Importance of color in poppers/stickbaits

[John F]

Calling on all the surface lures gurus here...

Are there any colors that really catch more fish than others? Or is it mainly the action of the lure?

[REEFMAN]

Think it's the action first and foremost, then the contrast created by the lure and it's surrounds... Red and white (being my favourite) providing good contrast in surface lures where the colour doesn't disappear.

[Half-Pint]

Think it's the action first and foremost, then the contrast created by the lure and it's surrounds... Red and white (being my favourite) providing good contrast in surface lures where the colour doesn't disappear.

What this chap said

I definitely think that some lures create a better contrast than others.

What I do find odd is when certain coloured lures are recommended by all the local anglers. Do they work well in that particular area or is it just that every Tom Dick and Harry is throwing them so more time in the water equals more results

[SAfish]

I normally only throw plugs for Garrick and have found that I get more strikes on plugs that have a little flashy sticker on the side. Like Reefz said, the action is the most important but adding a little bling will also help.

[Zetti]

If the lure manufacturers only made one color lure people won't buy 5 or 10 of the same thing and the manufacturer won't make lots of $$$$$

When we fished Kilwa a couple years back the best popper by a mile out of the 100 we had there was a pale yellow cheapie, looked like a bleached  . Split in half it was hit so many times.

 

[John F]

Thanks chaps!

Definitely looking forward to Cam's input here...

[SAfish]

Thanks chaps!

Definitely looking forward to Cam's input here...

We not good enough?   

[John F]

Thanks chaps!

Definitely looking forward to Cam's input here...

We not good enough? 

Nope! 

Just wondering what those middle East  think about colors....

[sardinella]

Color can be the difference between a follow and a strike.
The action can attract many more fish than we realize but its the appearance that will provoke a hit.

Water clarity and time of day makes a difference.

[REEFMAN]

Color can be the difference between a follow and a strike.
The action can attract many more fish than we realize but its the appearance that will provoke a hit.

Water clarity and time of day makes a difference.

Definitely! Good post.
Overcast and dark---> darker lures (greens, purples); Sunny and bright----> colourful bright lures (white, red/white, orange/yellow, pink)

[Toppie]

How do we know fish see in colour?

Been said antelope only see in grey scale.

[Kent]

  ...let me chip in with my humble amateur opinion...My experience over the past 9 years...Is this....On any given mornings session....Ive always started the AM with a one of 2 spoons in my bag....Its a ritual for me.....Often ...Ive had NO nods and then I put on a tighter pushing spoon and get the nod....continue with that spoon and get some more nods...I then go to the first spoon I started with and NO nods again....Then immediatley switch back to the tighter spoon and get the nods again!!...Soo.....my opinion...Its ALL action!!!...Different water conditions calls for different action lures......A certain spot here on the EL coast called Cove Rock...the leeries every November almost 99% ONLY take spoon and not surface plugs....

[Seventenths]

When all else fails go back to red and white.. It always makes me feel better if not the fish! I heard fish cannot see UV spectrum.. would make sense underwater but would make a whole lure/tackle ranges useless..... and means I have prob upset a lot of fishing gear marketing guys....

[Seventenths]

University of Wiki....Fish[edit]The goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus)^[7] and zebrafish (Danio rerio)^[8] are examples of tetrachromats, containing cone cells sensitive for red, green, blue and ultraviolet light

[John F]

The thing is... with poppers it's about noise and splash (turbulence).... if one imposes a continuous action, there will be bubbles and turbulence around the popper.... is there time for the fish to actually assess the color and decide if is it yummy!?

With stickbaits.... similar, but typical action is pause-retrieve-pause!?

[Kent]

  ..To go one step further...Ive stood shoulder to shoulder with a mate gooing the same spoon in the same area....landing about a meter apart and he gets the 2 fish and I get zippo!!....Different pressure on the retrieve???.....different speed???....vibration down the line???....Yeah!!....lets not forget .....its a whole alien world a meter under the surface of that salty stuff!!!!

[SAfish]

University of Wiki....Fish[edit]The goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus)^[7] and zebrafish (Danio rerio)^[8] are examples of tetrachromats, containing cone cells sensitive for red, green, blue and ultraviolet light

I have been thinking about this for a long time. Fish can see UV light but we can't. Maybe it will be a good idea to have a look at your lures under a UV light and see what they see. It will also help to check out the different bait fish under a UV light and try and find something similar. 

[Kent]

University of Wiki....Fish[edit]The goldfish (Carassius auratus auratus)^[7] and zebrafish (Danio rerio)^[8] are examples of tetrachromats, containing cone cells sensitive for red, green, blue and ultraviolet light

I have been thinking about this for a long time. Fish can see UV light but we can't. Maybe it will be a good idea to have a look at your lures under a UV light and see what they see. It will also help to check out the different bait fish under a UV light and try and find something similar. 

...You telling me Im wasting all that elbow grease shining my spoons????

[chrisquinton]

The UV check is great, but I dont worry much with surface lures at all.

The only part of a surface lure a fish should usually see is the belly and partially the sides, depending on that lure's action.
For such a lure, colour MAY be a consideration. As stated below, action, and then shape are the critical factors of a surface lure. Thereafter (and probably an effectivity weighting of less than 20%), colour. And particularly, the underside and sides of the lure (unless we're catching birds).

The rules thereafter are:
dark silhouetting colours (even black) for pre-sunrise, late pm, darker overcast days.
brighter colours for brighter days, clearer waters.
I will almost always fish a solid white colour belly, with silver, and/or pink. I have experienced just as much success with a completely transparent popper as with a solid coloured one. Our success is often skewed by fishing one lure more than another.

Fish all your lures, especially the ones you never had faith in. You might just surprise yourself...

[Seventenths]

More wisdom from the university of Wiki...
 
Vertebrate animals such as tropical fish and birds sometimes have more complex color vision systems than humans; thus the many subtle colors they exhibit generally serve as direct signals for other fish or birds, and not to signal mammals.^[