Color - just another point of view

[Spoonminnow]

Color is in the eye of the beholder.

What fish see underwater as far as hue, color saturation, brightness and lightness is concerned, is far different than what humans see when seen up close under a bright light. Try seeing a color accurately at night or under low light conditions - can't happen.

What affects color underwater? : water clarity and filters (ie. suspended algae), time of day, cloud cover, shade and shadows, depth viewed and lure motion (ie. crankbait body-wobble). Chrome and mirror finishes are in a class by themselves visually speaking and dependent on backgrond reflection and flash.

For certain lures I prefer certain colors - no rhyme nor reason. I just stay with those lures that caught fish consistently in those colors. Fish IMO are too dumb to know what colors represent whereas their senses prompt fast reaction-stikes by simply detecting the moving object or their parts (animal or lure) and processing it. A robot could be programmed to do the same thing as a fish also with no thought possible: detect - track - attack swiftly.

[DockShootinJack]

Interesting

[TBass89]

Thanks for the post. Something I have been pondering. Im finding out that sometimes these fish are just stubborn and don’t want to bite. I want to crack the code on that.


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[Spoonminnow]

Thanks for the post. Something I have been pondering. Im finding out that sometimes these fish are just stubborn and don’t want to bite. I want to crack the code on that.

Fish suspend and their inactivity to conserve energy (my excuse for not doing chores around the house), I think deadens the response to the signals the detection-senses send. The opposite happens around the spawn or in schools - fish strike almost anything day after day while activity level is high and then dies all of a sudden.

The proof of the post about color can be seen in the large numbers of photos I've posted on crappie.com and on many other forums. My color selection for each lure pictured is based on fish strikes regardless of the light, water clarity, time of day, etc. Color selection is not rocket science or we'd never catch fish!

[Danny Lang]

Them colors surely get them fisherman though. Everyone here has seen one color better than others though. Seems like to me they can see colors just fine because two people in a boat but only 1 catches fish until the other one changes to that bait, or color. Don’t know but I know for sure it really that color really gets into the fisherman’s pocket book.

[Ketchn]

Them colors surely get them fisherman though. Everyone here has seen one color better than others though. Seems like to me they can see colors just fine because two people in a boat but only 1 catches fish until the other one changes to that bait, or color. Don’t know but I know for sure it really that color really gets into the fisherman’s pocket book.

Color selection goes like this , he is Ketchn and I ain’t .....select the same color he has on , just saying

[BobC]

Good post and as said interesting. Like you, I have certain colors that always seem to produce. I go with what I know until proven otherwise!
Bob

[Spoonminnow]

Anyone ever fish at dusk or at night using lures? From what I've read recently, dark colors that outline the lure's shape are best such as black, dark blue, etc. Wouldn't that also be the case during the day? One evening near sunset we caught crappie ice fishing using one bright color that caught fish during the daytime. Go figure.

[ezgoing]

Color doesn't matter until it does during the times they will not bite. I start with my favorite colors of black/chartreuse or blue/chartreuse tube jigs. If the tube jigs don't work I switch to hand ties of the same colors. If that doesn't work I switch to soft lures. If that doesn't work I throw everything I have in my tackle box at them until I find one they will bite.

That becomes my favorite color and lure of the day until the crappie stop responding to it. Then the whole process starts over again.

Was it the change of color that entice them to start biting was it just time for them to feed? I don't know and don't care, changing all the jigs and colors kept me busy until they started biting.

[Jamesdean]

Color doesn't matter until it does during the times they will not bite. I start with my favorite colors of black/chartreuse or blue/chartreuse tube jigs. If the tube jigs don't work I switch to hand ties of the same colors. If that doesn't work I switch to soft lures. If that doesn't work I throw everything I have in my tackle box at them until I find one they will bite.

That becomes my favorite color and lure of the day until the crappie stop responding to it. Then the whole process starts over again.

Was it the change of color that entice them to start biting was it just time for them to feed? I don't know and don't care, changing all the jigs and colors kept me busy until they started biting.

Agreed. Sometimes it's the being outdoors but Lord don't let me get bored as one of two things happen. I go to sleep, or I pack up and leave...