Colour Vs Water Clarity Vs Brightness

[Garry2Rs]

What is dirty water and what is clear?

In Arizona I fish on bright days under cloudless skies, in water that I feel is muddy. However local people complain that after a couple of windless days the water is too clear???

 

For bait colour, generally they seem to like lures of dark colours, because they feel the fish can see the dark shape better in the double-cream-in-my-coffee water. However in one lake everyone like chartreuse lures because the forage there is Sunfish...

 

In Ontario I fish in clear water. Some lakes are clearer in the Spring but turn sort of green with algae as the Summer progresses. Others have a brown, tannin stain to them, but they are still clear.

 

When talking about water clarity I try to remember that KVD once said the water is clear if you can see more than two feet.

 

What about lure colour?

Sunny days make everything seem brighter and lures can be seen at a greater distance. Sometimes I've read that chrome or gold lures work very well on days like this because the flash of the metallic blades or baits can draw fish to investigate. However I have also seen fish shy away from the flash in very clear water.

 

Smaller lures can work well because they can be seen easily in the clear water. Natural looking patterns should work best, again because they can be seen clearly under bright skies and in clear water.

 

On cloudy days there is no sun to make metallic lures flash, so the general rule is to use painted lures and painted blades. The same rule also seems to hold that the dirtier the water the brighter the colour and the darker the day, the brighter and lighter the colour.

 

Now it is a fact that if you look up from underwater on a bright day everything on the surface looks black. Black has always been the number one colour for musky baits. Even at night, some people say that black is more visible because it silhouettes well against the sky.

 

Having said all that, We know that not all baits are only seen silhouetted against the sky. Baits that dive might be seen on an angle or on the same level by the fish. Even shallow or surface baits are seen at an angle by fish that are off to the side and they might be able to see the colours in daylight.

 

In the past most baits were not very realistic looking. However this didn't seem to matter because in theory, if the bait is moving it only needs to give the general impression of a bait fish to work. Many square lip baits have short fat "minnow" shapes, but are painted in Crawfish patterns...

 

Recently there have been some very realist baits made, like the Live Target series. Grant Koopers who is behind these baits was a guide on Lake Ontario and Lake Erie in the Niagara area. He once said that he started designing his super realistic baits because Zebra Mussels have made the water he fishes so clear that the old baits weren't working so well. Last Fall I started seeing what looks like the same art work on other brands. Some Japanese lures even have real fish skin covering them!

 

I don't know if fish skin or photo-realistic paint jobs work any better than the old baits. I really like the theory, but some days it seems that anything that appears to be alive and struggling will catch fish, regardless of shape or colour.

Garry2R's

Edited May 26, 2011 by garry2rs

[manitoubass2]

Great post on a great topic! I'm sure there will be very conflicting theories/thoughts on this subject.

 

I will say that water clarity is going to vary from waterbody to waterbody. At home on the Rainy River, what I may call clear here, seems very dirty on other lakes we fish. On Rainy, if you can see two feet (like previously mentioned) thats about as clear as the water gets. Other days, after heavy rain/wind or rising water levels, water clarity is nil, I can't see my bait 6inches under the water. Other lakes I fish, like those around Nestor Falls for example, clear water (like in Crow lake), visibility is extremely clear, I can see me lure 40ft down on a sunny calm day.

 

For colors of baits/lures, I think it's so complicated, it's actually worked itself back into simplicity, lol. My favorite color for walleye, bass and pike are all black, for any type of water clarity/weather/time of day. I know the silhouette thing gets beat to death, but I'm not even sure it;s really true? But black out performs any other lure for me, and by a large margin. It works for me, that's all I really need to know, although the fish freak in me wants to know why, hahaha.

 

Another thing is the action of a bait, more specifically crank baits. I know in my experience, some of the sheild lakes we need to fish wide or hard wobbling cranks at times. But in my homebody of water, I've had way more success fishing cranks with a snap swivel to dull the action (which with some anglers is a huge no no).

 

It's all a complicated puzzle I'm sure we would all love to solve... But if we did, would it even really matter??? I'm pretty sure I'd grow bored of fishing one bait, with one method, all the time. It's what we don't know, in my opinion, makes fishing one of the best hobbies/sports in the world.

[Garry2Rs]

Great in-put, thanks.

[manitoubass2]

Great in-put, thanks.

 

Glad to contribute.

 

I'm really looking forward to hearing some other thoughts on this subject!

[umKthxbye]

I'm really surprised that there isn't more chatter in this post, considering it's a good subject. Im too new at fishing so I don't have any input.

[OhioFisherman]

A great topic, but I really don`t know what to add that can be counted on except to stay flexible on your lure colors and selection of lures. Although the water is generally clearer here than 20-30 years ago? I still wouldn`t call it as clear as the waters of say the Georgian Bay during the same time period.

