# Lure Colours - What and Why?



## anselmo

From the "hugely lengthy thread about nothing on the forum that seriously should not have serious comments on it."



StevenM said:


> My honest opinion is this with lures.
> 
> Colour - not important. The colour of a lure is for your happyness not the fish. They dont give a toss.
> 
> Action / Vibration / Noise - Makes a huge difference.This alone will trigger a stike or make the fish shy away. That big latteral line down them all, that is the biggy on my belief.
> 
> Eyes - most important in MY opinion. I think it gives the fish something to hone in on. Now they can be stuck on / painted on - dont mater on. So long as there is a eye. Now this may not be a eye per say, but may be a contrast / colouring Dot if you like.
> 
> These are once again my observations only and have no scientific backing up what so ever.


my own view
colour is important, but no more so than action, noise, eyes and scent (or lack thereof)

example: black lures at night


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## Barrabundy

I tell people that colour and action don't mean a real lot but depth does. Deep down I have my favourites though.

I can honestly say I haven't noticed a difference with different colours but still find myself looking for either gold, pink or silver bombers. Having said that, last time I bought them I bought purely on price and they ended up being multi-coloured crappy looking ones that I probably wouldn't have chosen were my favourites the same price. Do they catch less fish?.....I don't think so but it's not some,thing I've scientifically tested.

The jury is out for me but I do have favourite colours.


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## Guest

You see what you see. Fish see what fish see:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vision_in_fishes


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## RekFix

This has got me thinking.

Most of the fishing I do is chasing murray cod and golden perch in and around Canberra. My lures are mostly all natural colours meaning they imitate small redfin, carp, perch and so on. I guess i'm just trying to match the baitfish and I also have a few black/dark colours. In saying that if I ever check a lure swimming next to the yak it's pretty much a blur and the detail can't be made out, probably just the colour of our lakes i'd say :lol:. I had a yellowbelly follow the lure right to the surface the other day, I just stopped winding and let the lure sit there, then in plain view of me it sucked it down.
The lure was a lcb in fluro yellow and red!. Go figure.

I'm more a believer in the right action (wobble) of the lure which is basically speed.. I think fish can pick this up with their lateral line more than using their eyes. 
As for noise/rattles. I've got plenty of lures that have it and plently that don't... I sit on the fence with this one. you'd think with the murky water it might help, but when I hear a LCB with a rattle coming to the surface it makes me wonder if it might spook the fish it's that loud... but the fish take it, no more than the silent ones though.

And then Spinnerbaits. I pretty much use these exclusively on cod and since doing so my catch rate has gone way up. I don't really know what swims around that looks wise is identical to a spinnerbait :shock: .... I suspect this has more to do with the way it's fished and the species i'm targeting than the actual make up of the lure.

And Bream!... who the hell know's.......I do think the lure is more important with these finicky terds but like most species I think it has something more to do with the person on the end of the rod, for instance the location, type of lure, depth, way it's fished (technique), luck, jedi mind tricks...

like everyone I have the "ole faithful lure", the go to one that never lets you down. Strangely I never tie it on first.... I guess it's just me trying to make believe it's me and not the lure that's got skillz. Or maybe the fact is the lure has a reputation, and if it fails,i've got nothing :lol:. Best as a last resort.

I'm an average fisherman at best... I think lure colours are mostly there to make me buy more lures... who am i to say no!


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## DeepRiver

This is a very interesting topic , and one which will probably run into eternity 
Predatory fish have excellent eyesight , and certainly do see colour , though not in the same way we do.
Can only comment on fish I have gone for. Bass , Bream , Flatties , Cod , Barra, Jack etc. Never fished offshore or jigged deep water etc.
In recent weeks I have fished a bit [a lot more than l have in years lol] , and some standout situations come to mind.

Fishing Hinchinbrook in April 2012 l trialled many lure colours in the same model lure. Red/orange with gold scale and or black stripe was far and away the most effective. Jack and barra etc. Close 2nd was a natural black/silver. Outfished all other colours by 3:1.

Recently fished Maroochy R using 5 different colours in the same lure. Natural baitfish colour [soft gold scales] was the colour. Also tried red tone , green , purple , black. Second time on the water a few days later l didnt use the baitfish lure at all [intentionally] and a small black/orange/gold stripe lure outfished the red and green lures.

Action is very important. Most lures i use have quite agressive actions.

People say 'put the lure in the right place and they will eat anything'. This is true to a degree , but when you work the 'same' area/snags with one colour , then another colour and it works , it proves the value of colour of a lure.

l dont know why flatties love flouro pink , but millions of flathead have been caught on it [and many other fish too!].
Chartreuse is also a killer colour. Again no idea why :lol:

Im just enjoying the fishing now 

Barney.


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## Guest

I use soft plastics a lot. I'm all about action. I probably gravitate towards natural colours but it's the action i'm looking for. I suppose i'm also in the camp of if it works, don't change it. I don't get enough time on the water to experiment as much as i'd like, and when i am on the water, i want to catch fish so i tend to stick with what has been a proven performer in the past. I will try new things, but unless it performs, i'll return to the old favourite.

