The Changing Colours Of The Fall

As fall starts to show its presence across the country, the lakes will soon bean to transition, as the leaves start changing colors, anglers should give some thought to the changing conditions when selecting the lures and colors as well. It can be difficult to decide the correct color of lure to use this time of year. Anglers must consider the water clarity and the type of forage the bass are feeding on and how the time of day affects the brightness of sky to choose a lure color. However as the smaller lakes will soon be beginning the turn over you will see clear water, clouded water and muddy to dark water all in the same lake on the same day. Even aquatic vegetation will begin to change colors in the fall due to temperature and the amount of sunlight and water clarity. In this season of change anglers sometimes are at odds as to what to throw, and with so many different changes and so many different lures, it would be impossible to stock all the colors and lures now available into one tackle box.

After the spawn in the spring bass are feeding on shad, small bream, perch and bluegill, making lures colored in greens, blues and other natural colors that resemble these fish more effective in specific lakes with clear water. In dark or muddy water bright colors such as chartreuse, yellow and orange seem to get the attention of bass better than other colors. One thing that lure manufactures have long over looked is that beneath the waters surface fish see colors differently than we do with the human eye does in the air. The color a bass will see is depending on depth (and clarity) due to a prism effect as light (or heat energy) is absorbed by the water. This is why black is a productive color on any given day and in many conditions and depth. Black is last color lost in low light, and the color that all other colors appear to be in deeper water with less light (or heat energy). Red is the first to go followed by the colors of the rainbow, yellow, orange, green, blue, and violate until all fade to black

Now that fall has arrived, soon the bass will be schooling and starting to chase bait fish into the shallow creeks, and in shallow clear water, matching the bait in color with a lure is always the best choice. Hours of research and time on the water with trial and error, has proven to anglers that there are no set “rules” in selecting color of lure to fish. As the bass hold at different depths, their perception of color changes, and trying to compensate this natural illusion with color changes to turn the head of a bass can be difficult.

Confidence can be the most important factor in what works, and certain baits and colors give anglers that needed confidence. I recommend that anglers follow trusted guidelines like I have mentioned in this blog and experiment with different colors and combinations to discover which ones work best on their home waters during this time of transition. It is the best practice to buy and keep on hand a few basic colors than it is to buy every color on the market, until you have fine-tuned the waters you fish to the season you are fishing. I have learned when Mother Nature changes the colors of the leaves I have to change the color of my lures I use.

Happy Fishing

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Bassin With Crankbaits - Colour Choice Tips and Techniques

In the blog I posted on April 28th I had promised to share my secrets for crankbait color choices and how to find the bass using electronics. In this blog lets look at color choice for crankbaits. This is going to be a long post, but will contain much information and crankbait tips. I have heard from several anglers who tell me that they just do not have any luck using crankbaits for largemouth bass, however, the tips in this blog will help you to understand why color is important and help you to catch more bass using crankbaits.

Bass eyes see in water, and our eyes see in the air. But there is an uncanny comparison in how a bass eye sees color and how a human eye sees colors. Cones in our eyes see colors and rods see things in shades of gray. Scientist and biologist have concluded that a bass sees colors much as a human sees colors. This theory is thought to be true for the reason that bass eyes have cones very similar to the cones in human eyes. One difference is the absence of a pupil in the bass eye. This is the part of our eye that dilates or gets bigger when light is dimmed.

This would explain why bass are light shy. They are structure orientated for more than reasons than just ambush and shelter, they prefer shade. Bass are most active in low light, morning and evening, but have some vision in darkness and stained and muddy water. A bass eye having no pupil, it adjusts to brightness by repositioning rods. In bright light cones are used with a majority of the rods of the bass eye being hidden behind the cones. As light dims more rods are positioned for sight. In dark conditions cones are of less use and the bass sees mostly with rods. To simplify this, cones see colors; rods see shades of gray. In dim light a bass sees in black and white. And a bass’s eye has more rods than the human eye and they function better. Thus it sees in dim light much better than a human can.

The temperature of the water and the Thermocline will determine the depth the bass will be holding, and this depth will affect the color of crankbait that you will need to fish.  (In my next crankbait blog we will get more into locating structure with electronics.) Once you find this target depth the bass are holding, finding structure at this same depth will provide bass. Select your crankbait according to its diving capabilities.

