Think about this next time you pick a lure color to use.

[Travis C.]

Given perfect conditions, red and oranges are the first colors to disappear, to be absorbed by the water, followed later by yellows, greens, purples, and blues in that order. Take into account that this is a general rule of thumb because light absorption can be affected by what is suspended in the water.Things like plankton or sediment can reflect or absorb colors before they would normally be absorbed in clear water.


There are many other factors that affect how light penetrates water including the state of the waves. Flat calm water will reflect a large portion of light diminishing the intensity of the light that is entering the water.That’s why we really need those sunglasses on the calm sunny days. On choppy days, we get better light penetration but somewhat scattered…and on wavy days we get a diffused light entering the water affecting light penetration.

The angle of the light plays a big role in light penetration. As the sun comes up and sets during the daylight cycle the light from the sun will be hitting the surface of the water at different angles. The best light penetration occurs during the most direct sunlight period, high noon, when the sun is closest to a 90% angle to the water surface. At angles of 40% or less to the water surface light penetration falls off dramatically, these periods coincide with sunrise and sunset.

Clarity of water is also a big factor in light penetration and color absorption, the clearer the water the deeper all wavelengths of light will reach. Factors such as phytoplankton and zooplankton suspended in the water, along with sediment such as sand or mud all affect light penetration and affect which colors get absorbed; this does not mean that other wavelengths are affected negatively.

The most common factor that changes the penetration depth of light in water is the amount of light available; a simple principle, if it’s cloudy and dark there is less light available to enter the water. While you can still get sunburn on a cloudy day, UVA and UVB rays are not visible; you need “white light” to determine color. While you can still see color when it’s cloudy on the back of the boat less light means less light penetration through the water, which will affect the depths at which colors disappear.

What does this all mean to me as an angler? Since we have all agreed that we aren’t going to break out the slide rule, use the information to make some educated assumptions. Start at the light penetration baseline of perfect light with clear water and work back from there. Assume that on a perfect day red is only going to be visible to depths of 15 feet, but because of clouds I know that it may only be 10 feet today, or because the water isn’t completely clear, or because it is early morning or late in the day. It is not absolutely necessary to know the exact depths.Would it be nice? Yes. But what is important is to have a general idea of what is going on down deep where you can’t see.

Now that we got all the technical stuff out of the way, how do we apply this to our fishing? If you’re running red or orange lures, flies, or flashers and running them below 20 or 30 feet then the color is not showing, these colors are showing as brown or black. This means that if you’re having success with these lures it is not due to the orange or red color, it may be related to the action, the flash, perhaps some glow paint or tape, or the fact that it is actually showing black or brown in color. This holds true as we move down in depth with the other colors as their wavelengths disappear.

Have you ever wondered why people say to use bright lures on bright days, and dark lures on dark days? Does it make sense now that you know something about light penetration? NO? O.K., I’ll try to explain.

First of all, bright colored lures are typically considered those of the orange, red, green, and yellow variety; which are most effective on those beautiful bright days. So if it’s dark and nasty out, running bright colors has little effect because unless they are being run totally on the surface those colors are not visible. Why run dark lures on dark day then? Because the colors aren’t going to show, it becomes a matter of contrast, lure action, and lure size, and dark lures contrast more effectively on dark days because they are darker to start with. For instance an orange lure down deep might work, but it is really showing a soft brown where as a black lure is showing solid black and a hard edge.

This is not the definitive guide to what colors to run when. It is simply a primer of what is happening on any given day. Next time you are out on the water think about the effects of color loss at water depth and start to apply that understanding to what is happening in your fishing. Begin to take into account the use of glow tape, glow and super glow paint as they affect the visibility of lures, regardless of color.

While the effects of water depth on color loss are a science, effective lure selection is not. Hopefully these guidelines will become another tool that helps you become more efficient when out on the water.

[Travis C.]

With so many colors on the market.....most for us not the fish. How do you pick effectively? Understanding what different colors look like in the water and how fish could see them will narrow it down some for you.

Also, the pros know this and use it in all situations. Last time they were in town at Old Hickory during summer you could not find a purple worm any where. Now you have an idea why. It is one of the most visible when fished deep and summer patterns of bass fall right along with that.

Another thing is red. Those bleeding deep diving baits are only a symbol of carrying a color across a whole product line. Where as in the shallow forms red on a bait is effective as bass really pick up red well.


What are your guys thoughts on this?

[Jim]

Good info, but also remember that most fish see UV light. It travels much further into the water than visible light. Additionally many have reflective coating inside their eyes to amplify available light (like cats eyes) and their distribution of rods and cones is different than man's so their peak color spectrum is not like ours.

Doesn't change the water absorption pattern, but what we see underwater and what they see are not the same thing.