In the yak, i tend to use wrigglers in whatever colour is in stock in the size i want at the time i walk in the shop. Usually in a brown, clear or silvery colour. Where i fish, i think it is more the wriggle that attracts the fish, then they pick it up off the bottom to investigate what it is. I don't tend to get smashing hits, more of a subtle take with chomps. If that makes sense.

When spinning for jew i use softs and hards.

When selecting a hard body I like 125mm - 180mm with a strong action that can be cast without tangling. Depth comes next, 5-8m divers are usually first choice but this is because of the area i fish. 2m divers are popular too. Colour comes next. Mullet colours or Qantas depending on how dirty the water is.

When selecting a softy. First choice is a jig head - something in the 1.5-2oz so i can cast it against the wind. Then comes lure - if i went and took a photo of my jew tackle box you would only see one soft plastic in there. 125mm Squidgy Fish in Drop Bear and lots of them. It's a white paddle tail with a black spot and a little tinge of red under the throat. I've used others. The best fish i've caught was on a clear storm shad (again paddle tail), but for consistency i always come back to the drop bear. I've put a bit of thought into why over the years and i think it's most because the lure "works" at a slow roll, is easy to see in dirty water when the fish get close, and when they actually grab it, it has give in the body. It feels realistic. Fish will hit the lure several times before hooking up. You can feel them sort of chewing on it.

There is probably something in the shading of a lure too. Years ago, my uncle was fishing the barra classic, they were sponsored by rapala i think. They started painting their lures with lumo paint and smashed it. Shortly afterwards, whichever company it was (rapala i think) started marketing these luminescent lures as being the beez knees for barra.

I guess i think that colours catch fishermen a lot of the time. Like StevenM, if it's not on your line in the water, it's hard to catch a fish on it. But there has to be something in the colour arguement.


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## Neal013

there was a good article on vibes in last months modern fishing. they go into detail on what colours for what time of day to use. one of them carries a pot of red nail polish and paints the underside of each of hes vibes and swears by it.

I find that colour matters with both HB and plastics. but then again it might come down to the day. say i used say an orange lure and the fish werent on but the day i tryd a natural one they were on, then giving me the impression, these natural lures are way better because i had no luck with orange one.

i have been thinking about this for awhile so at home i have done my own bit of experimenting you might say.

for a week i went to the same little spot i go to after work. (a tidle lake on the gold coast.) at the same time each day. for 2 hours. i used the same jig head each day 1/12 and size and type of plastic 100mm wriggler. 
day one: i used lava (green/yellow see through) 1 bream 2 flatty. 
day two: i used bloodworm (my go to plastic that never lets me down *cough cough*) NOTHING! not a hit. 
day three: evil minnow (silver/purple) 1 bream a good size and the first time i had ever gotte' a fish on this plastic. 
day four: princess (pink). nothing.
day five: i felt sorry for my bloodworm so i gave it another crack. and it came through. 2 bream. one of wich was 36cm to the fork. and a ray.... (damn sting rays!!)

i think it just came down to what the fish felt like on the day. i should also mention i did not use scent. i only use it if the fish are not on at all.


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## Guest

StevenM said:


> Clear water - now this is where my theory can get shot to pieces at times with certain species. Preference is for natural colours.


Taking into account the wiki article, how do you pick what colour appears natural to the fish? Even if you shine a UV light on the lure, is the result the same as natural prey?

Fish generally see a lure from below silhouetted against the surface. That being the case, colour seems less important that silhouette and action. How else would you explain large (i.e. age-experienced) Flathead hitting a bright pink soft plastic that has two tails in three-meter deep (see the bottom clarity) water or taking a bright blue hardbody in shallow, gin-clear water? Neither lure seems to match any natural prey colour. In these cases, slow pausing retrieve gave the fish ample opportunity to give the lures a long, hard look. They didn't grab on as a reflex action.


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## Guest

Comment removed


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## Junglefisher

I've never used Winged trout lures.
I buy lures based on colour all the time, I have my favourites and they work.
However, several times in Yeppoon I'd lose my HB or last SP in that colour and have no choice but to change to a new one.
If it was the same style of lure, I never noticed any decrease in the catch rate.
There were times when I tried 4 or 5 diferent SPs before one worked, but they were diferent styles as well as colours.
When I fished for barra in the gulf with murd, I'd have a lure that was working well and would be convinced it was the only lure that would work. A fish would take it home and I'd have to try a diferent style and colour. Lo and behold, I'd still be catching fish on it.
Depth is the single most important feature of a lure IMO, followed by action and size.
Actually, scratch that. Belief is the most important factor. If you belive it will work you will tie new leader, tie neat knots, make sure it's swimming straight etc that you might not bother otherwise.


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## Barrabundy

I reckon all you guys are thinking too hard, it's fishing, it's meant to be fun, not a science.

....or maybe that's why I can't catch fish!


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## theGT58

Interesting topic Gee. Good to hear the opinions out there.

