Lure Color

[Canuckbass]

Colour helps fish locate lure. Light penetration is exactly part of it, that’s another novel!!
I could be whacking bass on one colour, next day sun changes and I would go different.
Dark for overcast or dusk, brighter for bright days.

Can never go wrong with green pumpkin.

[fishtildark]

T-Bone, you just hit on the problem with the whole process, the idea of losing the lure. To catch pike you need to fish where that is a real possibility.. My suggestion would be get two of all of them. That will start the run on Whopper Ploppers..

[RHYBAK]

T-Bone

I would suggest some of these if your looking to experiment
Excellent action

https://www.fishusa.com/product/Savage-Gear-3D-Line-Thru-Trout-Swimbaits

[Canuckbass]

T-Bone, you just hit on the problem with the whole process, the idea of losing the lure. To catch pike you need to fish where that is a real possibility.. My suggestion would be get two of all of them. That will start the run on Whopper Ploppers..

Whopper Poppers are old news, three years ago they were huge, now I haven’t heard about until this forum today.

[T-Bone]

Whopper Poppers are old news, three years ago they were huge, now I haven’t heard about until this forum today.

I don't know...I hear an awful lot about them and apparently the retailers must like them as much space as they devote to them on the lure wall . And when I say "I don't know" I mean it...I really don't know. What's news in lures and the latest whiz-bang crank bait is lost on me. The last thing I need in this world is more fishing tackle. Buuuuuuutttttt....if I had to buy "just one more lure", it will be a Whopper Plopper...and now I've decided...it's going to be red and white. 

Fun little thread...and I learned a lot. Now...if anybody is in the market for some fishing tackle other than jigs, jig bodies, and some old stand-bys (original Rapalas, hula popper, jitterbug, mud bug, tubes, in-line spinners, and a couple spoons)...send me a PM. 

[T-Bone]

Funny little story that validates much of what was said here today....

https://npaa.net/2016/11/19/a-boyds-eye-view-what-is-it-with-the-classic-red-and-white-color-pattern-in-fishing-lures/

Also, notice this box of "antique" lures...either red-and-white or natural color scheme...

[CaptainCrappie]

Just messin with ya Crackers but if purple below 20 ft. looks like brown and brown below 20 ft. looks like black, why wouldn't purple look like black and never look like brown below 20 ft.?  Here's another one.  They tell us red is the first color to lose it's color with depth, then why are so many lures red or have red in them?  About 25-30 years ago I bought a color selector meter which has an arrow pointing to the best color to use at the depth the probe is. I used that color selector a lot for a couple years since I fish for crappies, and to me, it made no difference in my catch rate.  Then along came the PH meter and guess what?...  It corresponded to the thermocline. I have bought most all of the wacky lures out there.  Some buzz , light up, make recorded noises when wet, and are banned in 19 states and half of Canada.  I fell for it all.  Remember that, when you see a kid with a cane pole and a can of red worms he dug up from under a cow patty, with a stringer full of whatever.


C.C.

[Canuckbass]

Great convo!

Red is supposed to make bait look injured/ blood.
Fish first attack the weakest/ injured fish in a school supposedly.

Next week we can discuss line colour, thickness, flouro, mono, braid.. lol

[puckster_guy]

 Hey guys I troll about half the time I fish. I used to fish Georgian Bay where it was often too windy to still fish, drifting was faster then trolling lol. I'll stick to trolling patterns. I agree with the guys above about jigs. As for colors on a sunny day chrome works well. On cloudy days I use a white shad color. I'll use a bomber long A with a prism tape inside with good results too. Somedays perch or firetiger. After that I'll strap on anything till I get a bite. IMO shad imitating lures work best. My goto lure is the Cotton Cordel Ripplin red fin then  jointed rapalas or straight one. I've trolled deep diving cranks (20 ft. down or more) in 30 to 40 FOW and had good luck. Fish were split evenly between pike and pickerel. The picks fought better.   

[T-Bone]

Red is supposed to make bait look injured/ blood. Fish first attack the weakest/ injured fish in a school supposedly.

Next week we can discuss line colour, thickness, flouro, mono, braid.. lol

Too obvious...that's just a theory until we can ask a fish ... 😳 ...but a meaningful angle for whomever thought of it first. Gotta love marketing...

I do have some meaningful questions about using braid with flouro leaders...but that's for another day.

[Canuckbass]

Red is supposed to make bait look injured/ blood. Fish first attack the weakest/ injured fish in a school supposedly.

Next week we can discuss line colour, thickness, flouro, mono, braid.. lol

Too obvious...that's just a theory until we can ask a fish ... 😳 ...but a meaningful angle for whomever thought of it first. Gotta love marketing...

I do have some meaningful questions about using braid with flouro leaders...but that's for another day.

Anytime! I've used braid with flouro for many years... It's awesome, jigging on Kipawa 8lb mono is perfect.

[pike mike]

 As to color we , the fishermen all have our opinions . I will add something my Dad and Grandfather before him taught me  . Bright sunshine and clear water equals shiny silver reflective lure , overcast and or cloudy water equals darker color lure . This rule of thumb applies to lures more than  jig heads  .On the jig head color our group swears by a pumpkin color which has year in year out out-fished  any other color used

[JigginFool]

1/8 jig head, night crawler, 6 pound test line, 5' ugly stick...just saying...lucky
We don't try for them but my wife gets a few each year..

[Kyle Skelding]

Nice fish @JigginFool.

[T-Bone]

1/8 jig head, night crawler, 6 pound test line, 5' ugly stick...just saying...lucky

Indeed, nice fish. And yeah...I get it. Keep it simple...no need to spend money on lures designed to catch fisherman. Buuuuut, you have to admit, side by side in the same boat...a person fishing a hook/worm/bobber will likely get out-fished by a person fishing with specific lures designed for fishing a particular species. Maybe not.

If anything, it's more of a "right place right time" exercise than it is using which bait and what color. So, if that's the case, the need for almost ANY tackle beyond a hook/worm/bobber set-up is negligible....no matter what color it is.

And I would tend to lean more to the side that it's more about being in the right place place at the right time than it is some scientific algorithm of factors that need to be aligned to increase your chances. As much as the lure makers and some of the fishing shows try to make your believe it, like you said...it's really just luck and the skill of the fisherman to set the hook and land the fish.

Glad we got that settled...