COLOR/FLASH/MARKINGS - Part I
by Chuck Bailey
COLORS IN GENERAL
Of all the topics associated with crankbaits, none has been more debated than “color selection”. There are many professionals who claim bass and other fish can detect many subtle shades of a single color, and they conclude that color selection is one of the top factors in selecting a crankbait. There are other expert anglers, like Al Lindner, (one of the founders of In-Fisherman magazine), who represent the opposite side of the argument, “My perspective is that color is always one of the last things to consider.”
As you absorb the following data, you will have to make up your own mind about the importance of color. But don’t be intimidated by the subject. Despite the countless color variations found in the fishing catalogs and decorating the tackle stores – rest assured, color selection is not as complicated as it appears; at least it shouldn’t be. A little logic combined with experience will lead most anglers to understand that the KISS approach, (keep it simple stupid), works with crankbaits too. Considering the cost of crankbaits, many beginning anglers are relieved to discover that simplicity is the key. Carrying every crankbait style and depth in every color available might please the crankbait manufacturers, but it would leave most anglers broke. (And possibly divorced, and forever single!)
Most professionals carry only 4-6 colors in their arsenal. Which colors? We’ll approach that topic in the upcoming section called LOCAL PREY OR FORAGE. But in the mean time understand that an expert crankbait fisherman never feels handicapped by his or her decision for simplicity. On any given body of water, the pro is always confident one of their simplified color selections will catch fish. And “confidence” comes from knowledge and experience.
Fact is, most color combinations found on crankbaits are designed to catch fishermen. However, successful crankbait connoisseurs resist being consumers of artistic talent, and focus instead on letting the fish dictate their buying habits. And here’s the key: it’s not what the fisherman sees that counts, it’s what the fish sees that should inform our crankbait color choice. In other words, there is a huge difference between what color is important to the angler and, what color is important to the fish.
As you will soon discover, a fish’s eyes are slightly different from our own, and every color is altered or perceived differently depending on the surrounding underwater background, water clarity and color, depth, and light or sky conditions. Other factors affecting color selection may include the speed at which the crankbait is presented, and the aggressiveness level of the fish. The colors of the natural forage also influences what colors a predator may be attracted to. Taking the time to learn about each of these factors will make color selection much easier, and your time on the water more effective.
We will also discuss some interesting color trends throughout recent decades, (like the recent “red” revival), and look at some angling theories that challenge the current color philosophies, (such as “all clear”, “all black”, or “split personality” lures that have two sides painted with different patterns and colors).
And what about lure detail? …especially in terms of markings; such as eyes, body spots, gills, scales, etc…, are they important? And what about “flash” and “gloss” on crankbaits? Is “more” better? Do fluorescent coatings make the bait more appealing? And what does an angler need to know about color selection when nightfishing? …or fishing topwaters? There is a lot to absorb about color, flash, and body markings, but it will pay off big time! Why? Because it will help you “Simplify”! And it will give you the number one angling ingredient for success: confidence! Let’s begin with what we know about fish vision.
WHAT FISH SEE
If there is one human tendency that repeatedly plagues those who attempt to study the behavior other animals, it’s “anthropomorphic thinking.” That’s a big word that explains how we incorrectly tend to understand a creature’s behavior, (like a bass or walleye), based on what we perceive. Just because we sense or comprehend color a certain way, doesn’t mean the fish’s eyes or brain works the same way ours do. Simply stated; what a human and a fish sees when looking at the same object or color may not be the same. So the question is; does your favorite sport fish see that expensive crankbait as you do? Probably not.
The truth is: we know very little about what fish see. The theories evolving from recent scientific observation concerning “fish vision”, is interesting but still controversial and requires much further research before definitive conclusions can be made. But let’s take a look at what this fledgling research seems to have discovered so far.
Here’s what humans and fish have in common in terms of our eyes. The eye’s retinas of both humans and fish have “cone” and “rod” photoreceptors. The rods are more numerous, and are more sensitive than the cones. However, only the cones are sensitive to color. The highly sensitive and amplifying “rods” are responsible for vision at low light levels, (such as at night). The color sensitive cones function best during the day. Cones are also able to perceive finer detail and more rapid changes in images, because their response times to stimuli are faster than those of rods. There are millions of rods and cones in each eye.
