I've come across this great (I think) article on how fish see colors, and how lure colors are affected by water and depth. I'm sure going to keep this in mind when I'm tying crappie jigs.
Fly Fishing Science, Fish Eyesight - MidCurrent
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I've come across this great (I think) article on how fish see colors, and how lure colors are affected by water and depth. I'm sure going to keep this in mind when I'm tying crappie jigs.
Fly Fishing Science, Fish Eyesight - MidCurrent
Thanks Sam. Nothing like cluttering this old brain even more on a cold winter day.:):)
Excellent article. Thanks for the link. :)
Yes, I think there's some real good information in that article. After I read it last night, I made two of my bead-head jigs using some colors the article said are highly visible underwater, mixed with colors that aren't so visible for contrast.
The one jig is black/chartreuse with chartreuse paint inside the bead hole. The other jig is red/purple with no paint in the bead. Both jigs have a little dab of red paint on the nose.
I took this very fuzzy photo this morning of the jigs in a dark room against a black background. The picture is fuzzy because the camera didn't have enough light to auto-focus, and it came out a lot brighter than it really was because the camera aperture opened, trying to get more light.
This is taken almost in the dark with no flash and the focus is off - but look at the COLORS! There's some reflection off the glass beads and metal weights, black completely disappears, red almost disappears, but the chartreuse and purple really shine. I bet that's what happens when the jigs are 10-15 feet down in the water, and that's good to know.
http://i632.photobucket.com/albums/u...2252009001.jpg
Good article. For the waters I fish...the best color is..........red /white or this combo...
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Chartreuseand!
Chartreuse and a contrasting color combo. Usually Kip or Marabou.
Sam thanks for sharing the link. Interesting. I'm not sure I fully understand all they are saying but does bring new perspectives to the color subject.
i have seen this a few times...but the colors they say seem to not work that great for me...maybe its just me tho
Yeah, I've been thinking about it and the color that's worked best for me on crappie, everywhere I've ever fished all my life, is WHITE. Maybe white with chartreuse, or with blue, or with red - but always white. Solid chartreuse would be in second place.Quote:
Originally Posted by CrappieKillerJigs
With crappie, I think what the article said about contrast is most important. Crappie won't go down for a lure, so they're not looking at it against the bottom or a dark background. Crappie might bite a lure that's at the same depth they are, but mostly they like to come UP for it. That means they see it against the bright background of the water surface, and they may not see much of the lure color at all that way.
A baitfish's white belly is camouflage to help it blend in with the light coming from above. What I got from the article is that we don't want to make that camouflage so good that the fish have a hard time seeing the lure, but it still ought to be there for realism.
I'm thinking the best combination is a white belly combined with a more visible color like chartreuse or blue, or even with red or black for good contrast against a bright surface. And, sure enough, that kind of combination is what I've caught a lot of crappie on.
:)