COLOR/FLASH/MARKINGS - Part II
by Chuck Bailey
SPECIAL COLORS/PATTERNS:
BLACK CRANKBAITS:
Is black a color? Some would say no, and they would point to a closed room devoid of light and say, “When there is no light, everything is dark – so no, black is not a color, but rather the lack of all color.” Artists would disagree. Take paint and mix the three primary colors (red, yellow, and blue), and the result may not be jet black, but close enough to make the point that black is all colors. Each makes a valid point, but the truth lies not in how black paint pigment is made, or whether light is or is not available – the proper answer lies in how the eye perceives an object.
The surface of an object absorbs some colors of light, but not others. Remember that each color represents a different wavelength of light. A apple is appears red when the cones in our eyes pick the red wavelengths reflected by the pigments on the surface of the apple. It terms of how our eyes perceive things; No, black is not a color. A black crankbait, for instance, absorbs all the colors of the visible spectrum and reflects none of them to the eyes.
So when we focus on crankbaits that are black, the discussion isn’t so much about color as it is about contrast (or lack of it) in the water. A black topwater with a bright sky background is going to produce considerable contrast. A black deep-diving crank in low light conditions or surrounded by a dark background is going to blend rather than contrast. How inconspicuous or obvious the black crankbait is to the fish depends on the water clarity, sky conditions, background environment, etc..
Remember, when fish are aggressive, high contrast helps them locate the bait from further away. When in a neutral mood (less active), fish prefer more subtle natural colors they are used to seeing in the local forage. Black, and shads of black, is something they are used to seeing in nature. Fish activity is why the theory of selecting colors by the “bright day, bright lures/dark days, dark lures” often falls apart. Fact is, black cranks can, and often do, work in both bright and dark conditions.
Why aren’t solid black lures used more often? They aren’t as appealing to the human eye, as the colored versions are. Few fishing consumers look at a black crankbait in the plastic package and respond with “Oooo… that ought to attract the fish!” We assume the fish would rather watch color TV, (like we do), rather than black and white. A fish has no such preferences. A food source merely has to visible, and resemble something alive by its actions – and that is enough to stimulate feeding. If fish required color to feed, anglers would never catch fish at night. But they do, and so black has a definite role to play in creating contrast – which by itself is enough to start a feeding frenzy.
As we will see I the section on COLOR AT NIGHT, black creates noticeable contrast, even long after the sun has gone down. This is especially true when the moon is out, but even when it is missing, black still creates a silhouette, that the rods of the fish’s eyes are able to pick out. (And if they aren’t able to – then try a to-tone crankbait with built in contrast, and if that doesn’t ring the dinner bell, then go to white. It’s all about contrast, not color.
Let’s not forget, the natural prey these predator’s prefer, don’t change colors at night, but they are eaten none-the-less. Fish have very adequate night vision. Day or night, black crankbaits may not win too many fashion awards, but they can be highly productive, because they work well in all light conditions.
RED CRANKBAITS:
Color trend come, and they go. Decades ago, crankbaits (or “plugs” as they were called then), were purchased by the tons in the simple paint scheme consisting of a white body and red head. Topwater, shallow/medium/deep divers – it didn’t matter. Fishermen believed in them - and they caught fish. Why? Did anything in nature have a white body and red head? Hardly.
Several decade ago, Texas anglers brought red back into view when rattlebaits in that color started catching large stringers of bass over shallow weed beds. (Interesting enough – this southern success has not been duplicated in northern states.)
Recently red has caught the focus of a competitive fishing industry, and advertisers present anglers with red hooks, red gill marks, red tail feathers, red line… and the claims are remarkable. Salesmen tell us that how red stimulates more attacks by simulating the blood of a baitfish, gills, or perhaps a crawfish. Seems logical.
Other “experts” attack this theory, pointing out that red wavelengths are the first to disappear in water, turning black. Boards containing crankbaits of all colors were lowered in the water by scuba divers and photographed at different depths. Sure enough, red was the first to disappear. The importance of red was busted right? Not quite.