Unless an angler is color blind, we are usually equipped with 3 different types of cones, each responding to color wave lengths differently. One is more sensitive to long color wavelengths, (“L” - peaking in the yellow region), another to medium wavelengths, (“M” – peaking in the green region), and the last to short wavelengths, (“S” – peaking in the blue/violet region). When the “L” cones are simulated more than the “M” or “S” cones – we see yellow. When the “S” cones are stimulated more than the “L” or “M”, we see blue or violet. There are even short wavelengths of light that the “S” cones are unable to see, called “ultra-violet” which humans are unable to perceive.
The two most common of the three cones are the “L’s” and “M’s” and in moderate to bright light levels the human eye is more sensitive to yellowish-green light than other colors. Why? Because this stimulates the two most common of the three kinds of cones almost equally. But at lower light levels, where only the rod cells function, the sensitivity is greatest at a blueish-green wavelength. At least for humans.
Most freshwater fish have rods and cones, with some species having up to 12 different types of cones. And yes, some species, (but not all), are even able to see ultra-violet light. It’s safe to say then, that our target fish use color to determine what they will eat. In fact, Dr. Colin Kageyama, author of “What Fish See”, claims that if a fish has multiple green and blue-green receptor cones, it can see those colors at greater distances underwater than we can. Bass, he is confident, see colors better than we do.
Some vision studies have been aimed specifically at smallmouth and largemouth bass, and have concluded that these largemouth and smallmouth are physiologically identical in terms of color perception. Dr Lauren Hill claims “bass can see and discriminate between colors,” and are “capable of discriminating between an array of colors. They can also determine different shades of the same color.”
Ralph Mann and Steve Quinn (IN-Fisherman) have reported that “Black bass have eyes with cone patterns similar to those of green sunfish, which experiments suggest may see polarized light. Bass could therefore have similar vision capabilities and may sense polarized light. We have little information on the potential for polarized vision in walleyes, though they too maybe able to detect polarized light. We know less about the physiology of the eyes of pike and muskies, although one study suggests that they have a different pattern of cones sensitive to polarized light.”
Fact is, the study of “what fish see” is in its infancy, and there is still a lot to learn. But we know enough to know that fish see color in water, (perhaps better than we do), and therefore fishermen that research fish vision will have an edge on the water.
WATER EFFECTS UPON COLOR
It’s important to understand that visible light is composed of a range of wavelengths, with violet being the shortest and red being the longest. When light travels through water, some of its energy is absorbed, and the longest wavelengths are the ones absorbed first. Thus, the warmer colors fade out and gradually appear black as light penetrates the water column. This means the red end of the spectrum is more easily absorbed than the blue end. Scientists suggest that at a depth of only 3 feet, 25% of the red light entering the water has already been absorbed. Red light is almost completely absorbed within the first 15-20 feet. Orange penetrates to 30-40 feet, and yellow to 60-70 feet, while green and blue remain visible for as deep as the light penetrates.
What this means in practice is that the deeper you go the less color you (humans) can see, and below 300 feet there is no real color vision at all. (Remember, however, what fishermen see is not necessarily what fish see).
Obviously, both depth and water clarity affect these results. It is possible that at a depth of 50 feet, a yellow lure will still appear yellow, but will not appear as bright as it did at 20 feet. And in terms of water clarity, red may be visible down to 15 feet in a clear water lake, but may disappear within six inches of the surface in a muddy river.
The intensity of the light is also an important factor. Fishing on a cloudy day, means colors will not penetrate as deep as they will on a bright sunny day. At dusk, as light intensity falls, color detection begins to fade underwater. (Reds are the first color to go, followed by orange, yellow, green, and blue). Remember; as total light intensity decreases, the fish's eye switches to vision with rods, and the fish is no longer able to distinguish colors.
This knowledge causes some anglers to suggest that after dark, fishermen should stop worrying about color and simply choose between a light lure or dark one. At dawn, as light intensity increases and fish switch back to cone vision, (the order is reversed, and blues, greens, yellows, oranges, and reds appear). Color is once again a factor. (How important a factor? …as you will discover, that’s still highly debated).
