Lure colours?

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Wolly Bugger
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Lure colours?

Post by Wolly Bugger » Sun Aug 18, 2013 3:54 pm

Firstly I'd like to start this by examining human sight.

Our eyes are design with rods and cones, the rods see in dim light and the cones see colour. It is known that some humans have colour blindness that is where they cannot distinguish between some colours, to the rare instances of total colour blindness where they only see in shades of grey, white through to black.

We see colour from some aspect of ultraviolet through to the red spectrum. We have very poor night vision, where some other animals have excellent night time vision.

During the day from sunrise to sunset the colour spectrum changes, early morning and late evenings the light is more of the red spectrum where as during a clear day around midday it is the bluer light of the ultraviolet spectrum.

When light travels through water, the shorter wave lengths of the red spectrum begin to disappear, (to our eyes). It is know that some species of fish can see further into the ultra violet than we can. Some species may lack the cones to see colour, but will see that colour as an equivalent shade of grey.

For example to our eyes, red is the first colour the becomes black in the water column, this eventually happens when it deeper than 15 metres.

Infrared disappears at the surface, followed by red, orange, yellow, green then blue, then interestingly as I have just discovered violet and ultraviolet are blocked at shallower depths.

Generally when fishing lures, it is really on the top 20 feet of water that the lures are being used in.

From what I understand, is that some species of fish are able to see colours whilst others will only see the shades of grey.

Fish when they are underneath the lure, will only see the profile, until they get closer and then can distinguish the finer details. Trout for example can be notorious for taking one fly, yet reject another fly that is similar, but not exactly the same.



I searched for colour wave length and water.

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sal.fonzi
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Re: Lure colours?

Post by sal.fonzi » Sun Aug 18, 2013 7:40 pm

Is there a question here wolly or just a general post? It should be noted that there is a difference between salt and fresh water.. green travels further in salt water by memory

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rixter
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Re: Lure colours?

Post by rixter » Sun Aug 18, 2013 8:39 pm

There is actually around 70% blue spectrum during winter and autumn (and around 30% red), and during spring and summer it's the opposite , around 70% red spectrum and 30% blue spectrum.
It's actually more closer to like spring 70(red)/30(blue), summer 60/40, winter 40/60 , autumn 30/70 ... roughly .
Plants also use this light spectrum to go through photosynthesis (blue for growth during the colder seasons , and the red spectrum producing good flowering during the warmer seasons).
So the seasons could effect how a coloured lure looks to a fish I guess , if they do work on light spectrums ?

Cheers , Rick.
Last edited by rixter on Sun Aug 18, 2013 9:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Lure colours?

Post by lukesfishinmission » Sun Aug 18, 2013 9:03 pm

Lure Colour is a massive can of worms.

I have heard that fish actually see shades of black, white and grey - so is colour THAT important really?

I do know that black lures work better at night as it silhouttes better. A fish looking up from beneath will see that a black or dark lure stands out against a lighter back drop (the water column)....I know it goes against everything you may think is normal right
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Re: Lure colours?

Post by Murlz » Mon Aug 19, 2013 3:18 pm

Colour penetration is also affected by wave height etc. Light hitting the side of a wave will have a certain amount refracted therefore reducing the amount of light penetrating the surface.
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Wolly Bugger
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Re: Lure colours?

Post by Wolly Bugger » Mon Aug 19, 2013 3:46 pm

lukesfishinmission wrote:Lure Colour is a massive can of worms.

I have heard that fish actually see shades of black, white and grey - so is colour THAT important really?

I do know that black lures work better at night as it silhouttes better. A fish looking up from beneath will see that a black or dark lure stands out against a lighter back drop (the water column)....I know it goes against everything you may think is normal right
One of my favourite lures for trout fishing is a purple tassie devil, fished on lead core line at about 3 colours. This will get nailed when other colours at that depth are ignored.

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Re: Lure colours?

Post by lukesfishinmission » Mon Aug 19, 2013 5:00 pm

Like I said it is a can of worms, just telling you the facts that I know are true. Explanation of why these facts are true is beyond me
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Re: Lure colours?

Post by barra mick » Mon Aug 19, 2013 7:57 pm

Wolly Bugger wrote:
lukesfishinmission wrote:Lure Colour is a massive can of worms.

I have heard that fish actually see shades of black, white and grey - so is colour THAT important really?

I do know that black lures work better at night as it silhouttes better. A fish looking up from beneath will see that a black or dark lure stands out against a lighter back drop (the water column)....I know it goes against everything you may think is normal right
One of my favourite lures for trout fishing is a purple tassie devil, fished on lead core line at about 3 colours. This will get nailed when other colours at that depth are ignored.
so you have success with the purple Tassie devil wolly buggerr ???

is it only when its on lead core line ? do you have the same success with it trolled on top ? or down deep with a down rigger ?

the reason I ask is that I have never had much luck with the purple Tassie devil

cheers bm
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Re: Lure colours?

Post by Wolly Bugger » Mon Aug 19, 2013 8:18 pm

barra mick wrote:
Wolly Bugger wrote:
lukesfishinmission wrote:Lure Colour is a massive can of worms.

I have heard that fish actually see shades of black, white and grey - so is colour THAT important really?

I do know that black lures work better at night as it silhouttes better. A fish looking up from beneath will see that a black or dark lure stands out against a lighter back drop (the water column)....I know it goes against everything you may think is normal right
One of my favourite lures for trout fishing is a purple tassie devil, fished on lead core line at about 3 colours. This will get nailed when other colours at that depth are ignored.
so you have success with the purple Tassie devil wolly buggerr ???

is it only when its on lead core line ? do you have the same success with it trolled on top ? or down deep with a down rigger ?

the reason I ask is that I have never had much luck with the purple Tassie devil

cheers bm
I should have added that different fishermen have different experiences.

I will use it also flat lining, and generally early morning or on overcast days. I haven't been trout fishing since moving to melbourne, but I use to use it all the time up at lake Eucumbene and I'd stay generally at Anglers Reach.

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Re: Lure colours?

Post by eddyt » Mon Aug 19, 2013 8:41 pm

scientific evidence.

Even though fish shouldn't be able to see "colours" so to speak, there is still a very big effect. I've used the exact same lure in different colours, same time, same spot (2 people for testing) and one colour will get smashed while the other doesnt even get a touch. This is on bream by the way, tested in day and night, windy and calm, clear and murky water is supposed to make a difference but black/silver always seems to win.

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