Bait colour-does it really matter??

[matthew barter]

Fish do see colours. This is known because as has been pointed out already they often become more colourful for sex, also they use colour to show other signals such whether they are toxic or not etc. They also have cone nerve receptors in their retinas which shows the ability to see different colours. As with mammals some fish don't have these due to the fact that the cone receptors don't pick up as much light as the rod receptors. These become more useful in low light for picking up contrast.
The reason why I don't yellow and blue lateral paterns on lures is because cleaner fish all over the world tend to have this colour arrangement. I have an irrational belief that this is such an old pattern that even fish that have evolved to live in freshwater will still have some sort of repression behaviour when confronted with these colours and not take the lure. I know, I'm bonkers and I still blank. Never mind at least I'm fishing.
The other thing to take into consideration with colour and water is how far different wavelengths of light travel through it. Short wavelengths don't travel as far as longer ones. However if the water is clear and you can still see colour on the bed then don't worry about it so can the fish.

 

[jcp01]

Roach are very sensitive to violet apparently. I always wondered whether bread or white maggots dyed violet would be an improvement?

 

[Tee-Cee]

rufus.....I'm not doubting your words BUt how do you know about the violet sensitivity?

I need to know this before purchasing the violet dye..............

I acknowledge that you said 'apparently' in your post!

 

[David Rogers 3]

I fished the Lower Itchen on Tuesday and was having plenty of fun with the small grayling up to twelve ounces and the occasional small brownie on trotted red maggots, then I switched over to single grains of corn, the catch rate rocketed and the stamp of fish too.

I've heard it said that single grains of corn look a lot like trout eggs - maybe this was responsible for the increased catch rate?

 

[jcp01]

rufus.....I'm not doubting your words BUt how do you know about the violet sensitivity?

I need to know this before purchasing the violet dye..............

I acknowledge that you said 'apparently' in your post!

Tee-Cee. It took some time to find the reference, but here it is.

The New Compleat Angler, P117, Downes/Knoweldon, Orbis, 1983

On roach and rudd ~

"...they have a short-wave violet sensitive set of receptors quite unlike anything in other fish. It is not at all clear why they specialise in seeing violet..."

Interesting stuff, huh?

---------- Post added at 16:14 ---------- Previous post was at 16:09 ----------

I've heard it said that single grains of corn look a lot like trout eggs - maybe this was responsible for the increased catch rate?

That's a very good point! Trout eggs are 1/4 inch diameter just like corn, and bright orange too. In such a fertile stream as the Itchen the must feast on the eggs in spawning season.

 

[Harvey]

..........

 

[Ray Daywalker Clarke]

Well I have caught fish with all kinds of colour, and the bright green fluro corn has given up some good fish.

It's funny that Red line is ment to be seen less by fish, so they claim, yet we use Red for maggots, and on lures, boilies etc etc.

So is the red line anygood, or do the fish see it like red maggots etc??

 

[matthew barter]

Nothing to do with Roach but Kestrels can see ultra violet. Apperently rodent urine reflects this wave lenbth and so they can see where there prey frequents. I can't think why a Roach would have such an adaptation. Maybe someone needs to take a look around with some sensetive camera equipment.

 

[quickcedo]

Can I just ask. What is it with anglers (me included). Why do we need to know why? surely it's enough to know it just is! Isn't it? If fish prefere a certain colour on the day does it matter why as long as your string gets pulled.
Now I appreciate that "knowing" a certain type of bait works better in a certain colour, but can someone put me out of my lifelong misery and tell me why I need to know WHY?

and while I'm on the subject why are srawberry boilies made red, do fish know strawberries should be red etc etc?

 

[richiekelly]

and while I'm on the subject why are srawberry boilies made red, do fish know strawberries should be red etc etc?[/QUOTE]


because baits are made to catch anglers and their money just as much as or more than fish

 

[alan whittington]

Can I just ask. What is it with anglers (me included). Why do we need to know why? surely it's enough to know it just is! Isn't it? If fish prefere a certain colour on the day does it matter why as long as your string gets pulled.
Now I appreciate that "knowing" a certain type of bait works better in a certain colour, but can someone put me out of my lifelong misery and tell me why I need to know WHY?

and while I'm on the subject why are srawberry boilies made red, do fish know strawberries should be red etc etc?

The reason we must know why is to make our baits as attractive as possible,i dont remember if we mentioned this Mark,but have you tried colouring your bait,just to see if its more attractive in a different guise,i know its attractiveness to the fish etc,but would it change its effectiveness.On a different tack,if maggots were only sold in white do you think catch rates would go down,i think not,for then they would soon forget what a red maggot was and get on with munching,many years ago when chrysodine was found to be a health risk,several clubs banned all coloured maggots,the matches were still being won with similar weights,the biggest joke to me is that red maggots are dyed with rhodamine,which apparently is more carcienogenic(forgive spelling)than chrysodine,the only difference being rhodamine is fed in,so is less likely to come off.

 

[quickcedo]

I have coloured the bait I'm using and can absolutely confirm that catch rates fell. Though not by much. Without going to my notes I think the next bit is about correct.
In it's "natural" colour so that's this year I've had (Barbel) 26 doubles and just short of 100 singles.
Last year I did a similar number of trips and was regularly colouring the bait mainly red or yellow. For the whole season I had something like 60 singles and 20 doubles.
Now I know this is completely unscientific as last year was a bit of a wash out but, Confidence is a vital factor in fishing and I believe I'm getting fish on the bait quicker in it's natural colour. Pick ups also seem to be more confident.

 

[jcp01]

Harvey, you can get UV dye, it's used for tracing leaks. However, I'm not actually sure that the Dye is UV coloured or just reacts to UV light shone upon it, or even if that is the same thing? Actually I'm having real trouble with the entire concept of imaging something that certainly exists that I can't perceive! Roach obviously have this ability to see UV as part of their survival kit and it's going to be to do with one of three things, I'd guess - sex, food or safety.

Colouring maqgots with UV dye might frighten the living daylights out of them, if they are equipped with this extended vision because pike, who can't see this wavelength, glow ultra violet...?

 

[Harvey]

..........

 

[jcp01]

It's oh so quiet.

Harvey, I'd guess we are now standing at the very edge of angling knowledge...

 

[Fred Blake]

Harvey, you can get UV dye, it's used for tracing leaks. However, I'm not actually sure that the Dye is UV coloured or just reacts to UV light shone upon it, or even if that is the same thing? Actually I'm having real trouble with the entire concept of imaging something that certainly exists that I can't perceive! Roach obviously have this ability to see UV as part of their survival kit and it's going to be to do with one of three things, I'd guess - sex, food or safety.

Colouring maqgots with UV dye might frighten the living daylights out of them, if they are equipped with this extended vision because pike, who can't see this wavelength, glow ultra violet...?

Think you've hit on it there. If (and it's still only an 'if') roach are attracted to the ultraviolet part of the spectrum, the trick would be to colour baits that react to ultraviolet light. All colours work on the same principle; they reflect light only from the part of the spectrum which corresponds to their signature colour.

Maybe we should wash our maggots in Persil? Of course, if the reaction to UV is negative (i.e. safety related) then we'll know to avoid anything that shows up too well in UV light.

 

[Alan Tyler]

Have you seen the rows the fluff-chuckers have when they try to get their heads around the properties of fluorescent materials?
It makes the debate on Archimedes and float design look like chit-chat at a vicarage tea-party. A veritable hornets' nest, Squire, and he who would prod it had better have a thick skin and a very long stick...

PS Fred posted while I was writing.