I totally agree with NIB, keep it simple. We are talking about fish! Fish don't care if it is pearl with a strip of pink and a black fog around the eye. Black at night is all you have to know and if you are catching fish during the daytime 90% of the time color definetly does not matter.

I've seen it happen .. Years ago one fall morning on a Sandwich beach berfore day break guys were lining up and casting plugs. Word was out fish had been hitting at daybreak . There had to be 40 guys there arms length apart .. One guy in the middle keeps hooking up.. He got 7 fish .. Everyone eles got skunked except for one OTW writer got 1 fish . Stan Kuzia was there,, also Ron Arra and Carl Johanson ,,so its wasn't a matter of guys not reaching the fish . A bunch of other heavies I didn't know . After all the dust settled got a look at the guys plug . It was a Polaris popper Pogy color ,, That light gray with the black false eye .. Only thing that color was not available in stores and he got it from Gibbs himself .. Must have been the plug .. Either that them other guys don't know how to fish .

Mackeral patterns are the one that I have absolutley zero of. There's a spot here in NJ that used to get filthy with tinker mackeral every summer. Bass and weakfish would go ape**** on these things and if ya snagged tinkers, ya caught fish. Well I got the notion to try a mackeral finish bomber, the small one, and could not for the life of me catch a fish on it. Goto the schoolbus or chicken scratch and catch fish. Go figure eh? Even up in New England waters, i tried mackeral and couldnt buy a fish.

And I agree with Habs, color matters and I also always start with white. Even with shad bodies, if you aint tossing the right color you will get squat. NIB, how many times do you see guys with the McKala shads up on the bridge and the guys using all pearl are outfishing the guys with blk/pearl 5-1? Granted technique plays alot in to it all, as does skill, but I'm a firm believer in the right color will catch more fish.

Hello there,:wave:

Some friend told me about this and here I am. This is a great topic and if you don’t mind, I like to interject. I’ve culled many bass on just about every imaginable color and I have to concur will a few of you. White is the primary color and whenever in doubt, toss white and you will be okay. Now, as per Laptew’s questions… Top lure color, does it really matter? I like to think it does. My motto is to match the hatch (daylight action) and for the night bite, use the scale to adjust to the proper hues. For example, if we are fishing the mid moon, I like the “grey” and if we are closing into the new moon… I go darker. ;-) But the truth of the matter, does it really matter? I don’t know but if it adds to my “confidence” level and it makes me fish harder… than it does.

All in all, this is all good. It keeps you thinking and most importantly, thinking out of the box. Regarding this topic, I have some basic rules and I am sure some of you agree. Here it is… if I am fishing the darker nights, I go dark, if it is a bright night, I switch to brighter colors. In the event the water is dirty, I got with chartreuse and in the other hand, if the water is gin clear – I switch to the natural colors (pending if you are aware of the current foray).

Given this, I strongly believe that noise is equally as important as color. Do I dare highjack this thread and ask about the lateral line and its noise factor? LOLOLOL…

Anyhow, got to catch a tide, tight lines and be well.

“Crazy” Alberto
NonStopFisher@Optonline.net

Hijack alert :usd: :uhuh:

Ah, yes. Why does a bucktail jig have to be working on the bottom to catch fish most of the time? Is it because the fish are holding tight to the bottom, or in a hole that breaks the current slightly? Or is it because they have to hear it bouncing off the bottom structure with their lateral line before they can zero in on it? ;)

How many times have you had a jig hit the instant it falls off a mussel bed, a ledge, or a bar into deeper water, before it can even reach the bottom of the new hole?

Some of the bestfish I have caught on a jig where not near the bottom at all.A slow retrive up current kinda like trolling.Instantainious Rod Bending Monster like hits.I like em on the bottom don't get me wrong.Gives ME a sense of what is going on.Most jigg hits come on the drop After I pop the rod.In a 5 Knot current that can be 10' easily who knows if the bass heard the last tick or not.I think they feel the disturbance an it gets their attention.It looks like food they have a millisecond to decide to eat it. (like a batter at the plate with a 95 MPH fastball comin on, or is it the changeup?)which mechanism does a bass use to zero in on a jig at close range inner ear or lateral line.Which noises effect these motion detectors best.It is important to pay attention to what happens when a fish strikes.That I do know.