I've not been specifically lure fishing for relatively long at all (some messing around years ago, then basically only fish lures for the last two years and mainly from the yak)

I've thought about this most of the this time myself, been sucked into the colour thing to start with but my opinion is changed. I tended towards natural colour (mainly freshwater) but experimenting with colours i previously considered 'ridiculous' has seen big fish strike where the other lures have failed completely. I don't think colour is what really matters intrinsically, but would re-iterate what others have said re:contrast. The 'Matching the hatch' cliche appears often the way to go, but it is also no good matching a near clear baitfish lure in water with a few inches visibility. If the fish can't see it and/or (this relates to contrast IMO) its sillouette doesn't look like something edible it wont eat it. So now i pick lure colour by the water I'll be fishing in and what I know the fish might be eating there. Local knowledge kicks in here too. I've found a few which 'seem' to work better and will often tie these on but also will experiment with colour and technique as soon as it does not product. Other things like action, size and depth as mentioned i'd agree are just as important as contrast.

To me it also comes down to the massive amount of variables in fishing, weather, humidity, air pressure, light levels, water clarity, fish diet, wind direction, time of year, way you're holding your mouth when you cast etc. To me this challenge (and insanity? lol) is one of the great things about fishing.

I think fish, while sometimes fussy, sometimes maybe cunning (pesky bream), sometimes simply not interested, are all pretty darn stupid and will often eat whatever they see. Most fish are after all predators or scavengers (or both) Spinnerbaits continue to elude me how they work at all on fish that can be very hard to catch (cod). Throwing further spanners in the works I often think about the fact that (especially when fishing all day/long distance) while you may take one, two or even ten fish on one lure and be happy it's 'working' I really think that (especially in estuaries, probably trout dams also) that in a days fishing that lure has swam past dozens or even hundreds of other fish and only a few bit. Why?

It would also agree with the kind of 'self fulfilling prophecy' aspect where if people continually tie on a 'go to' lure they will become sure this is the 'right' colour, and this ignores that on that day they may have been biting on any colour, a colour range or maybe even just that colour.

Interesting things about trout too, also personally seen seemingly weird things go on recently such as: yak fishing side by side with a mate, near identical colours and patterns but different lures and one catches the other doesn't, same scenario natural vs crazy flouro colours and both work the same. Seen a river near boiling from trout rises (time for flies) and fished it for an hour for nought only to round the corner and immediately get a hookup. Seen a mate go nuts, keep sight casting at a trout ignoring his lure swimming right past it for 15 minutes straight then started to walk away only for it to finally take that same damn lure which had passed it probably 40 times. I've fished a single specific lure and caught 30 trout in a session and same area then come back a few days later and got zero on the same lure and then got a few on a directly opposite colour. Bloody fish!

In the end the question maybe is 'what causes a fish to feed?' and IMO I don't think it ever relies solely on colour but sometimes in some circumstances is can be quite important (but mainly due to contrast).

I love lure fishing and won't be going back to bait soon. Heck, I even like going through ridiculous amount of lures in the lure boxes, being perplexed, feeling right, being proven wrong and experimenting with the whole thing. I don't even mind the local tackle stores have about $1K+ of my hard earned as well lol. I like experimenting and tooling about. I don't know if we'll ever sort out 'what makes them bite' given the variables involved, and kinda don't want it sorted either as i think current techniques are effective enough already.


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## RedPhoenix

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## Guest

Comment removed


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## anselmo

StevenM said:


> Will stick with my comments untill someone proves other wise.
> 
> Now if you want something to talk about, UV.
> 
> I am chasing locally a black light torch, if not gunna have o do the evil bay thing. I am going to start experimenting with flashes of UV on my lures.


Look up Dave McNeese steelhead flies and UV flies
also http://www.amazon.com/New-Scientific-An ... rds=uv+fly


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## anselmo

RedPhoenix said:


> I dunno. I reckon there's something to it.
> I've started to form an idea that fish tend to hit lures more often, that are within a reasonable proximity to either their own colouration.
> 
> So, a yellowbelly is slightly more likely to hit a goldish coloured lure, than a blue lure of exactly the same type. A redfin will chase down a silver lure with red stripes, more often than one that's gold and green. A pinkish silver lure might get a snapper to go the extra yard when a purple one isn't worth the stuffing around.
> 
> My conclusions are NOT firm, but they are backed by a fair bit of testing; running two identical (except colour) lures out the back of the yak, and seeing which gets consistently hit by fish.
> 
> Does a fish have a visual affinity for it's own colouration? It'd make some sort of sense I guess, in order to pick a potential mate out from the crowd.
> 
> Red.


Red

Rainbow trout love blue flies (especially blue brassies or blue copper johns)

on your theory - how many red lures do you have?


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## anselmo

So anyway - SPs

My most recent fishing has been for Wrasse - like a mini groper - off or near rocks here in ireland
My results are that if i fish the same plastic with nude jig head - little action, pink head - more fish, chatreuse head - lots of fish
Same area, many different days fishing it
This was irrespective of the SP which didn't seem too matter much as long as it was shrimp or cray pattern

like a mini hot spot i spose though chart lures + chart head didn't make much difference


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## RedPhoenix

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## DeepRiver

patwah said:


> Id always been under the impression that the splash of red had always imitated the flared gill of a distressed fish.
> 
> No doubt this has been brought up


Me too Patwah , I use red somewhere on EVERY lure I paint , but its prob more of a memory/psychological bent than anything as I caught fish when l was young [ a loooong time ago..... :lol: ] , and they all had red on them somewhere.