As we learned earlier (WHAT FISH SEE), fish do not necessarily perceive color like we do. Recent studies have shown fish can see red long after it disappears for humans in fading light.
Dr. Keith Jones, (a Pure Fishing scientist and fish sensory expert) has done some “red” research on bass, and was recently quoted as saying “While it seems plausible that bass might focus on red markings on a lure, or on red hooks,” he says, “we’d like to see some evidence before becoming believers. From studying their vision, we know that largemouth bass have optimal color appreciation for red. That means they can detect minor differences in reddish hues better than other colors of the spectrum. They also differentiate greens well, but not as clearly as reds.… But while bass see red well, no research demonstrates any instinctive attraction to it. They’re not naturally inclined to strike red.”
When it comes to red hooks, scientist hypothesize that visual separation of hooks from the body of a moving crankbait is highly unlikely. A single image is all they see. Unlike humans, their brains are not smart enough to differentiate the individual parts. There are, however, some anglers who suspect that red hooks can help “evoke a strike” because red is a color that fades quickly into the background and is less visible. The idea is that, unlike shiny hooks, there are less alarm indicators relaying to the fish that the bait is not real. Well, it’s a semi-logical theory. But much more scientific evidence is necessary to prove or disprove it.
Many pro anglers suggest that red is an effective color for crankbaits because it resembles one of their favorite foods – crayfish. Certainly a red deep-diving crankbait tearing up the bottom appears to imitate a crayfish. But how does that explain the success of red jerkbaits fished near the surface? Have predators ever seen crayfish swimming along near the surface before? Doubtful. Never-the-less, countless fish have been caught on red crankbaits at all depths. But let’s move with caution; before we make red our new number one color choice – understand that there is no evidence that fish have a clear preference for any color, including red. It is just one more choice in the rainbow of colors available. In the right place at the right time, red may present the perfect contrast that makes the crankbait visible to our favorite game fish.
Remember; presentation, depth, speed, size, and crankbait action far exceed color in importance. The reason a few colors suddenly start catching the majority of fish, is because of the confidence the majority of anglers have in those colors. The fish in a local lake may not necessarily prefer red over any other color, but if that is the dominate color presented to them by the majority of anglers, it is not surprising that the largest number of fish caught will be associated with the red hooks or paint job; even though color may not be the primary factor stimulating the strikes. In fact, the only thing that clearly can be proven is that red did not spook or “alarm” the fish that the crankbait was not real.
No doubt, bass, walleyes, and other game fish can see the color red, (even better than we humans do underwater). But is red just the latest fad? …a craze initiated by hungry lure manufacturers motivated by the desire to make more profits? Or is red a color every serious angler must add to their crankbait arsenal? The jury is still out. The key is still “confidence”. If having red hooks, gill marks, tail feather, spinners, or body pigments gives you the conviction to fish the lure longer and harder, chances are you will find an increasing degree of success. If you are “seeing red” and that works for you - who can argue with that?
CLEAR CRANKBAITS:
A decade ago, my favorite deep diver disappeared from the marketplace. As an ex-shop teacher, I decided to make my own out of clear plastic. Once the first prototypes were constructed, I headed out to Lake Washington to see how they would run. No, they weren’t painted – why expend energy and time or waste the paint if the crankbaits wouldn’t run? Not only did they exceed my wildest expectations, I was shocked to catch several giant smallmouths while trolling the crankbait along the bottom in 30 feet of water. I then began to appreciate the magic of clear crankbaits.
Occasionally, I read an article from an angler that also discovered that clear crankbaits are highly effective fish catchers. But why? They have no eyes, gills, side dots, scale details, hologram flakes, or artistic color schemes. But they catch fish under a wide range of water conditions.
