Thread: What colors do crappie see?

Crappie

Ready to Catch More Crappie?

Related to largemouth bass and bluegill, crappie (pronounced "craw-pea") fall midway between their larger and smaller cousins. Crappie are the biggest non-bass in the sunfish family. They have better vision than bluegill, possibly better than bass. They have seemingly small mouths that pop open big enough to vacuum in a minnow from a short distance like a largemouth. They provide superb sport for their size and many people think that they're the best tasting fish that swims. To learn to catch crappie consistently, the angler should understand how crappie see, where they prefer to live, what they prefer to eat, and how the seasons influence their behavior.

CRAPPIE VISION: Crappie can see colors well and many anglers like to use colorful lures to fish for them. However, like all fish, their ability to see is influenced by water depth, light levels, water clarity and water temperature. Also, a crappie's willingness to attack lures of different colors and presentations depends upon the fish's activity level.

Water filters colors out of light and certain colors disappear first. Think of a rainbow that has red hues on one side and gradually fades to blue colors on the other side. The colors on the red side are filtered out first and the colors on the blue side are filtered out last. Consequently, as water begins to get deep it looks green, but really deep water looks blue. Because of this natural law, red lures are visible only in shallow water, orange a little deeper, yellow even deeper, green deeper still and blue lures are visible in the deepest water. Black is also a good deep-water lure color. White is visible at many depths, because it reflects any available light. But the other vision factors should be considered before a lure is selected.

The effects of water clarity and light levels are not always obvious. The simplest way to remember this concept is that richer versions of any color are most visible in clear water and bright light, while lighter, pastel versions of each color are most visible in stained or murky water and/or low light levels. In other words, red, orange, white, rich green and deeper blue are most visible in clear water with bright light. As light levels fade and/or the water becomes murkier, the best colors become pink, yellow, chartreuse, lighter blue, and black. When the fish seem to lose interest in a lure than was working well earlier in the day, it may be due to changes in light or water clarity. If changes in wind or current have let the water calm down and become more clear, or if clouds have cleared away to allow brighter light, change to richer lure colors or white. If the wind has churned up the water and decreased visibility or if clouds have moved in or the sun is going down, switch to pastel colors or black.

In some recent studies, water temperature was determined to have a dramatic effect on fish vision. Since crappie rely heavily on vision for hunting, this information is important for crappie anglers to understand. The concept is very simple: the colder the water, the better a fish can see. This is because the lower temperatures help the cells in a fish's eye to function better. This means that crappie, like other fish, may be able to see smaller lures at deeper levels in cold water than they can in warm water. It also means that they will be better able to see fishing line, so an angler may need to use lighter monafilament or fluorocarbon line in cold water.

Finally, a crappie's activity level will determine how it reacts to lures of different colors and presentations. The most substantial difference in lure color is the contrast between lure and background color. Active fish are more likely to attack lures that contrast with the color of the water and structure in the area. Think of red, orange, yellow, white, and sometimes black if the background is light. Inactive fish are more likely to attack lures that blend with the surrounding background colors, like a baitfish would. Try green, chartreuse, blue, neutral colors, and occasionally black if the background is dark. For lure presentation, active fish are more likely to attack a lure with more movement, while inactive fish are more likely to attack lures with less movement. There needs to be some lure movement, though, even if it is followed by a pause, because movement is what tells the fish that the lure may be food, rather than part of the background. Always consider water depth, water clarity, light levels, and water temperatures to help decide which colors to try first. And always be ready to try something different if the first choice doesn't work. When fishing regulations allow multiple poles and/or multiple lures, it's easier to determine what will work best.

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None of the above. Water color and clarity.

Adam

I posted the same article a while back, it's a really good one, helps bring a little light on why crappie bite the way the do sometimes.

Here is another articles on fish and colors. I was looking for one article I have read and hand a link to that I guess is not there now, but talking about cells and cones in the eyes and lots of fish have more of these than we do so who knows what they see for sure?
Skip
Fly Fishing Science, Fish Eyesight - MidCurrent

Sorry about the repost Waxnslabs, I guess I missed it.
The poll is just humor!

The array of colors available to crappie fishermen can be overwhelming.
Sometimes its hard to judge water clarity and light conditions.
Just when you think you got it figured out...I know a guy that lives on Caddo that has been using the same pink and white jig for the last 18 months, and he always catches. Go figure.

Thanks for the link Skip.

Originally Posted by green shiner

Sorry about the repost Waxnslabs, I guess I missed it.
The poll is just humor!

The array of colors available to crappie fishermen can be overwhelming.
Sometimes its hard to judge water clarity and light conditions.
Just when you think you got it figured out...I know a guy that lives on Caddo that has been using the same pink and white jig for the last 18 months, and he always catches. Go figure.

Thanks for the link Skip.

No I'm glad you re-posted it, I actually saved that article to my favorites and couldn't find it in there recently. Wouldn't be a bad idea to have it on the site permanently as a reference. It sure makes some experiences make a whole lot of sense as to why the fish have bitten certain ways if it is true.

I've read that you're supposed to use dark colors in low light or overcast conditions and bright colors in bright conditions. I was fishing yesterday while it was overcast and was catching great with bright colors. Go figure.

I did notice that no one picked the color celector option, but I think they do work to an extent.,,. One day Dwyane and I were fishing Bundick's creek above the lake and after a couple hours of catching nothing, he dropped his into the water to the depth the graph was showing fish and I had a color very close to what it showed, so we tied some on and started catching fish almost imediately.

they see white from my ice chest,they see chrome from my filet knife,then finally they see the golden brown of peanut oil.lol hahahahaha.

Originally Posted by ledouxmike

I've read that you're supposed to use dark colors in low light or overcast conditions and bright colors in bright conditions. I was fishing yesterday while it was overcast and was catching great with bright colors. Go figure.

I know a guy that does really well on electric chicken in muddy water. Don't think it's that clear cut. Lots of days if the water is clear and sun shining I go to a Silver/Blue/White, but same water it's really cloudy I may go to a Chartreuse/Blue/Chartreuse.

Normally though dark colors will be seen better at night and dark days, but bright colors are good maybe in both. Light colors though will do better in sunny clear water, not saying they will not hit that Silver/Blue/White in stained water though because they will.

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