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So I have been doing some reading about UV (ultraviolet) enhanced baits. Apparently many fish and birds are capable of seeing light in the UV spectrum. Read more about it on wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vision_in_fishes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vision_in_birds
More bait companies are starting to advertise or make lures that reflect UV. This makes a whole lot of sense if fish see things in the UV spectrum and it would offer an advantage to anglers in catching fish.
These companies post a lot of claims about their UV lures and even show how their baits glow when exposed to a black light. From what I have read, paints that have UV qualities CANNOT be detected by the human eye, even when exposed to a black light. So is it just a gimmick they are using to demonstrate what the fish are seeing? Maybe..
I have a little LED flash light that has a couple black light bulbs in it that will excite fluorescent paint and other materials that have fluorescent or phosphorescent qualities. I know that certain natural minerals will luminesce when exposed to lights emitting certain light wavelengths. Anyhow, I shined my black light on my lures last night and many of them luminesced. However, I don't really know if that mean they are UV reflective.
I also started thinking about the correlation between birds and fish. Many fishermen use artificial flies tied with bird feathers. Well, it stands to reason that bird feathers reflect UV light and probably some feathers reflect more than others(like peacock hurls). My theory is this would seem to explain why fish strike at artificial flies and why certain fly patterns are so effective and can be effective in low light conditions. I have personally caught many fish late into the evening with flies tied with feathers and was amazed at how the fish detected these flies. I have seen jigs tied with marabou feathers catch many many pan fish, when similar jigs fished side by side don't get a strike.
Recently up on Deer Creek, I have has success with a Kokanee Killer Wedding Ring. Well, rhinestone do not absorb any light, which means it reflects back all the UV light. I had made my own lures that looked just like the wedding ring and guess what? I got one hit on it when the WR had 7 strikes! By the way the beads on a KK WR luminesce in black light. So there has to be something there that made a difference. Was it the rhinestone in the little wedding ring bead and the beads that could be reflecting UV. I am not sure, I just know that the lure was beating my homemade spinner 7:1
If you look on youtube, one angler painted his crank baits with a UV spray paint that protects against UV light. Well it stands to reason that the way UV protection paint work is it reflects the UV light and protects the thing it is applied to. One company, CS Coatings, is offering a couple products out there specifically for the fishing community, called UV Blast to spray on your lure to give it a UV kick. CS Coatings also has a brush on paint as well as powder paint for jig heads.
However, if you wanted to permanently coat your lure, why wouldn't a UV protection paint by Krylon work to enhance your lures? Think about this. How many paints and plastics have certain pigment with built in UV protection? Lure companies could have been offering lures for years that had UV qualities without even advertising them or realizing that it was the paint or pigment that made the difference, not the shape, wiggle or pattern.
What I would like to know is what has other anglers experienced.
Thanks.
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Wow, long read. I think like every thing when it comes to fishing certain things work at certain times, few lures work all the time. I've had good luck with the UV squids for trout and salmon but that is about it as far a UV lures. As far as wedding rings go, I think that little wedding ring is what makes the difference because of all the light that flashes off the ring, don't really think UV has anything to do with it.
WH2
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[#484848]The more I fool around with glow powders UV paints and other reflective devices, the less I know.[/#484848]
[#484848]I do know, you can catch a large brown trout in cave darkness with a number 20 black ant ...... Someone explain that to me.[/#484848]
We need TD to weigh in on this one.
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"..you can catch a large brown trout in cave darkness with a number 20 black ant"
Is that a typical black ant fly tied with feathers? If so, that would seem to provide more evidence that bird feathers, which reflect UV light, attract certain species of fish.
Interesting....
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[#646464]It's just tied with black thread and one black pinfeather.[/#646464]
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I wouldn't assume that uv protective paint 'reflects'uv wavelength. Could absorb without degradation.
In deep or murky water, I doubt uv penetrate week enough to make a difference. Needs to be luminescent, not reflective.
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"We need TD to weigh in on this one."
[#0000FF]Not really. Best I can do is offer my opinions...and those ain't always real science. Also don't count for much around my house. When my wife wants my opinion she gives it to me.
I have experimented with UV enhanced dyes and paints. Can't say as I have ever observed any real noticeable difference...either in appearance to the human eye (underwater) or in the reactions of fish to which I have presented them.
As a fabricator and painter of several different kinds of lures I have always been on the lookout for anything that would make an earth-shattering difference. Ain't found it yet. Closest would be the use of glow for some night fishing and ice fishing conditions. And it has even proven to be noticeably better on jig heads for fishing in daylight conditions when the water is cold and/or murky.
I get into a lot of conversations on colors. Everybody seems to have their own favorite color or color combo...for certain waters or certain species under certain conditions of light intensity, water temp and clarity, etc. But few can spout the real science involved. All they know is that it works...for them.
My basic opinion is that fish respond better to the colors or color combos that they can see best under prevailing conditions. The colors that seem to work best are likely the ones that show up better at the time. Fish don't see colors the same way humans do. Some they see better. Others not so much.
I never sneeze to be demazed at some of the wacko colors people try...and catch fish. Can't argue with results. But my standard reply to a "gee whiz" tale of wacky color selection is "Okay, let's see if you can duplicate that." In other words, does it only work under unusual conditions or is it better than anything else under all conditions?