It only begins to make sense after carefully studying the shad or minnows that predators feed upon. Most baitfish have mirrored sides, a light bottom, and darker top. These forage fish reflect the color of the water and the sky. Why? To blend in – to camouflage themselves lest they become an easy target for predators. This reflective scheme effectively erases the baitfish’s silhouette, concealing it’s presence in the water.
Clear crankbaits mimic the baitfish’s reflective scheme. The color of the water and the sky conditions is reflected by the clear plastic just like a shad or minnow. Predators, however, are not only aware of the baitfish’s reflective disguise, they look for it. A clear plastic body also reflects light like the real prey, and depending on the crank’s body shape and action, produces ever changing low-key flashes. Unlike the natural forage who can turn suddenly and escape, the clear crankbait runs straight through the water, and is easier for the predator to track and chase down.
Does the lack of painted eyes, gills and spots prevent accurate strikes? Hardly! As mentioned before, one very effective technique is burning a crankbait in clear shallow water; the purpose is to make the bait visible, but not long enough to let the fish have much time to study it. The fisherman is seeking an instinctive reflex-bite from the fish. Active fish do not hesitate to crush the burned crankbait despite not seeing individual features. Fact is, evolution has equipped these predators with the ability to run down a baitfish despite the lack of visible details.
The ability of clear plastic crankbaits to resemble baitfish is remarkable. Crankbait designers are well aware of that fact. So, why don’t manufactures sell clear baits? After all, they can be manufactured and sold far cheaper than those hand painted by assembly-line Rembrandts. The problem is – consumers won’t/don’t buy them. Anglers interested in acquiring some have to find their own sources.
There are some pros (who have access to their sponsor’s factory unpainted stock) who pick up clear plastic crankbaits in a variety of styles and running depths. Just don’t expect them to share them with you.
There are companies that supply components for fishermen who make their own lures and equipment. A search on the web will locate several that also offer unpainted crankbait bodies. They are reasonably priced and come in several depth and body styles.
Other anglers, through experimentation, have discovered which crankbaits originated as clear plastic bodies, and then painstakingly strip the paint and polish the body on buffing wheels until they shine. (Note: if the bill is not glued in – that is – if the bill and body are injected as one piece in a mold, then a clear bill obviously indicates a clear body under the paint. Whereas, some bodies are injected with white, tan, or other opaque plastics and have clear bills attached later.)
The success of clear crankbaits again reinforces the idea that color is not as important as presentation, depth, speed, size, and crankbait action. It’s “clear” that the reflective scheme of unpainted plastic crankbaits effectively resemble natural forage, making them a novelty the crankbait fisherman may want to explore.
DUAL PAINT SCHEMES
Many anglers paint their own crankbaits. But a few have created some with a “split personality” color scheme. They paint one side completely different than the other. The idea is simple; one color may not trigger fish but the other side might. Berkley tested this at one time, with a Firetiger pattern on one side and a Shad pattern on the other and found it quite effective.
Only a few commercial lure makers provide such color schemes. Among their color options, Allen Lures offer all of their crankbaits in a duel paint scheme called “Oops”; one side is painted Chartreuse Tiger and the opposite side is Red Crawfish.
Each side of Bandit’s duel paint scheme, (called the “Mistake”), has a black top and stripes covering Chartreuse on one side, and Red Crawfish on the other. The word is that it has been a solid seller.
If your favorite lure does not come in a duel paint scheme, you may want to paint one side yourself with a contrasting color. Not enough research has been done to make any definite conclusions, but it is an interesting idea that you may want to explore more thoroughly!
BODY MARKS
Lure designers often go to great efforts to paint gills, stripes, eyes, and body spots on crankbaits. Undoubtedly, the majority of these artistic features are designed to catch fishermen. Underwater, crankbaits are usually moving so fast as to not give the fish any time to examine the artistic details. A bass, walleye, or other sports fish doesn’t have a lot of time to react to the bait and must quickly decide whether to attack crankbait or not before it gets away.
