UV Question

[ifish]

I have been putting UV and glow in my plastic for a while now and have a question. Has anyone mixed clear plastic with some UV, glow or both and dipped a finished bait in it to see if it would be brighter under a black light. I do this with jig heads and there is a big difference in the glow. A lot brighter and lasts longer with a charge. Anyone tried this ?

[CTom]

I add uv to glow plastic that is used when I make ice baits or use that plastic in some way with another plastic in a larger bait, but then I put uv in ALL of my plastics.

I also don't put much stock in what baits do under a black light because we see things different than fish and fish haven't got access to any form of black light. The form of uv that fish see is way beyond our visual abilities and the enhancer just helps to pull that much more of that particular uv from existing light. In order to say yes or no to whether uv enhancer makes a glow pigment glow brighter would require some sophisticated equipment to measure the glowing properties in plastics with glow and without glow, but all containing equal amounts of uv enhancer. I'd ask the fish if I could communicate with them but since that isn't happening everything is simply speculation as to whether the fish think some plastic glows more than others.

[shipahoy41]

May have to try that idea.

[kickingback]

Unfortunately if you use a black light to see the UV it will outshine the glow under the light and it gives you a false glow from the black light. When you take the light away the "UV glow" is gone and the regular glow starts to loose the light it absorbed over time. There are some stronger glow paints from Rosey's that will last a long time and make the glow better overall. Adding UV only helps if there is any sun light. It does not in my opinion make the glow any brighter.

[CTom]

Unfortunately if you use a black light to see the UV it will outshine the glow under the light and it gives you a false glow from the black light. When you take the light away the "UV glow" is gone and the regular glow starts to loose the light it absorbed over time..... Adding UV only helps if there is any sun light. It does not in my opinion make the glow any brighter.

Bingo!

Using a black light is an old trick used by tackle companies' displays to get fluorescent paints to fire up much brighter than they actually will and its also used to get people to think that those glow paints will be blindingly bright when charged. Nothing but a sales gimmick.