Like most things fishing, color selection is a highly personal and subjective matter. I truly believe that whatever you fish with confidence is going to work better for you than something you are not sure about.
I also believe that the lure manufacturers have tapped into the psyche of the angling community. They know that if the fisherman likes it...and buys it...it just don't matter what the fish think. We have all endured the mindless TV infomercials on those "super secret", "banned from tournaments", "never fail" fishing inventions...that will never sell by word of mouth from satisfied buyers.
Then there is also the good angler - bad angler syndrome. Good anglers can catch fish on the "wrong" lures. Poor anglers often cannot get bit even on the current hot favorite. Catching is more than just what you tie on the end of your line.
UV enhanced lures? If you are not sure and want to try them then take a few bucks out of the family budget and get a few. But if they don't replace all your other lures you might have to admit your loss and volunteer to forfeit YOUR meals for a couple of days. Some of us could stand to lose some weight anyway.
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TD,
Thanks for the input. This is exactly the kind of conversation I was looking for.
So many of us are always looking for the right baits. That's why we have a tackle box full of different things and that is part of the fun.. find the right lure for the day.
Whenever I go to the tackle shop, I have to start telling myself, "nope... nope... nope" I can be a tackle junky like so many other fishermen. I call it "Fishing the Fisherman" or 'Baiting the Fisherman" How many $5 lures have sat in a tackle box and never caught a fish??? That is the million dollar question, literally.
I have long conversations fairly often with my dad who fished Utah for 40+ years. He tells me of all these flies and lures and baits that were super effective for years. And guess what? Nobody uses them now. You know why? They ain't never seen them or heard of them. But I bet you a dollar, that they wold still catch fish.
Anyhow, I would like to see more input. It is an interesting topic.
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[#0000FF]You are 100% right about fishermen "evolving" away from flies and lures that used to work great...but are now just tucked away somewhere for their heirs to throw out. Strawberry Reservoir is a good example. Many old timers remember the Carter Spoons...and the skunk streamers...and the double renegades. Ditto for the old red and white wobblers. I know guys who have put some of those things back in the water recently...just to see...and they still catch plenty of fish.
Unless something gets a lot of publicity it doesn't get bought and used as much. And ads for the "old timey" stuff are mostly ignored. Kinda like hearing an ad for the NEW 1964 Chevy Impala SS. Great car in its time but these days just a pricey collectible.
I have been tying flies and making all kinds of lures for several decades. Believe me, I am a color junky. I have more colors of paints and glitters than most hobby shops. And I custom mix others to get my own colors. Some work better than "store bought". Others still need "refinement"...or disposal.
I don't claim to have all the answers but I have sure learned most of the questions. Always interesting to get the viewpoints of other "thirsty" anglers.
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To second the "stuff that used to catch fish 40 years ago" line...
Last summer my father found an old tackle box that belonged to his father. In it were two "Strawberry wobblers" in great condition and another orange bulb spinner thing.
We took them up to Strawberry last summer and they were generally some of the hottest lures in the water (although not always).
Unfortunately we lost the two wobblers snagged up and we've been looking for a suitable replacement since. The closest thing we've found to the performance is a hunter orange wobbler with funky advanced material UV reflective sticker material on it.
The advanced one almost kept pace with the old stuff no one makes anymore.
The old spinner has been awesome not just at Strawberry but has probably landed 40 fish at Deer Creek this spring. Again, the closest new tech one we've found can almost keep up with it.
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MasterDaad,
Thanks for sharing. I love catching fish with old lures. Just put a new set of hooks on them and give them a chance. I have some old Rapalas that I treasure, but I still use them and catch fish on them.
My dad is going to tie me some flies using some of the old patterns he fished the Provo River and Straweberry with back in the 40s, 50s and 60s. When I was a youngster back in the 70s we often fished with the double renegade with lots of success.
As I mentioned before, and staying on topic with the UV idea, many bird feathers reflect UV light, which apparently many fish do see in the UV spectrum. Now you can't just take a black light and see the UV patterns, but birds and fish can see them. I just wonder how much that effects the effectiveness of a lure or fly? Just thinking out load here. We probably will never really know.
Having read many of your reports, it sounds like you are nailing the rainbows on Deer Creek with flies.
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Yup... flies, orange spinners and wedding rings have been killers up at DC this spring for trout.
It's been a great start to the season.
I'm about to switch to bass targeting trips up there however.
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I would be interested in meeting up to get some tips on fishing for small mouth up there. Send me a PM sometime. I may be up there tomorrow. Just depends on whether or not I to go to Willard.
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I bought one UV coated Rapala last year just to try out. I fished it at several lakes with no luck. About three weeks ago I was fishing for browns at Jordanelle, with all of my usually productive lures, but nothing was working. I was rummaging through my boxes trying to come up with something to throw, and saw the UV bait, and put it on. The sky was dark with high overcast, and I had read that UV baits can be good in low visibility conditions. After being blanked for over two hours, I caught three browns in fifteen minutes, then it shut down. Later the sky cleared, and my usual baits produced two more browns, while the UV bait didn't get bit. Are UV baits magic? No, but in the right conditions, I do believe that they work and I had seen enough to warrant picking up a few more. Like Tube Dude said.... buy one ant try it out. It may work for you, maybe not. Fred K.
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