EYES: Many anglers feel eyes are necessary in order for the predator to figure out which end of the lure to attack. Not necessarily. Many researchers believe that predators don’t aim at the prey’s eyes, but at the main body – the middle section. Those who have had great success with clear baits are convinced that eyes (as well as other markings), are just not that important. The head of a lure is recognized by the direction it’s traveling. And the lack of eyes does not prevent accurate strikes.
Some anglers have suggested that large painted eyes on crankbaits may give potential predators the impression the artificial prey is alert and not vulnerable. Thus exaggerated eyes may actually inhibit strikes. The debate is interesting, but the scientific research is lacking to prove or disprove this theory.
SPOTS: In nature, many minnows and shiners have a distinct black spot that can range from just behind the gills to the near the tail. These spots are often called “eyespots”, based on the theory that these markings have evolved to look like eyes - making predators believe they are being watched. Again, the idea is that this may inhibit strikes. Many anglers have watched bass ignore prey that are watching them, and yet strike those foolish individuals who turn away or are distracted. If the eyespot gives the impression to a predator that striking will most likely end up in futility, then it reduces the urge to attack. The theory is a hotly debated one.
A few anglers go even further and suggest that if the predator does attack the prey from the side, (focused on the false eyespot – and mistaking the tail for the head), the bait will respond by fleeing in the opposite direction from what the predator expected. That kind of speculating is very shaky. Especially since the eyespot is usually located behind the gill plate and not near the tail. Biologists admit that the reason for eyespots is still a mystery.
Many lure designers have added black spots to their crankbait color schemes. (Cordell’s original “Spot” took its name from the pronounced dot on its side). But as mentioned earlier, researchers don’t believe predators aim at the eyes of their prey, but at their main body cavity. And crankbaits are usually moving so rapidly that these details are hard for fish to see, yet alone focus on. Many researchers believe that even when crankbaits are retrieved slowly or left standing still, the brain and eyes of gamefish aren’t so advanced as to focus upon such small crankbait details.
As most professional anglers point out; presentation, depth, speed, size, and crankbait action far exceed color in importance. This makes the finer details like eyes, gills, stripes, and eyespots even less of a factor. But if these artistic features give an angler “confidence”, then perhaps that alone justifies their presence on a crankbait.
FLASH:
If you are an underwater predator, you can’t eat what you don’t see. And most of the critters on the menu are carefully camouflaged. But their blending system is not perfect. Every once in a while an individual member of the school makes an erratic move, and their shiny scales flash sunlight briefly. Flash means food.
This fact has not been lost on crankbait builders, and intermittent flashes are often the objective of their design. Fish the proper body shape with a reflective coating in an erratic way, and you become a flash-making dinner bell.
But putting a reflective surface on just any lure body can leave an angler with some false assumptions about it’s effectiveness in creating flash. Take a round-bodied chrome crank for instance. If you expect it to create a lot of flash, you would be wrong. The round shape diffuses light under water – but does not aim or target the light in one direction. Round-bodied bodies create a strip of reflected light on one side that varies only slightly as the lure wobbles.
Imagine wanting to send Morse code from one mountaintop to another using flash. You would naturally use a flat mirror because it directs the sun’s light to any spot you aim it at. If you were to attempt this same feat with a round mirrored ball, it wouldn’t work. The curved body shape seldom makes a focused flash. The light is simply diffused evenly, the subtle reflection constant.
Likewise, a round-bodied crankbait can rotate or rock sided-to-side as it moves through the water, but it will not create the intense and focused flash that a wobbling flat-sided bait will.
In is also important to remember that the shiny scales of minnows, shad, or shiners usually reflect the color of the water or surrounding background, preventing the baitfish from standing out. So round shiny baits will actually blend in – UNLESS, erratic action causes sporadic flashes. It’s up to the angler to provide that. But a flat-sided bait with a shiny coating will have no trouble imitating a signal-mirror.
