Color

[Lonnie84]

Color - Does it matter???

I once heard a well known fishing pro state in a seminar that crappie can only see different shades of gray so you only need a dark, medium and light color jig to cover the spectrum. I don't know what a crappie sees he may be right. But I came across this video which shows color at different depths in clear water, although they do not all change to gray tones some do and most of them change dramatically from their out of the water color. Of course most of us are not trying to catch crappie at 155 feet deep you can pause the video at different depths like 10, 15, and 20 ft. to get an idea of what your favorite color may look like. I remember when I first started seeing the color "pink" being used, I was a bit amused... but as you will see there is good reason why it has become a go to color for so many people.

Enjoy!

YouTube

[CrappiePappy]

I don't know as I believe that Crappie only see shades of grey, as it's already been proven that Bass can distinguish many shades of different colors (and Bass & Crappie are "relatives").

And I still don't know why Crappie around here like Pink so much, since it remains basically "pink" thru the depths I'd normally be fishing (according to the video) But, it does tell me something about red (turning darker) and green (basically staying green, but lighter) and purple (turning a dark blue) in the depths I normally fish. I just wonder how much change occurs in waters that are far less clear than the water in the video. Wouldn't they tend to get "darker" quicker ??

[SuperDave336]

Now that’s an interesting video. Reminds me of the one with the guy and the 3 water glasses of water clarity. Wonder why black isn’t more popular? Bold dark and easily visible all clarity and depth.

[Locator79]

Now that’s an interesting video. Reminds me of the one with the guy and the 3 water glasses of water clarity. Wonder why black isn’t more popular? Bold dark and easily visible all clarity and depth.

Black catches fish ALL the time

Sent from my SM-A105G using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

[SKs Crappie Catching Adventures]

I don't KNOW how many colors a crappie see but can say at times color makes a huge difference in weather you catch'um or not..... And different times of the year a few colors do a lot better than others.....

[Lake Life]

Very interesting video. At 33% increase in look of size also punctuates why crappie sometimes want smaller bait.

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[Lonnie84]

Very interesting video. At 33% increase in look of size also punctuates why crappie sometimes want smaller bait.

Good point, that never registered with me.

[Techno2000]

Very interesting video. At 33% increase in look of size also punctuates why crappie sometimes want smaller bait.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app

I doubt their food looks 33% bigger to them.

[Spoonminnow]

Color preference IMO is a human preference and much of the time we pretend knowing the reasons fish strike certain colors regardless the limitation of color to maintain a hue. Depending on the combination of available light, water color or murkiness, surface chop, surface algae, depth and cover, a lure's color by comparison to that in the hand or in clear water less than 5' deep can not be the same - ever.

I have to admit to being color superstitious when it comes to soft plastics but not limiting myself when to use certain colors. Just because a lure in a certain color catches fish - or not, doesn't mean anything except that maybe that color enhanced a lure's shape and action, among many others that could to do the same. Interesting that no one has ever brought up clear soft plastic lures such as this stick that catches everything:



If the only thing I had were clear soft plastic lures, I know I could catch fish with them knowing that clear doesn't mean no color. Rounded surfaces reflect, refract and transmit light and background color as you can see in the photo, the color seen differently depending on the point of view of the fish and background. Translucent colors are in the same boat as clear and opaque colors depending on viewing angle.

Looking up against a cloudy sky, a grey tint is seen regardless the color. Of course fluorescent colors hold their hue, but how many of us prefer them over what is are considered more natural colors (another lure enhancement superstition IMO). All of these lures in different colors caught fish on different days:

Would I duplicate those colors? I admit I would because just catching fish boosts one's confidence regardless of the real reason a lure got slammed. It's just nice knowing that color isn't a crucial choice and that just a few will do 100% of the time active fish are located.

(Note: flash or sparkle and laminated colors are yet other visual enhancements not mentioned.)

[CrappiePappy]

I doubt their food looks 33% bigger to them.

No, it wouldn't, since they never see it "out of the water". And they have been known to bite something bigger than they could actually swallow, so it probably don't matter much to the fish about the size of the food ... just the ease at which they can obtain it.