Just one article on new discoveries in UV vision in fish that highlight how little we really know.

forget-x-ray-vision-these-fish-have-2010-02-25

[whrizob]

i base the color i choose on different things.

first, am i throwing a slow moving bait? like a jig, worn, craw, ect.
or am i throwing a fast moving bait? like a crankbait, spinnerbait, ect.

second, how deep will i be fishing? shallow, med depth, or deep?

thirdly, i look at the color of the water? is it muddy, stained, clear, ect.

finally, i look at the ski? is it bright, cloudy, partly cloudy, ect.


i use these for steps to determine which colors i throw. it basically the same use of the color chart.

answer to question 1: if im throwing a slow moving bait, then i believe colors are a little more important that a fast moving bait. your trying to "talk"a fish into biting! if im throwing a fast moving bait, im going for a reacton strike. color is not as important as slow moving baits, but can still be key sometimes depending on the depth im fishing and the water color.

gets me to question 2: what depth am i fishing? if im fishing shallow, i do get more light penetration. the deeper i go, the less penetration i get. what does this mean? well that kinda depends on the other 2 question. but usually if im getting more light penetration, i want to go with naturall colors, maybe even tranlucent. the less light penetration, i want darker colors, i like solid colors too! now these colors are determined by the rest of the questions.

question 3: what is the color of the water? if the water is clear, i want natural colors. if its stianed, i want darker colors. if it is muddy, i want loud colors! what is loud colors? real bright colors, or even a noen black color. anything that would stand out!

the 4th question: what does the ski look like? these is the last step i use to determine what im doing. if its bright i want natural or translucent colors. when its cloudy, i like solid colors.

i will give some ex.

ex 1: i get to the lake and i want to throw a crankbait down the bank. im fishing that upper water column. so im fishing shallow. the water is pretty clear, so i want a natrual color. and i have cloud cover in the ski. so i dont have to worry about alot of light pentration. i would choose either a narual craw color crankbait, or a natural shad color crankbait. might throw both! i dont want a translucent color. i want solid color, because i have no light penetration.

ex 2: what if i decide im going to fish slow? say throw a worm on submerged timber in 15 ft of water. the water is stained and its partly cloudy? i would go for a darker color worm. the water is stained and there is no light penetration. so i want the fish to see my worm. so i choose a dark color worm for those conditions.

ex 3: what if its bright skis and i decide to throw a jig in shallow water along the bank and the water is clear. you want to fish natural color jigs. bc the fish at this point cant see very well. so throw something that looks real! blend it in with the surroundings. make a fish thinks it suppose to be there.

once you start asking yourself these questions out on the water, they become second nature and you answer them quickly. if you do this, you are alot closer in figuring out how to catch the fish. try to keep the colors simple!there is alot out there but most look the same under water. dont get to carried away into having too many colors. just have some natural colors and then some loud colors for those dirty water days. i know that i have just touched on this topic and there are other situations that can determine colors. but this is just the basics and will catch you many fish if you use it. im better at telling someone what to look for than sitting here typing it out. if anyone does have a quetion to ask, feel free. pm, give me your number, and i will explain it a little better.

[tsuggs]

killer info.thankx

[Jim]

In the bassmaster classic this past weekend, one of the top 5 finishers was using the soft plastic UV beaver from this company.

http://www.uv-tackle.com/tightlines_...or_process.php

They have more info about UV vision in bass and also some cool pics of what UV lights make baits look like.

I have no idea if this is just a marketing gimmick, but it is something to think about.

Also, KVD crushed everyone else using a crankbait. He is just better than everyone else.

Jim

[fishfindergeneral]

Good stuff guys. Really gives ya something more to think about in presentation.

[Travis C.]

Originally Posted by Jim

Also, KVD crushed everyone else using a crankbait. He is just better than everyone else.

Jim

Jim, did you happen to see when they were fooling around with the idea of putting a camera on the anglers. Kind of like a birds eye of what they see during a tournament. They had one on KVD's chest and for what ever reason after the trial run never really went with it. Maybe a comfort issue. But that guys hands reeling a crankbait never stops moving. Absolutely insane how much he works the crankbait as opposed to just reeling it in.

[Jim]

Originally Posted by Travis C.

Jim, did you happen to see when they were fooling around with the idea of putting a camera on the anglers. Kind of like a birds eye of what they see during a tournament. They had one on KVD's chest and for what ever reason after the trial run never really went with it. Maybe a comfort issue. But that guys hands reeling a crankbait never stops moving. Absolutely insane how much he works the crankbait as opposed to just reeling it in.

I hear you. I really have to improve my crankbait skills. I am really lazy with a crankbait and tend to just cast and reel. Probably the reason I catch so few fish on it and rely on the spinnerbait. I know how it make the spinnerbait work. But, he proves over and over it is one of the best bass catching lures there is.

Glad I am not fishing against him for $.