Don’t forget, in real clear water, you can over do it with excessive flash, even to the point of spooking less active fish. It might be wise to use natural colored crankbaits. If a chrome coated (silver or gold) is used, choose a round-bodied crank – it will be more subtle and less threatening in those clear water conditions.
However, when the fish are aggressively feeding in clear water, an angler burning a straight-sided crankbait body with lots of flash will draw more fish to the crankbait. Remember, after considering the water clarity, light intensity, and fish aggressiveness, the goal is to provide just enough flash to ring the dinner bill, but not so much that you frighten your invited guests.
GLOSS:
When you buy paint for your walls, the same color can come in flat, semi-gloss, and gloss. Same color – different degrees of reflectivity. Understanding gloss can help an angler understand which lures reflect, absorb, trap, and pass light. This affects what a fish sees underwater.
An article by Rob Neumann. (The Reflectivity Factor), explained how gloss is measured. Testing only new lures, they were separated into three categories. A reading over 70 gloss units (GUs) was considered high. Medium-gloss lures produced values of 10 to 70 GUs. Low gloss lures produced values of 10 GUs or less.
Surprisingly, natural prey, (shiners and suckers), had readings from 3-6 Gus falling into the low-gloss range. And yet many lures range from 4 to 550 GUs. For instance, Rapala Shad Raps ranged from 4-18 GUs, whereas, Bill Lewis’ Rat-L-Trap (Chrome Shad) ranged from 540-550 GUs.
Naturally, some of the same generalizations concerning color apply to gloss. In clear and highly pressured waters, subtle, low-gloss presentations are best. In deeper, stained water high gloss is often preferred, etc.. Neumann writes “Matching natural gloss isn’t always best. Higher gloss might catch more aggressive fish, or perhaps they strike it out of curiosity. Low gloss might be best for enticing fish in negative moods.”
Some well used lures in our tackle box may lose up to half their gloss rating over time. Some anglers believe that can actually be a blessing in certain conditions and even carry a scratch pad with them to purposely fracture the coating on a new lure to break up it’s reflectivity, especially when a more subtle presentation is deemed important. Other anglers will thoroughly clean and then refinish their favorite lures with a new clear coat to restore its original gloss.
How important is gloss? Equate it to color; it is a minor factor. It is not nearly as important as presentation, depth, speed, size, and crankbait action. It is, however, something to consider when fine tuning an existing presentation.
PHOSPHORESCENCE/LUMINESCENCE:
Years ago, In-Fisherman, (#84– p152.), produced a long article that talked about PHOSPHORESCENCE/LUMINESCENCE in terms of bait colors. Basically it concluded that brighter is not better. In fact, in daylight conditions, baits with luminescence fished no differently than regular colors. But they did notice that in on overcast days, in murky water, choppy surfaces, or low light conditions (dusk and dawn) phosphorescence out produced regularly colored baits. As time went on the researchers discovered that reduced (low intensity) luminosity worked better than full intensity. In fact, lures with phosphorescence painted just on bellies, or strips, or as a dot, out fished lures covered in luminescence in dim light or discolored water. So a little glow is better than a lot in low light conditions.
COLOR AT NIGHT:
Is color important at night? Many anglers don’t know how to answer that question. The answer, surprisingly, is yes. While it’s true that the rods in the eyes of the fish don’t provide color vision, their eyes are more sensitive to some colors than others. The fact is, some colors still appear brighter or duller than other colors. Even you and I can tell the difference between light grey and dark grey at night.
Many anglers have read that fish feed only by sound or lateral-line senses at night. That is false information. Bass, walleye, and other gamefish have adequate night vision. And they use it to feed after the sun goes down.
Dr. William N. McFarland has done studies that show there is a difference underwater as to how colors are received under twilight, moonlight, or starlight. Clear water is greenish at twilight, and predominately yellow-green in moonlight and starlight.
