'.

Here is a good general graph that details the color spectrum x depth of water. It should be noted that Blue light, and purple, penetrate FAR deeper than 125'. Blue light is visible well below 400' (down to 900' blue light can be seen if I'm not mistaken)

That is an excellent graph illustrating the potential reach of color. It must be kept in mind that water clarity is important, however. In stained, murky or otherwise polluted water, the reach of the graph lends itself more as a guide.

In shallower waters, there is more sediment stirred and the same could be said for very rough seas and fishing near the bottom. The patterns of color reach remain the same but not the actual reach distance. Greens, blues and UV will still travel further than other colors, but not as far as with crystal clear water.

One must also take bioluminence into consideration, too, as to why green lures have a higher sucess ratio. As aquatic species travel through water, the friction causes a glowing effect in the water much like that of a comet trail through the sky. Predatory fish see the green comet trails and at the source, find the food. When bioluminence is high, fish feast more as finding food is made easier. These comet trails are not visible to us during daylight {normally, but not always} but we can see them better at night. Most fish can see them all the time, day or night, while other fish can see them better when dark.

As for the red hooks, they are better suited for fresh water applications as there are more fresh water species that react positively towards red than there are salt species.

 

[salty-dog]

hmmm...so the minute a ball of reddish-colored krill goes below 60ft it turns to grey/black because the color is gone..........but the fish will still eat them. BTW for some reason fluorescent colors do not disappear as quickly as "normal" colors. I think the only reason guys use red hooks with teasers/bait is because it looks like blood/injury. And the reason they use them for Sockeye is because it has a crustacean/krill element to it. Funny how Momma Nature colors things. At 150ft deep...Orange should have disappeared.....but as a former diver I know that at that depth a Canary Rockfish or Red Snapper looks exactly the same color as when you see it at the surface for some reason.....

When you see the fish during dives, at what distance would you place them? Similar colored objects will appear still similar at the same depths and distances, but once those elements are removed, the colors will change. The process is called attenuation. The color intensity changes in water as distance and depth are increased/decreased. Plus, keep in mind that you are looking through your eyes which are constructed differently than those of fish.

 

[Rum Buddies]

hmmm...so the minute a ball of reddish-colored krill goes below 60ft it turns to grey/black because the color is gone..........but the fish will still eat them. BTW for some reason fluorescent colors do not disappear as quickly as "normal" colors. I think the only reason guys use red hooks with teasers/bait is because it looks like blood/injury. And the reason they use them for Sockeye is because it has a crustacean/krill element to it. Funny how Momma Nature colors things. At 150ft deep...Orange should have disappeared.....but as a former diver I know that at that depth a Canary Rockfish or Red Snapper looks exactly the same color as when you see it at the surface for some reason.....

good post - for far too long people have been saying only fish red in the top 30 feet, it disappears below that yada yada - bullsh*t. While the red may change tone and even color when down deep, it still is unique color. Meaning if I take a red spoon and a yellow spoon and take them down to 200 feet of water there will still be a clear difference between the two items. It could be just two shades of grey(to our eyes) but they will be different shades and he may prefer one shade over the other.

personally I believe that 90% of the color spectrum advice that has been printed in books and magazines is bullsh*t.

very interesting from a divers perspective as well.

 

[Stoisy]

Hey Seafever,
Were you using artificial light down that deep to observe the snapper? Or was there enough natural to see them clearly? I think if it was all natural that would be pretty telling of whether or not the red light actually reaches that depth.
Maybe we need to make some Fluorocarbon hooks...?! haha

 

[Seafever]

