[luresmith]

Hi Guys,

A while back I wrote an aquatic scientists perspective on lure color selection. Thought a few of you might find it useful. You can read it at:

www.theluresmith.com/articles/color/color.htm

I'd appreciate any feedback you may have

Regards
Greg

[Celticav]

Nice! Love the graphics.

[Skeeter]

Great article. I read it twice and then save it.
Skeeter

[Maze]

Great article and site !!! Sent it to many frineds, printed it, and added the site to my favorites. I'm curious, have you had any experience with the Lake Systems Color C Lector ? It's not being manufactured any more but can be found regularly on ebay. I've heard a lot of good things about it. I also wonder how much data can be gained by using an underwater camera system such as the AquaView system. I have a BS in Biology but at the time was more interested in the human body as a career field. Foolish me ! Thanks in advance for the answers. Feel free to email them if it's easier.
Maze

[luresmith]

Hi Maze,

Thanks for the great feedback and sorry to be so slow in replying. Glad you like the site, I've just employed a couple of guys to really spruce it up, so it should be even better soon.

I haven't had any personal experience with the color c lector, though I have read a couple of fairly complimentary articles about it. I guess to me it just seems a little gimicky, so I've never bothered to explore it further (the sceptic in me also asks "if its so good why isn't it made any more and why does it keep appearing on ebay"?).

To me color is (usually) low on the list of priorities when I'm thinking about what lure to tie on my line. Except for some specific conditions I'm usually more focussed on lure size, action, dive depth and profile than color. When I finally get down to choosing a color I tend to go on gut feel and the type of info that I put in the article you've just read.

I've used underwater cameras extensively for scientific assessments and if you take the time to think about the outputs you realise that they can give some insights. For example, next time you're watching a documentary on marine fish notice how the camera picks up all sorts of colorful species on shallow coral reefs, but at the outer margins of the reefs, in deeper water, the fish and corals appear predominantly blue and green. Then go back to my article and ask yourself why. Is it because the fish are blue/green, or is it because other wavelengths don't penetrate that deep? I've never swum lures past an underwater camera though, perhaps I'll sneak a few into the kit next time I'm up working on the lakes!!

In some lakes I've worked on, up to 99% of light is absorbed in the first 10m, and these aren't particularly turbid lakes, the water is quite clear. All of this has implications for lure color selection. Don't get too hung up on it though, those other things I mentioned are more important in my opinion.

Regards
Greg

[Mylures]

Hi there, when it comes to color I am sold that it makes the difference. Now I know there are times also when it doesn't matter but awile back we went out on a lake in 7-10 feet of water. We all rigged our lines the same and all used the same colors. That particular day we got all the fish on a green and black walleye diver. We had the green on the middle line on both sides of the boat and had two boats. No matter where we put the lure the same color caught all the fish. Just my experience. Ken Schmitz

[luresmith]

Hi Ken,

Sure. I remember one memorable trip where those of our party using fluro green lures scored almost 100% bream and those using pink got almost 100% perch. I changed to green and guess what? Yep, bream. There are definately times when color matters, especially in shallower and clear water. I just reckon it's the least important determinant most of the time, but it's the first thing that many anglers base their selection on. If you do the science you'll soon realise that there are some colors that just aren't visible at depth. Its not just my opinion, it's scientific fact and well published in the limnology literature. Unfortunately most anglers don't read the limnology literature! Those particular wavelengths just don't penetrate deep enough into the water column, so it's an impossibility for those colors to be visible.

Regards
Greg

[Big Splash]

If I remember correctly, red is one of the first colors to 'disappear'. Actually, I believe it is seen as black beyond a certain depth (about ten feet?). I'm wondering if you run two lures, identical to each other except one is red and white, while the other is black and white at the same depth, beyond the point where red fades out, would the results be similiar?
I also think color selection is low on my list of priorities when choosing a lure. A west coast Salmon troller might disagree though, as color seems to be very impotant, even below the depths that color can be detected at. Just one of the mysteries that keep the game interesting, I guess.

[luresmith]

Spot on big splash, red is definately the first to go. In theory, the red will appear black, or more likely greyish. The darker the shade of red, the closer it will appear to being black at those depths beyond the extinction of that wavelength.

Regards
Greg

[boatnik13]

Just reading up on these posts. Understanding fish optics and color shifts are explained in the book "WHAT FISH SEE" byDr.Colin Kageyama. 185 page book and covers fresh/salt water fish.You'll learn that fish differ in what colors they see.