Naturally, anglers assume some major change must be made in the color selections for crankbaits when fished at night. Let’s think this through: do the natural forage that bass relish change their colors at night? Of course not! And yet underwater predators dine on them at night. Why then, do anglers make nocturnal color choice into a complicated operation? Select the same natural colors used during daylight when fishing at night.
Remember, an angler’s presentation in term of depth, speed, size, sound, and crankbait action is more important than color. Focusing on those other crankbait characteristics will provide the majority of your success. Color places a smaller part at night than it does in the daytime. It is more reasonable to discuss dark and light shades. If dark isn’t working, try on a light colored bait, and vise a versa; it’s that simple.
Speaking of dark colors – purple and blue are good, but the king is “black”. Whether the moon is shining, or there’s total darkness, black is one of the most easily seen colors at night. As to light colors - white, bone, shad, and silver work well. Some pros admit to catching more fish on white topwaters and crankbaits than on black. It comes as no surprise that red, grey, orange, green, and gold come up short at night.
Do remember; whether you are throwing dark or light colors after the sun has set, you will want to increase the size of the crankbaits. The larger image helps the bait get noticed at night.
TOPWATER COLORS:
A beginning fisherman once asked a group of tournament fishermen, “Why do they paint the top of a topwater lure? All the fish see is the bottom, right?” The silence was deafening. Finally someone said, “Because they sell hard baits to fishermen, not fish.”
Not everyone agrees with that simple answer. Many pros understand that a fish that lives underwater 24/7, probably sees much better than we do when looking up at an object on the surface, even in bright sunlight. And because light reflects off both the topwater lure and the surface of the water, many professional speculate that a fish sees about ¾ of the total surface of a lure, with only the top 25% not being visible. Therefore the paint color above the water is still important.
It is a good theory, but still an educated guess. However, you can’t ignore the fact that when a topwater is retrieved by active popping or walking-the-dog, the bait twists and dives, and there is an increased chance that the upper sides can be seen by the fish. So why take any chances – paint the whole bait and assume the fish can see it all. In other words, it doesn’t harm a thing to work on the theory that the majority of the bait can be seen.
What colors should we use? Well, logic suggests that if the artificial food represents something that normally swims and lives in the water, is dying and has floated to the surface – (like a dying or wounded shad), then use all the natural colors live bait comes in. If the topwater represents an animal that fell into the water, like a mouse or bird, darker solid colors will work. Frogs tend to have a lighter belly and green sides, which suggests we paint accordingly.
But that leaves the spectrum of color choices wide open, utilizing the majority of colors found in nature. Confused? …then simplify. The primary forage, (fish and frogs), are dark on top and light on the bottom. Start there. This generally means the belly will be white, silver, or light yellow, with darker sides and top. But if that doesn’t work - go completely dark! Try for a solid color - black or dark green.
Stick with colors found in nature. If the water color is stained, use brighter colors. If in dark water you want to create some flash – go with chrome or highly reflective sides. If the water is clear, or the fish are less active, tone the side colors down, so as to not spook the fish. If fish are aggressive – get louder and flashier – but just enough to call fish from greater distances.
It’s reasonable to try and contrast the lure color with the sky background. On bright, sunny days, consider using shad, bone, or even clear lures. In low light conditions, (overcast or rainy days), black is a good choice. Black creates a clean silhouette, regardless of how dark the sky background gets. These generalizations are great starting places, but as pros remind us time and time again; experiment and let the fish tell you what they want!
Anglers must remember: bass are driven by instinct, not reason. If the topwater is even remotely shaped like possible food, and if it moves like wounded or fleeing prey, a predator isn’t going to get too distracted by the topwater’s color – it’s going to eat it! Fish are not art connoisseurs! Most are hungry opportunists.
SUMMARY:
1) Of all the topics associated with crankbaits, none has been more debated than “color selection”.
2) In terms of vision: remember, it’s not what the fisherman sees that counts, it’s what the fish sees that should inform our crankbait color choice.