BACKGROUND
In an art gallery, a huge photograph catches your eye. The entire background is an endless field of tall green grasses, but your eye is drawn immediately to the single yellow daisy in the middle of the shot. Had it been a green flower, (the same shade as the grass), our eyes would wandered aimlessly seeking something to focus on. It is the contrast between the abundant green background and the single yellow flower that makes the photo so effective in manipulating the viewer’s eye.
Anglers often make the mistake of agonizing over crankbait color selection without taking into account the background that makes up the fish’s environment. Whether it is a green wall of underwater grasses, the grey or brown shore of a rock damn, or the bright blue of open water - the background color affects the ability of predators to find their prey. Against a green back drop of hydrilla, Texans has discovered that a red rattlebait tipping the top of the grass offers excellent contrast and can trigger bites from active bass. But remember; colors easily seen against one background can be hard to see against another.
And this applies vertically as well as horizontally. So it is possible for a single color to be seen differently depending on whether a fish is looking forward, up, or down to find prey. Whether a specific crankbait will stand out or be camouflaged depends on whether it runs between the fish and the background of green hydrilla, or the light brown bottom of a muddy flat below, or the bright blue sky above. The background affects the ability of a color to blend in or stand out in contrast.
So, is a high color contrast situation preferred? Sometimes. Let’s face it; many of the fish caught on crankbaits are primarily sight feeders. They have to see it before they can hit it. Of course seeing it is not enough, and in certain clear water conditions almost any color may “interest” bass from a distance and still not elicit a strike. A visible lure must also go on to “trigger” a strike as a fish closes in. Color contrast to the surrounding background may draw attention to a crankbait but it is not a guarantee that a strike will follow.
Before we rush into the assumption that extreme contrast with the surrounding background is a must in color selection, we have to remember that no one factor (like background) can guarantee constant success. There are many other conditions that will affect whether high color contrast to the background is a good or bad thing.
For example, fish activity. If fish are aggressive, a brightly contrasting color to the surrounding background may draw active fish from much greater distances because the lure is so visible. As long as the crankbait has triggering qualities, (proper action, vibration, etc…) a strike from a hungry fish is highly probable.
However, cautious fish (not as active) may actually be spooked by a color that comes on like a glowing neon sign against a dark background. Let’s face it, most of the prey or forage that fish chase find it advantageous to blend into their environment so as NOT to stand out. In the case of less-aggressive fish, a lure whose contrast to the background is “toned down” may be more effective. What usually works best for inactive fish, are cranks imitating the colors of natural prey.
And don’t forget water clarity and light conditions. In extremely clear water on a bright day, a crank that contrasts in unnatural ways may spook fish. Whereas that same color in stained or muddy water on a cloudy day may be just what the fish need to help them locate their prey in low-vis situations.
Even lure speed can affect whether background contrast is desirable or not. If you are speed-reeling a crank in clear water, (like Kevin VanDam and other pros often do), you want to throw a high contrasting color scheme that makes the bait visible quickly and from greater distances. A savvy angler usually “burns a bait” through the water because, they want the fish to see the bait, but they don’t want the fish to have much time to study it. The fisherman is seeking an instinctive reflex-bite from the fish. However, when a crankbait is being retrieved slowly, and the fish have plenty of time to locate and inspect it, high color contrast to the surrounding background is not as important, and as mentioned before, may even be so over stimulating as to spook the fish. Natural and neutral colors work out better when speeds are slowed down.
What if you don’t know the underwater background color? You can buy an expensive underwater camera, take up scuba diving, or… throw a crank with a mixture of colors. A two-toned bait that emits both long and short color wavelengths, is bound to have one of those colors contrasting with the surrounding background. (Remember, yellows have a long wavelength, greens are medium wavelengths, and the blue/violet colors are short wavelengths.) Stay away from the solid mono-color cranks if you aren’t sure what the fish want. Use a crankbait with a mixture of colors that creates its own contrast.
Basically, it boils down to this: experimentation is necessary. Smart anglers take into account the background in the targeted fish’s environment. They know that colors that contrast with the background will make the crank more visible. Still, they must determine how much contrast is best for the existing conditions. Pros with tons of experience will know instinctively which way to go. But beginners should not be intimidated – it’s not rocket science. Throw a crankbait that has a high contrast to the surrounding underwater background, and if that doesn’t produce, tone the contrast down. Let the fish tell you!