I might paint a few lures to test with no red at all and try em out.

Barney.


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## Guest

Comment removed


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## DeepRiver

StevenM said:


> A little of topic
> 
> but still lures
> 
> Have you seen what Barney produces? I am hanging out for my order.


Thanks for the 'plug' StevenM , your lures are nearly finished! :lol:

Barney.


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## RekFix

Sweet looking lures Barney, might have to add to my collection!


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## DeepRiver

SteveR said:


> .
> 
> When you try them out, there's a lot of variables to consider:
> - Time of day
> - Cloud cover
> - Wind
> - state of tide (if estuary or salt)
> - identical lure action
> - identical water
> ...


Thanks SteveR , I am aware of those variables. They key to 'testing' for me is to fish a small pocket of water in short timeframes. Dams are excellent for this , as are slow moving creeks/rivers. In the salt I simply use two rods. 
It aint no biggie , and l could learn something but this post has inspired me to look outside my own 'square' :lol: 
Barney.


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## Barrabundy

My favourite lure used to be a gold bomber. It kept catching fish long after the gold had flaked off to reveal the mily coloured plastic underneath. Then I wondered whether my favourite lure really was a gold bomber or a white bomber.

Importance of colour....dunno, whatever floats your boat and makes you feel like you're in with a chance, maybe it's those special lucky green undies rather than the lure colour?


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## Squidder

Some very interesting reading in this thread, thanks to all who have contributed. In my mind lure colours and whether they are important (and how) is a super complex topic. Some thoughts..........

-I've been in many situations where you didn't catch unless you were using pink/green/brown, so sometimes colour is important.
-I've been in many situations when we have caught on a ridiculously diverse range of colours - so sometimes colour is not important.
-I reckon in clear conditions it is super important, and also when using slow retrieves targeting fish that eyeball the lure a lot before hitting it (or not ;-) )
-When using a fast retrieve (eg popping for whiting) I don't reckon colour is so important - because they don't get a good enough look at the colour.
-I fish with HBs at night a fair bit - colour not so important.
-The two most colour-oriented species I fish for are squid (by a long way - massive eyes = good eyesight ;-) ;-)) and bream.

-A further complexity is how you (the angler) feels about the colour you're using (whether you have caught on it before, especially in a tough bite in a comp scenario for example) - is it your 'confidence lure'? I talk to Craig450 about this a lot. When times get tough - we tie on our confidence lures. It sounds stupid, but if I'm using one of my confidence lures I persist with it longer, put more effort into creating a sexy retrieve etc - and I have confidence that it will catch! It shouldn't work that way but I'm certain that sometimes it does (for me anyway). Which does blow the 'is colour important' argument out of the water a bit. But like I said, in my mind it's complex.......

Red, I recall some TV fishing identites (Rex Hunt, Worsteling and a couple of others) talking about lure colours and fish hitting colours which are similar to themselves, so there might be something in that. But then again, because you subscribe to that theory, is a lure similarly coloured to your target species a 'confidence lure' for you?


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## DeepRiver

RekFix said:


> Sweet looking lures Barney, might have to add to my collection!


No problem Rekfix  Some of the lures in the photos dont exist anymore [superceded by newer/similar models].

Email me if you like and I can send some pics of current models.

.....and the lures get really sad when they are 'collected' and left in a cupboard/placed on a shelf lol  
They much prefer to swim around and get munched by fishes :lol:

Cheers,
Barney.
email: [email protected]


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## koich

http://meeresprogramm.com/en/Accessorie ... -30ml.html

They spray UV booster on lures over here. No idea if it works. I'll probably grab some.


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## RedPhoenix

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## anselmo

RedPhoenix said:


> Squidder said:
> 
> 
> 
> Red, I recall some TV fishing identites (Rex Hunt, Worsteling and a couple of others) talking about lure colours and fish hitting colours which are similar to themselves, so there might be something in that. But then again, because you subscribe to that theory, is a lure similarly coloured to your target species a 'confidence lure' for you?
> 
> 
> 
> Interesting!
> 
> Hmm.. I can't rule it out, but whenever I have a lure I'm comfortable with on the troll on one side of the yak, I'll generally have something really different on the other side. Often the same lure in a different colour, but sometimes a different lure in the same colour. (And occasionally, different/different).
> 
> When it comes to plastics, or actively targeting fish via lure/casting though, I'm definitely more likely to choose known quantities though.
> 
> Red.
Click to expand...

How did they become known quantities in the first place?


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## ohagas

Squidder said:


> -A further complexity is how you (the angler) feels about the colour you're using (whether you have caught on it before, especially in a tough bite in a comp scenario for example) - is it your 'confidence lure'? I talk to Craig450 about this a lot. When times get tough - we tie on our confidence lures. It sounds stupid, but if I'm using one of my confidence lures I persist with it longer, put more effort into creating a sexy retrieve etc - and I have confidence that it will catch! It shouldn't work that way but I'm certain that sometimes it does (for me anyway). Which does blow the 'is colour important' argument out of the water a bit. But like I said, in my mind it's complex.......
> 
> Red, I recall some TV fishing identites (Rex Hunt, Worsteling and a couple of others) talking about lure colours and fish hitting colours which are similar to themselves, so there might be something in that. But then again, because you subscribe to that theory, is a lure similarly coloured to your target species a 'confidence lure' for you?


