Red Hooks?

[Fishhead]

Really? So you don't think that rocks absorb the suns rays and heat up the water right around the rock a little and I mean just around the rock itself, more that a bare bank? I have felt rocks sitting in the sun all day and they certainly seemed warmer to me.

[Danny]

BB,

You made a good point about rip rap being a lighter color and staying cooler because it reflects the light and therefore the heat more than darker color rocks. One thing though, the under water rip rap undoubtedly have algea etc.. growing on it.

But that got me to thinking about your post about clear water vs darker/muddy water in cool weather. Wouldn't the same thing be true, that the darker water would warm faster because it absorbs the light and therefore the heat better? Just wondering.

Also red crankbaits are one of the best colors to use in muddy water. The reason is they are dark colored and present a better profile. However, since red does disappear first under water, they would theoretically either have to be grey or invisible. I expect grey.

I use red hooks on the front of many of my shallower (10 feet and under) crankbaits. I always heard and red that it probably looked like the gill flare. Not real sure, but my observations are that I do catch more fish on the red hooks. I did this by having red hooks on the front of some cranks, and the backs of others. Then during the fishing day, switching up, and seeing which hook the bass seemed to hit. It seemed to me that usually the red hook was the one the bass hit.

Could be coincidence. But the fact that it put confidence in me, makes me fish the bait more carefully. Just as pumpkin/chartruese is the most productive colored Zoom Lizard for me, it could be just because of my confidence level.

Just some thoughts....

Danny

[smljaw]

This has been an interesting thread with some good points and opinions. I may have to try the red hooks with shallow cranks and topwater baits in clear water. Who knows, maybe I'll be singing praises to red hooks in a month or 2.

[Fishhead]

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON Feb-14-06 AT 04:23PM (EST)[/font][p]I agree Danny, its always been my experience that muddy warmer warms a whole lot faster than clear. Besides the darker color all the particles absorb the heat as well. Now when it comes to a cold, nasty rain with cold muddy water entering the lake, forget it!

The rip rap thing is right on too. Those rocks, I dont care what color they are, absorb some of the warmth of the sun, by the middle to the end of the day the water right around the rocks is just that little bit warmer, coupled with the algea growth, plankton, shore minnows, etc. gets the whole food chain going and that equals some good fishing in the early spring. I can't count the times that a rip rap section later in the day has saved my day in the early spring.

After 2 years of experimenting with red hooks, this year I have changed the front hooks on all my topwaters and cranks that dive 10ft or less to red. I was the original doubting Thomas with the whole red phenomena, but over the past 2 years I am certain the cranks with the front red hooks have produced better.

Look how long the red rattle trap has been a heavy hitter on the Texas lakes, particularly Fork and Rayburn. They have long been known to produce, to the point that about every time there is a spring T there nearly every pro will one at least tied on to one rod. Logically that should carry over to the use of red hooks. Even if it just gives you a little edge it better than no edge.

But I still don't buy into the red line thing, at least not yet.

[buckdroppings]

Hey Danny. Next time you are in muddy water instead of throwing that red crank give a solid black one a try. Black is like a neon light in certain conditions. Muddy water is one of them.

[mhall]

I'm convinced red hooks has increased my catch ratio. I also would bet the house, truck, and boat that rip rap banks warm quicker than bare mud banks, seen it way too many times. Do you an experiment the next cold but sunny day. Take a piece of rip rap and a ball of mud of fairly equal size and lay them out in the direct sunlight. At the end of the day feel the mud ball, then feel the rock and see which is warmer. Then after the sun has been down for about an hour go feel them again, the rock will still be warm while the mud has gotten cold. Not trying to be a know it all scientist here, but this is just simple physics.

[yogio]

I have a biology degree- or at least I earned one a long darn time ago- and I agree that red is one of the first colors that we humans lose as we descend in the water, but I dont think any one has a clue as to what a bass or any other fish can see at various depths. I do know that many fish that live hundreds of meters deep in the ocean have reds as predominant color schemes. Does this mean I'm going to buy red hooks? Probably not. In my experience on some days you can't help but catch fish and on most ... at least for me... I can't buy one. I still think it has more to do with how you hold your mouth. lol

[sprint]

i only put a red hook on the front of a crankbait,top water ect.a pro told me with it in the front the fish would go after the whole bait. buddy and i was fishing same bait but mine had red hook caught 4 to his every one

[sprint]

red turns brown around ten feet and stays brown

[wtucker]

What about tying about 12 inches of red line to front red hook on the crankbait? Maybe we couldn't patent the first "blood trail" bait.

[MLTSPCS]

I think what jiggin was talking about w/ the blood trail thing was meant like a blur. You know how when a camera takes a picture of something moving real fast you can see the trail of where the moving object came from. I do however highly doubt that a fish's eye to brain signal is that slow considering our lures are tied to our reels and not our outboards while gunning across the lake at high speeds. Don't be so hard on 'em. Its supposed to be FUN and enjoyable. Why not just laugh at all the funny things we read on here, other websites, and lure infomercials. I get a kick out of some of the things advertisers and such want us to buy into. The red hook thing however, does seem to have some merit. Whether it be a confidence thing, coincidence, or that it just plain works, there are far too many people that praise this red hook thing for it not to have had some positive effect on their catchin'. I've switched some of my cb's to red front trebles and split rings and it does seem like the fish are hooked better and I miss less strikes. I THINK it may actually draw more attention to the front of the lure and cause less short strikes, at least in shallow water. Just my thoughts and I'm stayin' out of the rip-rap/bare bottom thing because I've gotta get back to work. Luck to all.

[gettingonefishin]

Hey ya know what I always catch more fish when I wear a white hat then any other color, so it seems. Hmmm