LOCAL PREY OR FORAGE
Many professional fisherman are firm believers in “matching the hatch.” If a crankbait looks like something the predators are used to dining on, there’s a greater chance the fish will strike it. The natural colors are best MOST of the time. While exceptions to any rule always exist, natural colors are a good place to start. If the 
fish are munching on shad, select cranks with color schemes that emulate shad. If your local lake is filled with perch, bluegill, or trout – purchase cranks in those major color selections that duplicate the local forage. Crawfish present? Then crawfish colored baits will work well.
It’s simple: if fish survive by being able to locate and consume the natural forage – they can see crankbaits utilizing the same color schemes. If the crank also has triggering qualities, (action, vibration, angler-induced erratic movements, etc), then the angler’s success is increased. Therefore it is important to know what your local lake holds in terms of natural forage.
Whereas aggressive fish will hit almost any color combination - inactive and neutral fish are more apt to strike neutral colors. Spooky fish are apt to limit their color choices to something familiar. Fact is, colors that blend in are less threatening and also more plentiful. Think about it; if bass, walleye, and other game fish couldn’t find food that’s camouflaged or almost invisible, they’d starve to death.
Generally, the colors a fish always sees in its environment are the key colors for angler to focus on. Of course there will be times when muddy water or low light conditions require bright un-natural colors, (like fire-tiger or parrot), to help fish locate the crank and trigger strikes. But generally, the best place to start is with colors that match the natural prey or forage in your local lakes.
Remember: simplicity is the key! Ignore the thousands of color options manufactures produce; select only 4 to 6 colors schemes based mainly on the local forage. In my corner of the world (Northwest Washington State) I fish shad, crawfish, perch, and trout for bass. Throw in fire-tiger for muddy or low light conditions, and those five color schemes will handle anything I run into. I have confidence that one of these five color schemes will catch fish in almost all but the worst of conditions. So now I am free to ignore the thousands of other color combinations available in catalogs or hanging on tackle store walls. Perhaps you have plentiful sunfish or bluegills in your local lakes, so you may want to add a bream color scheme to your arsenal, and so forth. But keep it simple, and choose the majority of color selections around the natural prey or forage in your area.
WATER COLOR
We’ve already touched upon the fact that water clarity affects color selection, but so does water color. Matt Straw (In-fisherman) says “One of the primary rules of color used by many anglers is that the first choice of color should match water color. Green in green water, brown in brown water, because creatures in the water take on some shade of that hue, especially baitfish, because their reflective scales mirror the environment.” He believes water color is significant.
Straw goes on to say “Light that can be seen from the greatest distance is of a wavelength similar to the color of the water, but not quite the same. In brown water, reds can be seen farther. In green water, yellows and greens can be seen farther, and in clear water, blue and purple can be seen farther than all other colors.”
“Most days, some shade of green works in green water, blue baits in blue (clear) water, and red or orange baits in brown water – up to a point. When water becomes too brown, bright fluorescent colors, like chartreuse, tend to work well for smallmouths.”
It’s important to remember that shad and other minnows reflect the color of their environment, so it is logical that a crankbait whose color scheme matches or reflects the water color has a greater chance of being seen at greater distances as natural prey or forage.
DEPTH
This is a simple concept: the deeper the water, the less light penetrates and therefore color becomes less of a factor. Why? Water is not a good medium for the transmission of light. Fact is, water absorbs light. So the further a ray of light travels through water the weaker it becomes. As water absorbs the light, there is less of it available for fish vision to pick up. Color detection steadily decreases the deeper a lure goes.
How does depth affect color selection? Dr. Colin Kageyama, (author of What Fish See) says “Shallow freshwater fish can see light with long wavelengths (red, orange) better than short wave lengths. Deep fish see short wavelengths (green, blue) better.” If you usually fish deeper than 20’ depths color becomes even less of a factor. The deeper your crankbait goes down into the water, the more the color spectrum starts to diminish.
So what should you cast or troll in terms of colors in deep water? Basically, the same color selections you used in shallow water. Remember; 1) fish see colors better than we do even in diminished light, (and fish sensitive to polarized light – ultra violet - may see objects up to three times farther away than we can), and 2) the crayfish and bait fish, (which bass, walleye, and other game fish have been feeding on in the shallow water), don’t change colors when they go deeper. And yet, these predators don’t go hungry in deeper water if the forage is present.