I reckon the answer lies in here. It's all about confidence and having a '6th sense'...you can often entice a fish to your lure if you have enough belief in what you're doing. Being in the right spot helps too!
I experimented yesterday with different colours. Clear bright blue sky, clear shallow water. Tried completely clear lures, solid black, orange + pink with black stripes, ghost gill. In the same area they all got followed and hit. For the 2 decent fish I got, one was on the orange and pink, the other ghost gill.
In summary, I don't think the colour made any difference whatsoever. It was more to do with having confidence after deciding not to give it away with the blazing sun, and sticking at it.


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## RekFix

DeepRiver said:


> RekFix said:
> 
> 
> 
> Sweet looking lures Barney, might have to add to my collection!
> 
> 
> 
> No problem Rekfix  Some of the lures in the photos dont exist anymore [superceded by newer/similar models].
> 
> Email me if you like and I can send some pics of current models.
> 
> .....and the lures get really sad when they are 'collected' and left in a cupboard/placed on a shelf lol
> They much prefer to swim around and get munched by fishes :lol:
> 
> Cheers,
> Barney.
> email: [email protected]
Click to expand...

Most of my lures end up stuck to some bit of timber down below. The collection hardly exists :lol:


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## RedPhoenix

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

QlpoOTFBWSZTWa2U+u8AABVfgAAQUKGACoBgHAo/7/6gIACKhqp+Io/VD0ntRkhkaGjelCmIaEDQAA00CDGN4rbG23cETnrUljFPtESmklzw5C87yLrhGurnbFS+ifKNxMSoARAjb4J6AuTDjsL3HnJ5BVOLYQJxgP4kcSn6oR3QRjeQqwhMbU6bn0dGVz8LcZCcTDBUKbS35CGMSDz/F3JFOFCQrZT67w==


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## justcrusin

I didnt read the whole five pages so someone may have said this.

Colour is important but you need to look deep, your trying ti mimic a certain bait, so you need to take a few things into consideration. water colour, bait colour, depth of bait, action of bait.

You need to choose a colour that at the desidered depth will look like the bait your trying to mimic.

EG why do people use pink line, most people think it so you can see the line above the water but really red is the first light spectrum to disapear under the water. the same goes for your lures those bright reds at 3m might be a shade of brown, thats why stupid colours like nuc chicken work in deep water they are nothing like the bright spew fest they are on the surface.

and StevenM UV us awesome, most expensive lures already have UV paint on them so no need to add any.

Cheers Dave


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## LilliansPride

My two bobs worth. I'm told with redfin any lure with red or orange flashes is the go. That said if the redfin are feeding they'll take anything. I've also been told the darker the water the darker the lure. Due to being colour blind the fish will only see a lure that's contrasting with the water. How you fish the lure matters too.


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## Guest

Comment removed


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## DeepRiver

DeepRiver said:


> patwah said:
> 
> 
> 
> Id always been under the impression that the splash of red had always imitated the flared gill of a distressed fish.
> 
> No doubt this has been brought up
> 
> 
> 
> Me too Patwah , I use red somewhere on EVERY lure I paint , but its prob more of a memory/psychological bent than anything as I caught fish when l was young [ a loooong time ago..... :lol: ] , and they all had red on them somewhere.
> 
> I might paint a few lures to test with no red at all and try em out.
> 
> Barney.
Click to expand...

This morning I thought I'd test the 'red' theory [habit] , and this is what happened.
Went for a quick paddle with a mate l used only the bottom 3 lures in the photo [no red/orange ], while he used a couple l'd given him weeks ago.

1st hour: l got a small bass [25cm] on the lure #1. Lures #2 and #3 were worked mercilessly , and got a hit on 3.
l should mention that for the first hour l had first shot at all snags etc. [very gracious fishing buddy!].
During this time he landed 3 bass.

We swapped lead , and mate got another 4 bass over the next hour. l got one hit on the lime Pod lure #3.

We then traded lead alternately and l changed over to the 'old' lure with the red head [a month old?] that had caught a dozen bass previously , and l caught another 5 bass.

Its true , confidence is very important , but l just couldnt help myself with the 'red' habit :lol:

l worked the 'non red' lures very hard , and even got some casts in where l wanted them [which is unusual.. :lol: ]

Cheers,

Barney.


