interesting article on colour and water depth

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scuro
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interesting article on colour and water depth

Post by scuro »

http://www.fishontario.com/fishing/salm ... 404&page=1
Spectrum fishing
By Stan Lievense

Like Ponce de Leon searching for the Fountain of Youth, anglers have sought a way to determine the best lure colour for a given situation. Most select a colour either by asking others what's working for them or by picking one that has served well in the past. Others have tried fancy light meters.

Another way, using the Spectrum Fishing Theory, has been tested for nearly 30 years and has proven reliable. The theory is that red is the favourite choice of fish if red light rays are visible to them. When red rays are not visible, the closest to red in the colour spectrum becomes the favourite.

Back in the 1960s, as a fisheries biologist with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, I was given the task of preparing Fishing for Great Lakes Salmon, the first booklet on the subject. Being a Michigander, I'd had only slight exposure to these introduced fish. I had to scramble for information.

An indirect benefit of my research for salmon-fishing information was what I learned from Dr. Stephen Easter, a professor in the Zoology Department of the University of Michigan. I'll never forget his response when I asked, "Do fish see colours and, if so, do they show a colour preference?" To my delight, Easter had researched the subject, and he answered, "Yes, they do see colours." Most important was that his laboratory fish favoured red. Common sense suggested this would likely also hold true with wild gamefish. A red lure would be the first to consider. If, however, red rays were filtered out at the planned fishing depth or at a certain time of the day, it would be necessary to identify the next best colour. Visibility varies with water depth, light intensity, and, of course, water clarity. "Aha," I said at this point, "there may be a plan here for selecting the most promising colour in a fishing lure."

It was pointed out that red rays filter out the quickest and fade out entirely at a depth of 14 feet (4.26 m). Orange, purple, and ultraviolet rays disappear below 45 feet (13.7 m). Yellow is visible to 90 feet (27.4 m), green to 110 feet (33.5 m), and blue to 180 feet (24.4 m). Colours below their visibility range show as grey or black.

Naturally, clear water and ample light are musts for fish to see true colours. Although the Great Lakes and larger inland lakes qualify as clear, this is not so for many inland waters. Limnologists have found smaller and usually more fertile lakes vary in turbidity. On lakes stained brown or obviously cloudy, anglers should not rely on this colour-selection idea. Incidentally, in these situations I do well with natural brown (mostly flies), yellow, and black lures.

To remember the details of colour penetration in water, I found it helpful to divide the solar spectrum into colours that are warm (red, orange, and yellow) or cold (green and blue). Warm colours are considered when fishing shallows and in bright light. Cold colours are considered when fishing deeper water and during lower-light periods.

Metallics must also be considered, since they reflect specific colours. Brass and copper reflect close to yellow and orange, respectively. Silver reflects white. Nickel and chrome, like mirrors, reflect existing colour rays at their depth. Black is made up of all colours and hence is the best contrast colour.

Fluorescent colours are offered in some lures, and they look really sharp to us. However, from knowledge I've gained on this subject, they offer no real advantage. Incidentally, fluorescents activated by ultraviolet rays are effective only in the upper 45 feet of the water column.

Phosphorescent finishes, when exposed to light such as a flashlight, glow white for short periods, then require recharging. Phosphorescent lures have proven effective on maturing chinook salmon and for late-evening and after-dark walleye.

Reflective colour beads are also used, such as on the popular walleye worm harness. Rhinestones, being multi-dimensional, are the most reflective. In fact, I can assure anglers, backed by long use of spoons on which I have attached rhinestones, that their effectiveness for trout and salmon is outstanding when compared with bare spoons. I epoxy six or seven 3/16-inch-diameter crystal rhinestones on a spoon's outer surface like a lateral line of a fish, spacing them so as not to upset the lure's balance.

Because it greatly affects colour penetration, light intensity must also be a strong consideration when selecting the best lure colour. During the day, direct sunlight is, of course, the main light source, but a lesser, yet significant, source is diffused sky light. Direct light rays striking the water at a 30-degree angle or less are reflected, not contributing any light downward. The exception is on windy days when the varying angles of waves catch some of the rays and send flashes of light downward. This is why a little chop on the surface is such a big help to fishing. Once light strikes the water at an angle greater than 30 degrees, it starts to penetrate deeper and deeper as the sun moves toward noon, with maximum penetration at mid-day. Then the sun starts to descend and light intensity decreases to eventual darkness. In applying spectrum fishing, it is important to realize that colours penetrate differently as the day advances and light intensity changes. For a while in early light, for example, only blue rays will show. Then gradually, in addition to blue, green will be visible to fish, then yellow, and so on. Mid-day is optimum for maximum penetration of all colours. During the afternoon, colour visibility changes in reverse order, with blue the last to be seen.

Say we're out fishing at the break of day with only a glimmer of light. What lure colour would be best? Naturally, the first would be black, to contrast against the dim light. Then - depending on cloud cover, time of day, and water depth -- we must judge when to move to blue, then yellow, and so on.

In my youth I was predominantly a bait-caster, fishing for largemouth bass. The popular lure at the time was the red and white Bass Oreno. Another favourite was the red-feathered Shannon Spinner. Since these lures are shallow-running and fished mostly during bright daylight, they fit the plan well. Still, other lures were selected, especially during low-light intensity of early morning and late evening. This was when my dad switched to surface lures, a Spoonhook, or a black Shakespeare Mouse. The Spoonhook consisted of a large fluted nickel-plated spinner blade that revolved around a wire shaft, ending with a large feathered treble hook. All of these selections fit the theory well.

I'll never forget the tidbit I picked up in an outdoor magazine regarding colour. It reported that the American Fishing Tackle Manufacturers Association had conducted a survey among its members regarding what colour of lures sold the best for them. Yellow led the list. That, too, was consistent with the plan.

Bob Dixon of Traverse City and I have trolled Lake Michigan and the Grand Traverse Bay together for several years. In listening to anglers' radio talk and receiving reports from friends on the water, we've been able to check on lure colours performing at the time. Our choices have surprisingly and consistently fit with the reported working lures. In recent years, Lake Michigan charter-boat skippers discovered that steelhead, especially during late summer, concentrate along the scum line far out in the lake. The favourite lure colour for them is orange. This isn't surprising. The Spectrum Fishing Theory is comfortably reliable.

One last important discovery: earlier, I indicated a contrasting colour in a lure was favourable. Dr. Easter said he was not an angler, but he had noticed most fishing lures are painted with a dark back and light belly. He suggested it would be wiser to paint lures in a reverse pattern, so that if the lure was above fish, the dark bottom would be in sharp contrast to the light top, and if the lure was below fish, its light top would contrast with the bottom. I repainted all of my salmon plugs in a reverse colour pattern. They've been doubly effective.
This is interesting for trolling at depths below 20 ft.
...anything to bend the rod
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Pickerel Paul
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Post by Pickerel Paul »

:twisted: Red is the color of....................blooooooooood!
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vtsalmon
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Post by vtsalmon »

Agree. Any lure is solid as long as it has a little bit of red and if that doesn't work use orange, especially streamers and stick baits.
:!:
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