dark bottom boats??

[CTFSHWHISKER]

just wanting to know what some of you guys think about catching more fish from a dark bottom than a light bottom.I have heard and know a few who almost refuse to fish in a light bottom boat whan fish are shallow.

[DJD]

My belief is that it's not an issue, from Saltwater to Freshwater it doesn't matter. My experience on what can kill a shallow bite is how loud you and your rig are, not the color of the boat. JMO

[Danny]

I tend to agree with DJD. After all the premis of the light colored boat is that it can be seen. If the bass can see through the water anyway, wouldn't they think it looks like a cloud, which they see naturally?

However, talking in a boat is not that critical, as the sound will reflect off the water surface. But, when moving in the boat, droping rods, or anything that creates a sound against the boat's hull, you get the sound transmitted through the hull, and sound travels faster in water, so that would spook the fish more than the color of the boat, in my opinion.

Now some dark hulled boats are attractive to look at. And I suppose the fish could consider them a dark cloud, a black hole, or even a shadow for that matter.

Also from what I've heard, those who feel they need a dark hulled boat are usually talking about when they are bed fishing.

Danny

[CTFSHWHISKER]

shallow water is what i am speaking of.I tend to agree with you guys.I have a family member i fish with and he is a dark bottom fanatic and we had a heated discussion about it,i told him if bottom color mattered then he should use a dark bottom on cloudy rainy days and have one with a light sky blue bottom for clear days,he said i was a smart arse..but i felt logical.i told him i felt that if you put a 20ft boat in shallow water regardless of color they have to be able to see it,especially if baitcolor matters in pitch dark 15 ft deep.he just got a boat with a light bottom and wanted re-gel it black,i said you are goofy.my boat has a light grey bottom and i have had some real good shallow days,if a dark bottom was any better i couldn't stand it,and i havn't had enough negative results to go that extreme.i told him noisy trolling motors and clumsy boat handling were more problems than color so i am going to print these posts if i get enough to show him.
thanks

[DJD]

Hey Mr. Whisker.
I thought of one thing that i do believe is a no-no in shallow water and that is the click-click-click of a depth finder. I can even hear it at times. If i'm in familiar shallow water i'll turn it off. Good luck to ya.

[Dover]

black or a dark color on the hull shows every minor detail ---don't think I would want it for that reason.....

[Doubledee]

I painted Shiners on the bottom of my white hull Trophy--------Just adding a little humor. I dont beleave color matters.

[geobass]

I have coated the bottom of my boat with reflective mirrors. I fish are jumping in the boat.

[Col Forbin]

I painted Shiners on the bottom of my white hull Trophy--------Just adding a little humor. I dont beleave color matters.

I like the shiner idea. I may paint a nice sky-scape on the bottom of mine.

[smljaw]

There was an article a couple of years ago in BASSMASTER mag that touched on this topic. The story was really cool... It was about a guy who snorkeled in creeks and rivers in the West Virginia and Virginia area studying smallmouth bass behavior. He would watch how they responded to certain baits, bait colors, bait speed, etc. He also did a study on how the fish responded to boat and canoe colors. He found that bright color canoes/boats tended to make the fish shy away more that dark colors.

IMO, I'm not too sure and don't really care a whole lot. I've had a bunch of my best smallmouth days on creeks and rivers fishing from a fire engine red canoe... Who knows.

I sure hope you guys are catching fish these days. I have not been much lately and these next few months will be about the same. My wife and I just had our second child 2 days ago. A 5.10 little boy!!!

[Danny]

Hey smljaw.... congrats on that nice 5 lber!!! I'm sure he is a keeper for sure. Before you know it, he'll be half grown and the best fishing partner you could ask for.

I hope momma is doing well too.

Again, Congrats... that is great news, and nice to read.

Danny

[DJD]

There was an article a couple of years ago in BASSMASTER mag that touched on this topic. The story was really cool... It was about a guy who snorkeled in creeks and rivers in the West Virginia and Virginia area studying smallmouth bass behavior. He would watch how they responded to certain baits, bait colors, bait speed, etc. He also did a study on how the fish responded to boat and canoe colors. He found that bright color canoes/boats tended to make the fish shy away more that dark colors.

IMO, I'm not too sure and don't really care a whole lot. I've had a bunch of my best smallmouth days on creeks and rivers fishing from a fire engine red canoe... Who knows.

I sure hope you guys are catching fish these days. I have not been much lately and these next few months will be about the same. My wife and I just had our second child 2 days ago. A 5.10 little boy!!!

Congrats on he recent addition! Were you the one who mentioned he his parents lived close to Lake "E"?