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## anselmo

DeepRiver said:


> DeepRiver said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> patwah said:
> 
> 
> 
> Id always been under the impression that the splash of red had always imitated the flared gill of a distressed fish.
> 
> No doubt this has been brought up
> 
> 
> 
> Me too Patwah , I use red somewhere on EVERY lure I paint , but its prob more of a memory/psychological bent than anything as I caught fish when l was young [ a loooong time ago..... :lol: ] , and they all had red on them somewhere.
> 
> I might paint a few lures to test with no red at all and try em out.
> 
> Barney.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> This morning I thought I'd test the 'red' theory [habit] , and this is what happened.
> Went for a quick paddle with a mate l used only the bottom 3 lures in the photo [no red/orange ], while he used a couple l'd given him weeks ago.
> 
> 1st hour: l got a small bass [25cm] on the lure #1. Lures #2 and #3 were worked mercilessly , and got a hit on 3.
> l should mention that for the first hour l had first shot at all snags etc. [very gracious fishing buddy!].
> During this time he landed 3 bass.
> 
> We swapped lead , and mate got another 4 bass over the next hour. l got one hit on the lime Pod lure #3.
> 
> We then traded lead alternately and l changed over to the 'old' lure with the red head [a month old?] that had caught a dozen bass previously , and l caught another 5 bass.
> 
> Its true , confidence is very important , but l just couldnt help myself with the 'red' habit :lol:
> 
> l worked the 'non red' lures very hard , and even got some casts in where l wanted them [which is unusual.. :lol: ]
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Barney.
Click to expand...

My preference when fishing for bass was lures with red eyes, so this kind of reinforces that


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## LilliansPride

I was fishing in lake burley griffin last night. Not a great deal of luck only two reddies. The first one I caught on corn the second was a fluke. Using a red vibe lure with black flashes I was in an areas near a drop off where there had been some good rises. The rises were in the shallow water near cover and over the deeper water. Cool. So I worked the area for a while with not even a bite. .

So I figured I'd change lure. I reeled in my lure only to have a little reddies chase it and take it at the surface right next to my canoe. Very entertaining to watch. So I kept that lure on and worked the area more but that was it no more fish.


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## Ado

Squidder said:


> -The two most colour-oriented species I fish for are squid (by a long way - massive eyes = good eyesight ;-) ;-)) and bream.





StevenM said:


> Preference is for natural colours. But this is not for all fish. Something like bream - yep it is almost a must.





RekFix said:


> And Bream!... who the hell know's.......I do think the lure is more important with these finicky terds but like most species


Exhibit A, B, C, ....

























So what can we draw from this? I have only tried two plastics in the pondage. I tried a gold and black squidgy fish on the first day. It caught two flathead and a 40+cm bream. I then switched to the G5IJSCLISPN and have never tried anything else. Others have tried other plastics with little to no success, but I'm a creature of habit and confidence.

Is it a natural colour? Hardly.
Does it's colour change? I'm fishing in less than 2m of water. According to the penetration charts, no.
Is it the fact that it glows? Not really in <2m water.
Does it match the hatch? Only if radioactive abdominal aliens are hatching in the pondage on a regular basis.
Is it moving too fast for them to notice? Nup, most take it when it's sitting still on the bottom after some subtle action.

Sooo. It's working for me because.
(1) I'm confident in it so I persist despite not getting a touch for hours at time. I know it will come good.
(2) It's big. The smaller contenders ignore it, so it's a filter for the large models.
(3) It smells like gulp juice.
(4) Maybe, just maybe, it's because it is so alien. They can't resist finding out wtf it is.

I do know that 5IGJSINC (Nuclear Chicken) don't work anywhere near as well, which devalues (4) but increases the weight of (1).
I should experiment with G5IJSCLI(something else) to see if colour matters, but see point (1).
I should experiment with G3IJSCLISPL to see if size matters, but I can't find them.


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## anselmo

G3 is the smaller version Ado?


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## Ado

anselmo said:


> G3 is the smaller version Ado?


Apparently they make a 3". I've just never been able to track them down in shops.
I now can't find them on the Berkley website either, so they may be discontinued.

Edit:
http://www.rayannes.com.au/daiwa-sh...g-heads/new-gulp-alive-crazy-legs-3inch-grub/


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## anselmo

Ebay Item #:	170962117221
3" chartreuse pepper crazy legs
Worth a look? Seems expensive, but can you put a price on a 50cm bream

Oops sorry I mean fiddy poo eater


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## Ado

Thanks for the find Anselmo, but I ain't spending no $60 on gulps. :shock:


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## RekFix

Those fish aren't real bream anyway, I mean look at the size for starters and the fact they eat those crazy plastics....they must be alien. 8)


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## imtheman

maybe we should be trying a different color for each day of the week


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## Guest

BigGee said:


> Good luck Paul.
> 
> Gee


 :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:


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## anselmo

Ado said:


> Thanks for the find Anselmo, but I ain't spending no $60 on gulps. :shock:


I thought you'd say that
Maybe we should put the appeal call out - 3" Gulp alive crazy legs for Ado
Search your local tackle shop!
Maybe Zed will find some in Murca for you, or if anyone is travelling they could look - Gee was there last week


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## Ado

The ones I found were 3" crazy leg grubs, not 3" crazy leg jerk shads. I don't know if there is a difference.
Neither appear on the Berkely web site.


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## brant78

Gee. This is an epic thread and totally interesting.

My question is this. So if fish don't discern colours how is it that when Squidder and I caught those trout on the day you headed home early at Jindy and the only difference between us was that my SP had a purple back and Jase's didn't.
Same size jig head, same shape lure, almost the same colour, same spot, same gear nearly (as I was using one of Jase's rods), same retrieve (Jase taught me) and I caught more fish. Now we both know that Jase is the far better fisherman so the only difference was that colour down its back.
So I reckon colour does make a difference. Even when you roll through your hopper poppers on the flats and for whatever reason they will only take the green back one. 
Anyway, great thread to start mate.