3) Unfortunately, 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 DO see color in water, (perhaps better than we do).
4) When light travels through water, some of its energy is absorbed. Colors fade out and gradually appear black as light penetrates deeper into the water column, (warmer colors first). Obviously, both depth and water clarity affect what fish see.
5) Crankbait color selection should take into account the background that makes up the fish’s environment. Colors easily seen against one background can be hard to see against another.
6) There are many other conditions that will affect whether high color contrast to the background is a good or bad thing: fish activity, water clarity, light conditions, and lure speed are a few.
7) Simplicity is the key: select only 4 to 6 colors schemes based mainly on the local forage. (Match the hatch). Select one brighter color combination (like fire-tiger or chartreuse) for muddy or low light conditions.
8) 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.
9) The deeper the water, the less light penetrates. Therefore color becomes less of a factor. And since the local forage doesn’t change its color in deep water, use the same colors you would in shallow water. But remember; light and dark contrasts probably play more a role in crankbait visibility in deeper water than color.
10) In terms of sky conditions, the general rule is: on dark days use dark lures, and on bright days use bright lures.
a) However, when 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 – so you may have to “tone down” your colors or flash when fish less active.
b) Whereas aggressive fish will hit almost any color combination - inactive and neutral fish are more apt to strike neutral colors.
c) 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.
11) In terms of fish aggressiveness: A bright color may draw active fish from much greater distances because the lure is so visible. But inactive and neutral fish are more apt to strike neutral colors.
12) Retrieval speeds: Natural and neutral colors work out better when speeds are slowed down. Whereas anglers who are high speed reeling may want to throw a high contrasting bright color scheme that makes the bait visible quickly and from greater distances.
13) Black cranks can, and often do, work effectively in both bright and dark conditions. Any discussion concerning black crankbaits isn’t so much about color as it is about contrast (or lack of it) in the water. Black cranks can be highly productive at night AND during the day.
14) The jury is still out on the color “red”. Clearly red does not spook or “alarm” fish that the crankbait is not real. If red cranks give you confidence – great! But there is no evidence that fish have a clear preference for any color, including red.
15) The success of clear crankbaits reinforces the idea that color is not as important as presentation, depth, speed, size, and crankbait action. Clear crankbaits mimic a baitfish’s reflective scheme, and are worthy of experimentation.
16) Duel paint schemes, (cranks having one side painted a color that contrasts the other side), are effective, though not popular.
17) Body markings: It is highly debated as to whether the finer details like eyes, gills, stripes, and eyespots are a factor in a crankbait’s success. As stated several times: presentation, depth, speed, size, and crankbait action far exceed color in importance. Logically, body markings are even less of a factor than color.
18) Flat-sided baits with a mirror finish provide more flash than round ones. After considering the water clarity, light intensity, and fish aggressiveness, the goal is to provide just enough flash to ring the dinner bill, but not so much that you frighten the fish.
19) Gloss: Colors comes in flat, semi-gloss, and high gloss. While this affects what the fish see, (different degrees of reflectivity), it is a minor factor that should only be considered when fine tuning an existing presentation.
20) In daylight conditions, baits with luminescence/phosphorescence fished no differently than regular colors. And in low light conditions, a little glow is better than a lot.
21) Although fish have very adequate night vision, color places a smaller part at night than it does in the daytime. It is more reasonable to discuss “contrast” and “dark and light shades”.
a) At night, an angler’s presentation in term of depth, speed, size, sound, and crankbait action is more important than color.
b) Natural forage do not change their colors when the sun goes down, so select the same natural colors used during daylight when fishing at night.
22) When using topwaters, stick with colors found in nature, trying to contrast the lure color with the sky background.
23) Undoubtedly color is a factor in crankbait selection. However, this fact cannot be emphasized enough: presentation, depth, speed, size, and crankbait action far exceed color in importance.
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