REDS

[FatBoyNorm]

In clear water, reds are first to be absorbed leaving the color gray or black.
In other waters red is more visible and blues are absorbed to gray or black.
Why use red hooks instead of the normal gray/silver ones?
Why make a red fishing line?????????????? Why not gray/black?
Red hooks can be seen a little better on highly vegetated areas
I've never experienced with alternating from red to gray or blue to gray, but rather red to blue (gray to gray)
Clear line has more shine than "Tinted line", hmmm.
I must not have had enough coffee this a.m. because this is racking my brain. Anyone care to give their "cents" and maybe we can fine tune this information. Could be useful in a couple weeks. If you're a Bassmaster subscriber I'm refering to the "Invisible link" section on page 62 of the Feb. 2011 issue.
Someone invent a pair of glasses that will let us see any color of line as if it were neon green, instead of risking success for the sake our unkeen eyesights. Or have they?

[Jbyrd]

What I find amazing is how biologist/ fishermen say this color looks this way and that way. HOW DO THE FISH SEE COLORS compared to the human eye. I want to meet the man that spoke to a FISH and it told him what it sees LOL!!!! Some say red is invisible but alot of money has been won on red (invisible) baits

[FatBoyNorm]

Well just put on a Clackin' Crank and ask "Dave"(on tv commercial) where that talking fish is that he keeps catching, we may have to tie his fins behind his back and taunt him with a fryin' pan over a hot fire until he talks....

[FatBoyNorm]

This suggests when bass sense a bleeding baitfish, it is without regard to color. So with the right scent we could use any color? Is red equal to gray or do the fish say "hey, thats not right?" which involves a thought process. Not sure if internet research does any good. Here is an example from Wikipedia: "A fish is any animal that is covered with scales, and equipped with two sets of paired and several unpaired fins". Never said a fish could have a scaleless, smoothe body.

[MagikSmallie]

What I find amazing is how biologist/ fishermen say this color looks this way and that way. HOW DO THE FISH SEE COLORS compared to the human eye. I want to meet the man that spoke to a FISH and it told him what it sees LOL!!!! Some say red is invisible but alot of money has been won on red (invisible) baits

Biologists can use anatomy of the eye to determine what vision capabilites are present.

[BassBest]

Mark Menendez does a great job of explaining this. My mind is now at rest

[tarheel4life]

This past year we were grab hooking shad and I was using a red treble hook. The whites were hitting it like crazy. When I broke off and switched to silver I wasn't catching the whites. But everyone that still had red kept catchin them. That's one experience I've had.

[DJD]

I have read the red line is translucent and that's what helps make it harder to see underwater. Also understood that red hooks are solid and they do help in certain situations if the water clarity and depth of use are considered.

Heck I don't know?? I am a person that thinks waaaay to much thought is given to the sport of bass fishing....I try the Keep It Simple Stupid technique. Waaay to much credit is given to bass in general. I think that marketing by sponsors, pro's, tackle manufactures and such are needed for the sport but are meant to catch fisherman not fish.

Look at the elaborate paint schemes and cost of lures. Bass are not that intelligent (IMO) to decide if that super realistic paint scheme is better than the average paint job. Lure application, action and presentation mean more than the small detail of the paint job.

[eddie_m]

I read a a great article about this in a magazine (In-Fisherman, maybe?) 5 or so years ago. It studied the use of red versus other colors in different water conditions, and they actually did experiments testing their theories. Basically, they found that red does disappear some in deeper water, meaning that red line doesn't hurt, but doesn't seem to help too much either compared to other lines. The red hooks work at times because bass will "learn" not to hit baits that have caused them pain in the past. Some slight variations, like a different colored hook, may look different enough to entice the fish to bite again. So, it works just because it's a little different.

[publican57]

I read a a great article about this in a magazine (In-Fisherman, maybe?) 5 or so years ago. It studied the use of red versus other colors in different water conditions, and they actually did experiments testing their theories. Basically, they found that red does disappear some in deeper water, meaning that red line doesn't hurt, but doesn't seem to help too much either compared to other lines. The red hooks work at times because bass will "learn" not to hit baits that have caused them pain in the past. Some slight variations, like a different colored hook, may look different enough to entice the fish to bite again. So, it works just because it's a little different.

Perhaps red works because it becomes invisible? If the fish don't see the hook, they don't know to avoid it?

[apb]

The biggest reasons that a fish hits a plug are profile/size and action. Color is a distant 3rd. By color I do not mean that the plug has to be painted up in super acurate paint schemes to look just like a baitfish. Its the general things: dark back over light belly, some gold in the sides, type thing. Fish can see contrast, but cannot make out the details. I read an article on that stuff a while back. I'll see if I can dig up the link. The above is pretty much a summary of what the article said, though the article goes into the rods/cones and other specifics of the eye that allow various species to distinguish color. As a lure builder, I have seen many cases where a wood plug that was either in just primer or natural wood caught plenty of fish.

Andrew

[apb]

Oh, and no color becomes invisible underwater. They become shades of gray or black.

Andrew