02-23-2016, 08:57 PM
The following are personal observations mixed with ideas about color from other sources and not meant to be the final word on the matter. Each angler has his or her own color preferences depending on lure used and if they work, the reasons are mostly based on opinions that may not be shared with other anglers fishing the same water.
So many times the question is asked which color to use. There have been some great discussions breaking down the visibility of different colors underwater; hard plastic lure colors look different underwater than the translucent colors of soft plastics - both look different depending on many factors such as:
1. time of day/ sun angle
2. sky conditions (clear to cloudy)
3. the color of water (most waters have some kind of stain or are somewhat muddy after a rain) (gin clear water pertains mostly to higher elevation, mountain streams)
4. light intensity (the reduced light under or in cover will be different than the light in open water)
5. depth
Keeping the fiver factors in mind, one must wonder if color matters in all situations. I believe it can but for the following reason unlike what many anglers believe.
First off, the color in the hand is usually much different than when underwater. A pink soft plastic lure appears orange in green algae stained water; fish that lure at 20' in the same water and the color becomes light grey. A fish's eyes are capable of seeing different colors and what it sees depends again on the five factors mentioned.
Even clear soft plastic exhibits color because of the way light bend inside the plastic, becoming the color of the water's background or bottom. The lure takes on a three dimensional quality because of the physics of light - namely refraction and reflection.
Some colors are very obvious and hold their hue under more conditions than other colors. Red becomes dark gray whereas fluorescent pink or chartreuse maintain their hue.
Colors are usually important to anglers that have confidence in them. Fish may or may not respond to certain lures of certain colors and no one can say with certainty why. Even colors that worked great once for me or other anglers, may not work again the year after so it's advisable to not stock up. (Been there done that and now have a dozen of one color lure that doesn't seem to work anywhere I fish it.)
If one color works, you can be sure that others will also catch fish, but I always have to keep in mind that other factors may be the real reason, apart from color or color pattern. They would include lure design, action and speed as well as presentation.
A few lures work most of the time in many colors and pan fish are proof. I pour a minnow shaped, straight thin-tail grub and have caught hundreds of fish experimenting with different color under different light conditions and water clarity. Here are some examples:
![[Image: spoon%20minnow%20selection%20three%20box...g~original]](http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j36/senkosam/Fishing/Spoon%20Minnow%20tail%20and%20dipped%20creations/spoon%20minnow%20selection%20three%20boxes_zpsttm9y7jh.jpg~original)
![[Image: clear%20sparkle%20tail_zpsmznyeaey.jpg~original]](http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j36/senkosam/Fishing/Spoon%20Minnow%20tail%20and%20dipped%20creations/clear%20sparkle%20tail_zpsmznyeaey.jpg~original)
They all catch fish, but why?
I believe that lure design and presentation are key reasons and that the design (thin tail) is so effective, complemented by color with no one color better than the others shown. Even a clear tail or completely clear lure will catch fish once found. On top of that, I prefer many of the above colors for other soft plastic lures such as jig trailers, plastic worms, Senko design sticks, jerk worms and fluke designs.
Are the above colors natural? Some might be, but the reason I like them is because they have that something that fish notice, track and attack. Black might be considered a natural color but I would not use it in the above design because it hasn't worked nearly as well. Dido for purple/grape, blue green, blue and dark orange. Another angler may do well with those colors in that design, just not me, though I do like purple/ fire tail Phenom worms and Merthiolate (bright orange) sticks.
Color will always be in the eye of the beholder.
[signature]
So many times the question is asked which color to use. There have been some great discussions breaking down the visibility of different colors underwater; hard plastic lure colors look different underwater than the translucent colors of soft plastics - both look different depending on many factors such as:
1. time of day/ sun angle
2. sky conditions (clear to cloudy)
3. the color of water (most waters have some kind of stain or are somewhat muddy after a rain) (gin clear water pertains mostly to higher elevation, mountain streams)
4. light intensity (the reduced light under or in cover will be different than the light in open water)
5. depth
Keeping the fiver factors in mind, one must wonder if color matters in all situations. I believe it can but for the following reason unlike what many anglers believe.
First off, the color in the hand is usually much different than when underwater. A pink soft plastic lure appears orange in green algae stained water; fish that lure at 20' in the same water and the color becomes light grey. A fish's eyes are capable of seeing different colors and what it sees depends again on the five factors mentioned.
Even clear soft plastic exhibits color because of the way light bend inside the plastic, becoming the color of the water's background or bottom. The lure takes on a three dimensional quality because of the physics of light - namely refraction and reflection.
Some colors are very obvious and hold their hue under more conditions than other colors. Red becomes dark gray whereas fluorescent pink or chartreuse maintain their hue.
Colors are usually important to anglers that have confidence in them. Fish may or may not respond to certain lures of certain colors and no one can say with certainty why. Even colors that worked great once for me or other anglers, may not work again the year after so it's advisable to not stock up. (Been there done that and now have a dozen of one color lure that doesn't seem to work anywhere I fish it.)
If one color works, you can be sure that others will also catch fish, but I always have to keep in mind that other factors may be the real reason, apart from color or color pattern. They would include lure design, action and speed as well as presentation.
A few lures work most of the time in many colors and pan fish are proof. I pour a minnow shaped, straight thin-tail grub and have caught hundreds of fish experimenting with different color under different light conditions and water clarity. Here are some examples:
They all catch fish, but why?
I believe that lure design and presentation are key reasons and that the design (thin tail) is so effective, complemented by color with no one color better than the others shown. Even a clear tail or completely clear lure will catch fish once found. On top of that, I prefer many of the above colors for other soft plastic lures such as jig trailers, plastic worms, Senko design sticks, jerk worms and fluke designs.
Are the above colors natural? Some might be, but the reason I like them is because they have that something that fish notice, track and attack. Black might be considered a natural color but I would not use it in the above design because it hasn't worked nearly as well. Dido for purple/grape, blue green, blue and dark orange. Another angler may do well with those colors in that design, just not me, though I do like purple/ fire tail Phenom worms and Merthiolate (bright orange) sticks.
Color will always be in the eye of the beholder.
[signature]