Brant


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## anselmo

Ado said:


> The ones I found were 3" crazy leg grubs, not 3" crazy leg jerk shads. I don't know if there is a difference.
> Neither appear on the Berkely web site.


Yeah Joel, Jeepers tonight! :lol:

Ado 
grubs would have a round ribbed body (yes like a condom)
The jerk shad would have the fish body with hook cavity in the belly

That's my understanding anyway


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## Ado

anselmo said:


> The jerk shad would have the fish body with hook cavity in the belly


What is that cavity for anyway? Is it just to make it more flexible?


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## anselmo

You hide the hook shank in it when rigging it weedless (Texas or Carolina)


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## Ado

anselmo said:


> You hide the hook shank in it when rigging it weedless (Texas or Carolina)


Never really understood weedless. All my weed gets caught on the jig head anyway.


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## anselmo

Ado said:


> anselmo said:
> 
> 
> 
> You hide the hook shank in it when rigging it weedless (Texas or Carolina)
> 
> 
> 
> Never really understood weedless. All my weed gets caught on the jig head anyway.
Click to expand...

When rigged weedless there's no jig head for it to get caught on
But still, your way of rigging appears to be working ok so far 8)


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## Junglefisher

brant78 said:


> Gee. This is an epic thread and totally interesting.
> 
> My question is this. So if fish don't discern colours how is it that when Squidder and I caught those trout on the day you headed home early at Jindy and the only difference between us was that my SP had a purple back and Jase's didn't.
> Same size jig head, same shape lure, almost the same colour, same spot, same gear nearly (as I was using one of Jase's rods), same retrieve (Jase taught me) and I caught more fish. Now we both know that Jase is the far better fisherman so the only difference was that colour down its back.
> So I reckon colour does make a difference. Even when you roll through your hopper poppers on the flats and for whatever reason they will only take the green back one.
> Anyway, great thread to start mate.
> 
> Brant


Never discount luck when it comes to fishing. If your lure happened to pass the nose of more fish, you have more chance of catching fish.


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## RekFix

This is why we all love fishing, nothing is guaranteed..


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## brant78

Junglefisher said:


> brant78 said:
> 
> 
> 
> Gee. This is an epic thread and totally interesting.
> 
> My question is this. So if fish don't discern colours how is it that when Squidder and I caught those trout on the day you headed home early at Jindy and the only difference between us was that my SP had a purple back and Jase's didn't.
> Same size jig head, same shape lure, almost the same colour, same spot, same gear nearly (as I was using one of Jase's rods), same retrieve (Jase taught me) and I caught more fish. Now we both know that Jase is the far better fisherman so the only difference was that colour down its back.
> So I reckon colour does make a difference. Even when you roll through your hopper poppers on the flats and for whatever reason they will only take the green back one.
> Anyway, great thread to start mate.
> 
> Brant
> 
> 
> 
> Never discount luck when it comes to fishing. If your lure happened to pass the nose of more fish, you have more chance of catching fish.
Click to expand...

True. That could be possible. But we were standing side by side for two hours and our casts were usually within 10 to 20m of each other. So I still reckon there was something in it. Also when I've been fishing a flat and used the exact same lure but have five different colours on it and they will only hit a single colour I can't explain it.


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## brant78

Very true gee. So many variables. Filming new experiments? Are we still talking about fishing?


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## Shuggy22

Really dont know if it is the colour or not but I HAVE had success same lures different colour so im not 
too sure about the colour blind fish thing. As others have said the brilliantly coloured fish around coral reefs sure would make 
me think its to fit in with the brilliantly coloured coral. 
Also fly fisherman match the hatch colour wise and I personally know I have gotten more interest on flies of one colour the another of 
the same profile fly.

Big Gee I like where your UV idea is headed though its a thought provoker.


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## Duggo

Over the past month I've really got into the yak fishing business, caught myself about 30 estuary fish from whiting to trevally, all of which have had some degree of pink on the lure, all trolled, some rattling other complete natural or synthetic. One thing I have noted is five out of six fish are on one rod, I've tried the same lure on both rods on both sides of the yak, but the one short butted graphite rod is nearly irreplaceable. I've tried plenty of other lures, but have found no pink, no fish. Also, no raider when trolling, no fish. Can the action of the rod, especially when in the holder effect the hook up rate


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## Guest




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## Guest

BigGee said:


> always scored but the other could remained untouched all day despite spending the same amount of time in the holders.


Saw the same thing with bait year ago in Sydney Harbour. Before work I used to go down to the wharves and watch what was going on. An old guy started turning up. He didn't have a traditional rod and reel but a very long pole with line wrapped around. He would bait his hook, set a float depth and start pulling in Tailor one after the other. Another fisho who used to sit near him one day turned up with exactly the same outfit. He caught nothing while the old guy kept hauling in the Tailor. The old guy eventually took pity on him and compared outfits, right down to float depth. Float depth reset, the young guy caught nothing while the old guy kept hauling them in. So, the old guy put some of his bait on the young guy's hook. Same story. They even traded places with the inevitable result. It was like the old guy had a magic charm on his line.