As always a lot of great input from a lot of talented anglers out there.

I would have to agree with most of what’s been posted and I’m inclined to go along with everything Crazy Alberto suggests.

On those bright sunny days a plug from directly below is just a silhouette to the fish as shown in the picture below. But remember the reflection will give them a perfect mirror image of the top of that lure when they come in from an angle.

Good stuff Mike.U now how to get a bunch of fisherman o think.That last pic tells me I have to lighten my line, remove the clip, an the tail hook.:err:

That one pic says it all! Thanks!

IMO color is for selling more lures. If a fishermen thinks it works, then he is convinced. Like most of you I have lots of colors. If I had to rank the properties of importance 1) Action 2) profile 3) contrast 4) color
Fact is at night bass can't see color. So it does not matter. During the day they can see color but their eyesight is so bad that they have to be really close to it to see it. (THis is one theory why they tend to be more active at night) Also, the direction a fish is looking has something to do with it too...looking up agaist the black night or bright daylight puts completely changes the way it looks.

Also there are two good books on what fish see and how sea water absorbs color and it changes at different depths.

For more info check out:

1) What fish See: Understanding optics and color shifts for designing lures and flys by Colin J. Kageyama, OD., F.C.O.V.D.

and

2) Through the fish's Eye: An anglers guide to gamefish behavior by Mark Sosin and John Clark.

Kind of geekish but if you read these it will change the way you think about color and lures.

Color is important. But we get sidetracked with creating lures that look like the real thing or multi hued beauties that make collectors drool. Trouble with that is that all one needs is solid white, solid yellow or solid black and one can catch most anything with a plug painted in those tones and I don't really by the eyes thing. My various beachmaster plugs have caught tons of bass with nary an eye on 'em.

Silhouette and motion, especially in the dark means more to me then the overall paint job.

Opinions?

Day or night....white...and you`re right.... black and yellow are fine fellows :boots:


many old plugs had no eyes..... feeding bass and the right motion :humpty:


Though as a person with addictive qualities I have many baits of all colors :smokin:

Sandman,

We've talked about this before and I agree with your line up of key factors in drawing a strike. However, I would include one other consideration and that's "size". In your order of importance I would stick size in right after profile -- I think general shape is more important than size, but size does matter. Many knowledgeable anglers feel that stripers are among the most size selective feeders in the world!

Dare I bring up the subject of fluorescent, phosphorescent, ultra violet, and bioluminescent considerations?

Bring it on- I looked at the kageyama book and, from what I can understand so far, he is saying that "true" fluorescent paints reflect more than one color of the spectrum underwater- much more so than ordinary paints, which would give your lure a much better chance of being seen and tracked visually... although he is primarily a steelheader, and I hear that steelhead are wild about fluorescent colors. Anyhoo...

Also, I read somewhere else that polarized light is critical, specifically how an object in the water reflects polarized light...as for bioluminescent and phosphorescent, well, haven't gotten that far into it yet...but willing to go down that road. Why not, its still January...lots of time left in the winter...

I think colors take a back seat when it comes to reflection & vibration(sound/ action) & smell. Striped bass (& other game fish & animals for that matter) have adapted to pick up on these things.

If you eat at night you better have a few tricks up your sleeve when it comes to finding food. I think evolution has taken care of this with most animals by giving them other means of finding prey rather than relying on only sight.

Or to be politically correct, "God" has given animals these abilities since the creation of earth. :D

Yet I still prefer to fish white plugs or other light colors, since they are the most visible.

you weren't kiddin' about the new Tatoo plug havin some "roll" in it were ya- that thing is flat on its side in the second pics!!

I agree with the color being important... I am not so convinced on the eye part either. I have done pretty well with plugs that have no eye at all. I also have seen many sand eels come out of the belly of fish and their eyes are tiny.

I am totally convinced that the sound and vibration play the biggest part in getting the attention of the fish then motion, action and finally the color make the fish decide.

If the fish is hungry or in a frenzy they eat anything.......

First a big thanks to Mike for starting one of the most interesting threads I have read in a long time. Also, thanks to all the other contributors. Lot’s of good info here.

