My understanding is this; in the UV spectrum red is the first color to get washed out to something like gray. So it isn’t completely useless as some might think. I’ve tied jigs for bluegill that worked OK but became a hot ticket when I added a short piece of red wool on the tail of the tie. But you know me and I always have a story to give. TJ Stallings was a friend and worked for several companies in the fishing industry. I met him in his dads tackle store on Michigan ave in Orlando when I was late teens or early twenties. I never knew TJ to boast or talk trash so I believe this 100%.
It was after closing and TJ and his dad Tim were finishing up and his dad told him to come here, I have something to show you. They walked to the aquarium that was in the store with a couple of small bass and a few bluegill of assorted varieties, maybe a Warmouth or two. Tim carried a small penlight and some colored cellophane to put over the lens. Turning out the overhead lights he turned on the penlight and shined it in the tank. No change in the fish. He put the green over the lens, same thing. Yellow too, no change. But when he put the red over the lens and made a red dot on the bottom of the tank, every fish instantly came over to look and see what was going on. Move the light and the fish followed. There’s something to this said Tim, and they finished closing and went home. In his later years TJ became big inTTI Blakemore, the Roadrunner people, also selling tru turn hooks also available in red. I’ve used red in many different fashions and believe that it helps tip the table in my favor. I think that every major tackle maker uses red as a trim color on lots of their baits, I don’t think it’s coincidence.
The only downside to red hooks is that they are first plated gold or the red wouldn’t stand out. After some use the red can be scratched off and you’re left with a gold hook.