Natural visibility is a big factor in what you see when you descend. The amount of green color/algae in the summer months affects visibility quite a bit. In the winter the water is much clearer (due to no algae) and the water often has a bluish haze to it. 100ft visibility at depth is not uncommon in winter. In the summer, a lot of places, you are down to about 40ft. This 40ft "vis" many times totally clears up when you suddenly get past, say, 80ft down. In the summer everything has a greenish haze to it. The further something is away, the more greenish it looks.......or it will look like a dark green silhouette against lighter greenish surroundings. That is until you get close to it .....like about 15 feet or less in the case of the fish I described. Other things down there DO lose their color intensity at deeper depths and you won't see much color unless you are using a light. But there are certain things....like some fish etc......that seem to defy laws of the color spectrum........ WHITE is the number one color that stands out down there.......also BLACK because it forms a stronger image silhouette when you are looking "up" at it. GREEN would be the number one "blend-in" color. (Guess they thought of this when they made the "kitchen sink" spoon.......which is neon green,black, white and is a killer spoon in lots of places.) Of course there will be times in the summer when you will get 'red' tides and 'red' algae blooms...and other places where you get bluish silt runoff etc. So whatever color you get in the first 40ft of water , due to silt , algae, runoff, mud etc. , that is what the color of the water beneath it will be (even though it may be clearer) because the upper layer acts like a photo-tint filter on whatever's below it. 15 years of diving, 99.9 % of the time the water, if it has algae, it will clear up when you get a little deeper. We used to call it "breakout". That is , you go down and then you reach a depth where it is much clearer. This depth could vary anywhere from 40ft to 100ft. in all those years I never had a single instance where it was clear up top and then got an algae bloom down deep. (damn it , why does my "enter' button not work in these posts anymore?)

 

[fishkiller13]

i use them for trout under my bobber with my worm just
because it looks like blood in shallow water

 

[triplenickel]

Sorta related and pretty cool;

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/mantis_shrimp

 

[Sharphooks]

Surprised nobody commented on the obvious. Which is another way of saying...maybe, just maybe, the business end of a red hook is the whole point.

Which hook manufacturer was the first to bombard the market with (over-priced) red hooks? Gamakatsu, that's who. And what was Gamakatsu's main selling point with their red (or ANY of their multi-colored or chrome) hooks? Acid-sharpened,that's what----deadly right out of the box, no file required.

So what puts more fish into the net then any other piece of equipment? A sharp hook. So the guys who started using red (extremely sharp) hooks noted an immediate increase in their catch rates and landing success. Has to be the color, they surmised. Red is the happening thing. They started researching colors and spectrums and ophthalmic efficiencies at depth.

But my simplistic drug-addled brain came to the conclusion that if you freeze dry all the BS and the yack yack about colored hooks and depth, you don't have to go much further then the sharp end of the point.



I once knew a guide who only would use a 4/0 Red Gammy with a 3/0 Blue Gammy trailer (for plug-cut chinook fishing) What's up with the colors I asked? Do they clue in on color?

No, hardly a color thing, he responded. My clients remember me better---it's my signature rig.

And that color combination MUST be killer because here I am talking about him 20 years later...

 

[Seafever]

Sharphooks....I think you've got a good point there about a sharp hook outfishing a not-sharp hook. I think also the style of hook makes a difference too. Does a sharp Siwash outfish a "salmon" hook? Depends on the way they are tied to the line I think. Gamakatsu 'salmon" hook is offset a bit....so has some offset snag power to it. Siwash hooks with no offset and tied to a line with an ordinary loop knot or similar may tend to kick up and out on initial contact. I think the treble hook is the deadliest of all although it is frowned upon by many these days. The thickness /diameter of a hook's metal may make a difference for penetration. Gammy salmon hooks are not really very big in terms of metal diameter, so good penetration. Certain Siwash hooks are pretty thick in diameter and do not file down all that good to a sharp point. Treble hooks can be ludicrous in their diameter/thickness....and many of those will not take a very good point........but on the other hand it has three tines on it, which are deadlier than one.

 

[Karlo]

The idea that because red "disappears" at relatively shallow depths, fish don't distinguish it is ridiculous. Whatever shade it becomes resembles the shade that red blood becomes at that depth, and the sight of "blood" on something that imitates prey should be more likely to entice strikes.

Deer see nothing but shades, but I have no doubt at all that their ability to differentiate between those shades is extremely acute. Fish that feed at a variety of depths, and are sight feeders who depend on lightning reactions to potential prey, are likely to see and differentiate even more effectively than nose-followers like Bambi.