As you can see by my avatar I have been around for awhile. After a long time away from Striper fishing I am back relearning our great sport.

Talking popping plugs, which I love to use, sometimes I think I use them too much. But I can’t help myself. I think color is somewhat important but that action and sound is more important. I own many wood plugs by some of the best makers and love ‘em but my “go to” plug is one of those plastic things with rattles. In the river, for schoolies, these seem to out-fish those nice wooden ones.

Interesting observation on the noise that treble hooks make too.

Now Mike, about that “size does matter”?

Think Spring, Al

IMHO, color is waaaaay over rated, yes there are times when a certain color will outfish others, it is my belief that it has more to do with light penetration and what "shade" of color the fish are more able to see, that said, again IMHO, the movement and size of the bait or lure is far more important than the color..

Do bait fish and juvy fish not have colors to hide them from predators?....Eels are black when they are on a mud bottom.. what color do they turn in a white bucket?

Even Mackerel in a white tank loose some of their darker hues.

Ever see a trout on a stream bed... they blend in pretty well with their surroundings.....

My point is ,those pretty colors may hide the bait fish by breaking up the outline of the bait.. does this happeen to a fancy paint job on a plug?

I paint my plugs lots of pretty colors, just because black, white and shades of blue or green are boring... but when I seriously go to war, black, white and shades of blue are my weapons of choice... because IMHO, those are the colors most visiable to fish under most conditions....

Tight lines
Roc

I think that flashy colors and eyes are primarily to catch fisherman, but I also believe that they sometimes do make the difference. example: My son and I were fishing for largemouth bass - he was consistantly cathing fish on a red and yellow plug while I just watched. I started picking up fish as soon as I switched to the same color plug. They were evidently keying on yellow perch. It pays to have a variety of colors. I don't think you need eyes but I believe they will help with finiky fish.

HELP!! It took me three times to post my above reply. I log in but when I try to make the post I'm told that I'm NOT logged in. I am a slooow one finger typer so this is making an already crazy fisherman even crazier.

Color my world.
 

This is indeed a thought provoking thread with lots of great commentary. It seems a lot of folks favor the approach that it’s as simple as black and white…light or white during the day and black at night or overcast days – no doubt about it, it’s a tried and true formula and a great way to start any fishing trip.

IMHO, I favor pearl over white (the subtle hint of other colors seems to trump straight white…perhaps because so many bait fish have a pearlescent sheen when light reflects off their scales) and black with a little glitter or flash seems to outperform straight black. When it comes to dawn and dusk I personally choose lures with a yellow body and a red head, especially if they are surface plugs or shallow running swimmers; I’ve observed many species of bait fish at this time of peak predation and the low angle of sun reflects off their side and produces a golden glow. I like a red head because I simply feel most lures and flies benefit from a touch of red. What fish, no matter what its coloration, doesn’t show a flash of red when it flairs its gill plates? It has been proven that stripers see a range of colors from red to blue…with chartreuse being right smack in the middle of their range…so when the visibility is horrible and the water is the color of coffee or chocolate I turn to chartreuse, it is the easies to see color for both humans AND linesiders.

The one exception to my basic MO above occurs when my offering is suppose to mimic a squid, that’s when I turn to bright pink or hot orange. Stripers apparently don’t see ultra violet but weakfish do, therefore if I were targeting squeteague on a cloudy day or at night, I would definitely use lures or flies that had ultra violet highlights.

In fresh water I’ve found that a gold lure with a fluorescent orange stripe is the most effective color combo for every fish I’ve ever gone after…well, except for suckers, hornpout and carp.

I favor action over color any time of the day or night. But, when I need a solid excuse for why I’m not catching fish, it’s always easy to say, “I just didn’t have the right color lure with me.” :wiggle: :laughs: :spin:

yup all you need is white - with a little pink shot down the sides that's my confidence color.

How about colors when fishing at night under the lights? Where I am at, the answer is always gold gold gold and more gold...

at night under the lights we use pink pink and more pink

and i was told to use a red lights at night because it doesnt penatrate the water surface very far and spook em. but what do i know?

"to look right thru the fishes eye, lure color should match the sky"

Where is that from?
I tend to agree with it