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## vladimir

i like my lures to be transparent they look more like natraul bait fish and also depends where im fishing what kind of baits around thats the lure colour i choose ,for example if sardines or pillchard are around i will macth my lures to the sardines or pillchards , if im fishing freshwater same thing , sometimes when that doesnt work i stick to natrual colours also it depends if you fish, dawn ,dusk or day light .and where of course


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## vladimir

maybe its got to do with the chemestry of the brain we use one part more then the other so the part we use cacthers fish while the part we dont use doesnt cacth fish its re :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: al enigma


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## Junglefisher

I'm a big fan of black and gold especially in fresh water.
I have not been able to find a single black and gold lure here in Canada.
I'm going to get some online and see if they work.


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## solomon

Barrabundy said:


> I tell people that colour and action don't mean a real lot but depth does. Deep down I have my favourites though.
> 
> I can honestly say I haven't noticed a difference with different colours but still find myself looking for either gold, pink or silver bombers. Having said that, last time I bought them I bought purely on price and they ended up being multi-coloured crappy looking ones that I probably wouldn't have chosen were my favourites the same price. Do they catch less fish?.....I don't think so but it's not some,thing I've scientifically tested.
> 
> The jury is out for me but I do have favourite colours.


O.k. imo. colours do not matter. the lateral line on fish are sensory organs that pick up vibration in the water. My theory is; that the fish senses the vibration from a lure, swims to where the vibration is coming from, then when it gets close enough, uses its eyes for the final strike.
In reality, if a fish is at the bottom, & a lure passes above it, it will only see a silhouette, shape or shadow.
maybe different for chrome lures in that; the flash will attract surface feeding fish; tailor, mackerel ect. especially in bright or sunny conditions.
So dont worry too much about colours, spend more time trying to replicate the action of a distressed baitfish, by using your rod & reel, slow rolling, jerking, twitching.

I only use lures, my favorites are; for pelagics; halco twisties. for bass; kokada g vibes. $7.50 ( same shape as a jackle tn50/60 for a fraction of the price). for everything else; Zman scented paddlers in 4 & 5. these are my go to for snapper, flathead, tailor. they are very strong & will outlast most other softies.

Regards solomon


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## punchanello

Apologies if this has been mentioned before but I was reading from the beginning of the thread and got excited and skipped to the end.

In an evolutionary sense, colour must play a part in a fishes behavior. Fish interact with fish and their environment. They use camouflage, they use markings to confuse predators, each species has distinct colors and markings and some are even sexually dimorphic. Why have they evolved this way if colour plays no part in their behaviour and more importantly, food (or lure) choices? They MUST, see colour in some form and it must have an effect on their behaviour if they have evolved so specifically for environmental, survival, predatory and sexual factors....

Well, that's the theory for mine, but to be honest I've never actually seen any evidence that colours affect hook up chances. Mine always sit above none and below slim. :lol:


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## anselmo

punchanello said:


> In an evolutionary sense, colour must play a part in a fishes behavior. Fish interact with fish and their environment. They use camouflage, they use markings to confuse predators, each species has distinct colors and markings and some are even sexually dimorphic. Why have they evolved this way if colour plays no part in their behaviour and more importantly, food (or lure) choices? They MUST, see colour in some form and it must have an effect on their behaviour if they have evolved so specifically for environmental, survival, predatory and sexual factors....


Isn't that contrast rather than colour?

From a defence mechanism POV, Camouflage works best when there is no colour (or no discernible colour form the surroundings)
i.e. shades of grey and brown (note black is specifically excluded from the latest camos as it is identifiable by the human eye) in human clothing, patterns the same as backgrounds in live animals, and clear in small fish and shrimp

From a mating POV, colour _and_ movement - though animals and fish may see in a different spectrum to us (UV or IR)


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## vladimir

any colour for me i like the look of them


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## HAWKEYE3

While I have made my own lures over the past 40 or so years, I have purchased many as well.

I usually choose lighter, brighter or high visibility colours to aid casting accuracy to get the lure knocking on the front door (or the back door) of the snags. This has been the most important aspect for me in successful lure fishing. If you are casting on the shady side of the creek as the sun rises you need the visual element to control the cast and lob the lure in the desired zone.

A mate and I witnessed a pretty blue kingfisher on the mangrove roots one day. It would flitter down to feed on the small prawns and return to its perch on the mangrove roots. After about a half dozen trips, the kingfisher alighted on its perch just as a nice jack leapt from the water taking the little kingfisher and leaving a wing feather floating on the water. This occurred in shadow.

Later my mate cast into the roots and my simultaneous cast went in behind the roots, both resulting in jacks and quite a laugh about the synergetic strikes. The lures were both hand made in pale Yellow and black and Pale yellow and red. It was the placement of the lures that generated the strikes but it was the light body colours that guided the casts.

As I have aged the visibility of the lures to me has proven the most important aspect for accuracy. Action and depth are also very important to coax a strike.

My advice then is to choose a colour that suits your visual acuity.

Regards

Ian


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