 

Chrome and black, gold and black lures have always been a standard here, on sunny days the flash factor may have been the reason, but the dang fish also hit them on cloudy days and also after a rain when our waters tend to pick up some color pretty quickly. Given that was it the lure color or lure action? Or simply that the fish were feeding more aggressively on a particular day? Or a particular time of day?

 

I didn`t go on the water with a preconceived notion that the lure I was using was the lure that would work, or it was the right color, only that those choices had worked well in the past. I stayed flexible enough to mix up the choices if the choices weren`t working.

[manitoubass2]

A great topic, but I really don`t know what to add that can be counted on except to stay flexible on your lure colors and selection of lures. Although the water is generally clearer here than 20-30 years ago? I still wouldn`t call it as clear as the waters of say the Georgian Bay during the same time period.

 

Chrome and black, gold and black lures have always been a standard here, on sunny days the flash factor may have been the reason, but the dang fish also hit them on cloudy days and also after a rain when our waters tend to pick up some color pretty quickly. Given that was it the lure color or lure action? Or simply that the fish were feeding more aggressively on a particular day? Or a particular time of day?

 

I didn`t go on the water with a preconceived notion that the lure I was using was the lure that would work, or it was the right color, only that those choices had worked well in the past. I stayed flexible enough to mix up the choices if the choices weren`t working.

 

You bring up some good things to think about, especially about flexibility in lure choices.

 

The only way to tell, and this isn't a scientific method, but it takes years of fishing the same/similar spots, in varied weather patterns, water levels, times of day, time of year etc to determine why fish are taking one particular bait. I personally think water displacement is a major factor in stained water, or dirty water. But, during certain conditions, in clear water that bait might still produce strikes. Is it the water displacement now? Or has the clearing water now allowed the fish to see the bait and strike it???

 

There is just so many factors in play, I think maybe thats why OFC'ers aren't joining the topic?

 

Again, I think this topic is great, and should drive alot of discussion. We could all learn some things I'm sure.

 

At the end of the day, I just want fish to bite, thats the most important thing for me. But learning is important to, just to satisfy the geek in me, and possible make me a better angler in the future.

[g_clot]

It is a good topic and I think we could all learn a lot if the optimum choice was presented for each condition, but there are just too many variables to factor in when it comes to lure choice. Overhead conditions, previous day conditions, barometric changes, wind, water clarity, time of day, time of year, water temperature, base forage, fishing depth, lure depth, lure shape, lure action, underwater structure, retrieve speed, target species, the water's overall fishing pressure, bottom composition......

 

My brain hurts just thinking about it

[coreyhkh]

This is a great topic and I am always very confused and frustrated when I go fish, in a good way though because I never know what to use. So on bright days I should use Dark lures? and on overcast darker days I should use crazy colors?

[manitoubass2]

It is a good topic and I think we could all learn a lot if the optimum choice was presented for each condition, but there are just too many variables to factor in when it comes to lure choice. Overhead conditions, previous day conditions, barometric changes, wind, water clarity, time of day, time of year, water temperature, base forage, fishing depth, lure depth, lure shape, lure action, underwater structure, retrieve speed, target species, the water's overall fishing pressure, bottom composition......

 

My brain hurts just thinking about it

 

lol, so true. Maybe we can start by adding in things we've noticed about fishing in different conditions etc with different lures? At least to get some drive to the conversation.

 

I'm not one of those guys that isn't willing to share information on fishing either, but here is some things I've noticed or learned in my time as an angler.

 

On my homebody of water, wind, preferably around 15-25kmh helps with walleye activity. If you add in overcast conditions, or slight rain the fishing continues to improve. On Rainy river, clear calm days are very inactive for walleye, but seem to activate smallmouth bass and pike.

The clearer the water, the tougher the walleye bite gets. Fish move deeper and bite less often, even worse for the bigger walleye. In clear water conditions, we find fish around 25-35ft deep, usually sitting on the edges of eddies, or slack current around breaks in the shoreline were the water is deep enough.

Clear water and black jigs still work the best for me (might be a confidence thing?), but black with minnows, Gulp minnows, black worms etc all produce. When in these conditions and the bite is tough, I like a 3/8oz black jig with a 6" black/silver Yum slated worm wacky rigges and jig retrieved back to the boat, allowing me to cover water, alter presentation etc.

 

When the water is dirty, the bite is on heavy, especially with wind and clouds cover. The walleye are now active throughout the day, moving shallow, anywhere from 3-12ft. and oddly enough, I find them on mud bottom on the dge where the bottom converts to rock/sand. I also find them very shallow at this time on wind driven sand bars, sometimes very shallow, 1-3ft. Once again, black minnow presentations get the nod.

 

Whenever the water rises or drops, it takes 3 days for the bite to go back on. I don't know why, but its like clockwork. Even the bass are effected at this time. Pike, not so much.

 

White baits here produce naddas for walleye, but work well with pike and bass.

 

I have a ton more to add, but I'll get to more later...