Light and dark contrasts probably play more a role in crankbait visibility in deeper water than color.
LIGHT AND SKY CONDITIONS
Fisherman often overlook the sky conditions when picking crankbait colors. But light intensity has a major impact on how colors are seen by fish. The general rule that has been around since crankbaits arrived on the planet is this: on dark days use dark lures, and on bright days use bright lures. If you want to start a debate among professional fishermen, repeat that general rule out loud, stand back, and then watch the sparks fly. Why? Because color theories based on sky conditions abound, and exceptions to all the rules are plentiful.
Let’s start with bright sunny days. Natural prey, like shad or minnows, are trying their hardest to blend in with their environment, but on a sunny day, any sudden movement causes their reflective scales to create a flash that gives their position away to aggressive predators. Successful anglers will try to imitate this phenomenon by choosing crankbaits with reflective finishes like chrome or gold. They are using the sun to their advantage to stimulate strikes.
But when the sun disappears behind the clouds, those same baits that were earlier reflecting bright light, now reflect the grayness of overcast skies. This makes them almost invisible and less effective. In overcast and low light conditions, avoid reflective colors, and try flat colors like white, bone, pearl, or shad that still provide some contrast. Chartreuse and fire tiger may be necessary the darker the sky conditions.
Back to the theory of using bright lures on bright days: there is such a thing as over-stimulating fish so as to spook them. Much of this has to do with fish aggressiveness, and as we have mentioned before: Whereas aggressive fish will hit almost any color combination - inactive and neutral fish are more apt to strike neutral colors. Too much of a bright color can alarm less active fish and turn them off. So if fish are running from your bait, tone it down. On bright days, start with bright cranks, but keep reducing the reflective nature of your crankbait until the fish tell you what they want. Even on cloudy days, you may want to start with darker colors, but the “key” is to experiment and offer various degrees of brightness until fish aggressiveness is determined.
Remember, the fish don’t read the same articles and books we do, and often ignore the “rules” we anglers tend to develop. When it comes to matching colors to sky conditions, use the theories as a starting place, but leave it to the fish to reveal what they want.
FISH AGGRESSIVENESS
Note: If you have been reading these sections in order, you may noticed we have already touched on this subject (color and fish aggressiveness) elsewhere. It cannot be avoided, because the factors affecting crankbait selection rarely stand alone. One affects the other. But for those readers who are skipping around, the basics will be repeated.
If fish are aggressive, getting to the food before other predators do is a high priority. So let’s take advantage of this fact. A bright color may draw active fish from much greater distances because the lure is so visible. As long as the crankbait has triggering qualities, (proper action, vibration, etc…) a strike from a hungry fish is highly probable.
However, cautious fish (not as active) may actually be spooked by a color that comes on like a glowing neon sign against a dark background. Let’s face it, most of the prey or forage that fish chase find it advantageous to blend into their environment so as NOT to stand out. In the case of less-aggressive fish, a lure whose brightness is “toned down” may be more effective. Inactive and neutral fish are more apt to strike neutral colors. Spooky fish are apt to limit their color choices to something familiar. Fact is, colors that blend in are less threatening and also more plentiful. What usually works best for inactive fish, are cranks imitating the colors of natural prey.
SPEED
Note: If you have been reading these sections in order, you may noticed we have already touched on this subject (color and crankbait speed) elsewhere. It cannot be avoided, because the factors affecting crankbait selection rarely stand alone. One affects the other. But for those readers who are skipping around, the basics will be repeated.
Lure speed can affect color selection. If you are speed-reeling a crank in clear water, (like Kevin VanDam and other pros often do), you want to throw a high contrasting bright color scheme that makes the bait visible quickly and from greater distances. A savvy angler usually “burns a bait” through the water because, they want the fish to see the bait, but they don’t want the fish to have much time to study it. The fisherman is seeking an instinctive reflex-bite from the fish.
However, when a crankbait is being retrieved slowly, and the fish have plenty of time to locate and inspect it, high color contrast and brightness is not as important, and as mentioned before, may even be so over stimulating as to spook the fish. Natural and neutral colors work out better when speeds are slowed down.
...To be continued in <COLOR/FLASH/MARKINGS - Part II>
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