[EC1]

My rule of thumb for colours as of 2011 have seemed to be to start off with something natural in all sorts of water. The reason to this is because I fell in love with dropshotting now, and natural baits just instantly becomes the first go to.

 

It's something that is very bad, but I'm starting to notice more and more that a colour change was all it took to turn some of these fish into biting! (Means you have to own every colour that is catalogued out there Lol.) I've had days where the producing colour would outfish everyone else by huge numbers, and also days where if you had the right colour only in the tail, they would only bite the tail.

[adempsey]

Previously someone made a post about some fishing videos. In "The Underwater World of Trout" the narrator demonstrates the difference between what water looks like from our perspective and what it's like in the water. Very clear water was actually not as clear when you were inside of it. Although, these were primarily rivers, I imagine the water in a clear lake isn't as clear as one might think. The suspended particles reflect light and the visibility through the water column won't be as great as looking down into it from the outside.

 

Personally, I think finding the fish is far more important than bait color. Next would be the fishes feeding behavior - when they feed and what they are targeting. I would guess that fish are typically opportunistic feeders, so if they are in the "feeding mood" I imagine they will go after whatever requires the least amount of energy expenditure, as long as it looks like food to them. Of course, there will be seasonal variations in forage and the fish are going to take advantage of that; and is likely a learned behavior (e.g., May fly hatch).

 

As for realistic looking lures. I have my doubts they work any better than the others. Can fish actually make out those details from so far away? Especially when the bait is moving so quickly? Unlikely.

[manitoubass2]

Previously someone made a post about some fishing videos. In "The Underwater World of Trout" the narrator demonstrates the difference between what water looks like from our perspective and what it's like in the water. Very clear water was actually not as clear when you were inside of it. Although, these were primarily rivers, I imagine the water in a clear lake isn't as clear as one might think. The suspended particles reflect light and the visibility through the water column won't be as great as looking down into it from the outside.

 

Personally, I think finding the fish is far more important than bait color. Next would be the fishes feeding behavior - when they feed and what they are targeting. I would guess that fish are typically opportunistic feeders, so if they are in the "feeding mood" I imagine they will go after whatever requires the least amount of energy expenditure, as long as it looks like food to them. Of course, there will be seasonal variations in forage and the fish are going to take advantage of that; and is likely a learned behavior (e.g., May fly hatch).

 

As for realistic looking lures. I have my doubts they work any better than the others. Can fish actually make out those details from so far away? Especially when the bait is moving so quickly? Unlikely.

 

Some very good input there, thanks.

 

As for the last paragraph, I absolutely agree with you on realistic looking lures. This is kinda where I was going with my previous water displacement thoughts. Ultimately, I think it's more important to have a lure with a good shape and water displacement than the actual pattern on the bait. I love plain cranks for example, plain black, no eyes, no nothing, just black. Again, just a though of mine, that the fish in most cases can either see a shad shaped lure for instance, or feel the vibration that is important. It's highly unlikely that the realistic gill plate of a crank bait caught anything other than some hard earned money, lol

 

I still have em in my tackle boxes though, so I'm not sure what that says about me? hahahaha

[adempsey]

I still have em in my tackle boxes though, so I'm not sure what that says about me? hahahaha

 

Yes, yes. I am a hypocrite as well. I probably buy at least 3 colors of a given model of a crank I like. Some of my favorites I probably have over 20 different colors, lol. Well, when I can't fish, I shop....

Edited May 27, 2011 by FishLogic

[OhioFisherman]

Corey, that is part of the problem, that isn`t always the best way to tell. Usually when fishing with one of my friends, a partner in a tournament when I fished them? We would agree to use different lures or colors of lures, just to see what might work faster.

 

Fishing a bay off of Lake Erie with my buddy that both of had had fished often. The same conditions weather wise as we had fished a week or two earlier. Both of us pitching 6 inch zoom utail worms to boat docks, just a color difference, me a junebug, him watermelon blue fleck. He had 3-4 fish in the boat in 5 minutes, I didn`t have a hit pitching to the same spots. Changed colors to his and bam! But junebug has always done the job there.

 

A club tournament in another bay a couple miles down the road, 15 boats 30 guys, all good fisherman and a self imposed club rule of a 3 fish limit per boat. My partner and I beat the water all day, not a hit, and we had fished there many times before. 15 minutes before we headed back to the ramp? I changed lures and went back the other way down a bank we just covered, 3 casts 3 fish, like 10-11 pounds, good enough for 3rd place. and absolutely no clue why that choice worked, my parnter still didn`t get a hit. Just another style of soft plastic lure, a different shape, color, fished the same way. We fished the same bay in the fall for another tournament about the same number of boats and guys, none had a hit all day. The only time I have seen that happen.

 

I have beat up spots on Lake Erie for smallies, fish all day with very poor results, then all at once they either move in or turn on and for a half hour or so non stop action. Then it`s like some one flipped the switch off again, no hits. You just have to make every hit count and don`t give up. Some days a hero? some a zero? I like to limit the zeros.