The larger the bill or lip on the nose of the lure, the deeper it will dive. Some lures will have the diving depth someplace on the lure and with most crankbaits, the packaging will display the diving depth, one tip is to write this number of feet on the lure with a fine point sharpie permanent marker. Also organize your lures by depth then color and label your lure box in the place for each lure with the diving depth. This will help you to quickly decide which lures you will be using, keep in mind that in a tournament time can be money.

If you have you ever noticed that the color of a lure seems to change in water and seems to change even more at different times of the day.  This illusion is because of light reacting with water. We will now look at how bass actually see the colors that we choose in crankbaits. Sometimes the color choice is paramount in the success of an angler’s creel. At different times of day, or in “different light” the color a fish sees makes it react.

Studying a prism will help us to see white light change into different colors beginning with red and then through the spectrum to purple.

When we see a rainbow in the sky it is the same thing, (Like the Ambassador guy above) we see light absorbed and or bent by water. A body of water however has an effect on light as well. The water absorbs light and turns it into heat, or converts light energy into heat energy. In this process some colors are absorbed much more than other colors. When we look at a crankbait in natural sunlight, we see all color waves. This is not possible once the color “wavelengths” enter water. The water actually absorbs the light. Reds are absorbed as heat before other colors while blues are absorbed last.

When we watch Hook n’ Look and other underwater programs on WFN, the absorption of light is what makes the water appear to be so blue. In water that is pure or perfectly clear water all red colors are absorbed and converted into heat energy before the light reaches 17 feet. After red is absorbed, then all variations of the color orange is then absorbed. Orange slowly fades into a dull yellow as an orange colored lure is fished deep. Yellows are filtered out after orange. And then the shades of green are the next to be absorbed. After this only blue light will remain. Once the blue shades are absorbed, then there is no light.

As blue light is absorbed lures appears in various shades of dark blue to indigo, violet and then finally black. A white lure out of the water still is white in the water, but it gradually reflects light and appears to be green then blue as it goes deeper. A red crankbait will appear bright red on the surface but cranked deeper it gradually turns black. This is because the absence of red light in deeper water.

Understanding this theory has apparently made KVD and Strikeking millions and he and the company have become very successful with the multi colored crankbaits from citrus shad to the “sexy shad” color that he has made so famous. For this reason I use crankbaits with an array of colors when fishing deep. This provides coverage as sunlight moves as well at different depths. When fishing in 20 feet of water or deeper, I like to start with brightly colored crankbaits. The reason for brightness over just a specific color is that I am looking for a lure that will reflect even a little light in the darkness of deep water.

Fishing a crankbait 15- and 18-feet when bass are holding at 20 feet, will determine if the fish are looking upward in a feeding pattern, or if you will need to fish deeper allowing the crankbait to search off the bottom bumping structure. By dive deeper than the depth the bass are holding will present frantic baitfish bumping into the structure with small thumping sounds as it hits solid objects, and as a crankbait strikes the lake bottom the lure will create clouds of silt, gravel or sand to billow up in the water (like a fleeing crayfish).

Backstabber Lures solved the issue hang ups on deep structure with the hooks being moved to the top of the lure. The company also appears to understand the importance of color as well with the range of colors available in their crankbaits.

The noise and the vibration will attract fish and provoke a reaction strike. Crankbaits that rattle and knock may help in deep, cloudy or dark water. Another tip to fish even deeper is to attach the crankbait to a one-ounce Carolina rig.  Keep in mind that light line will dive deeper than heavy line, but heavy line will rest on cover where light line will burry into cover. For this reason I stay between 10 and 14 lb test for deep cranking structure, and 17 – 20 lb test in heavy wood and rocks.

In shallow water crankbait color choice is vital, as a bass can see the lure more clearly. “Matching the hatch” with a crankbait is a good way to choose your lure size and color, however it pays to try a different color if you do not get bit soon. Bandit, Norman and Live Target Lures as well as many other manufacturers all do well with natural color patterns on their lures. In shallow water this is very important.

When the fish are feeding on shad and there are many of them in a school, I choose a color that stands out amongst them and fish below them. Citrus Shad, Bluegill, and other bright colors by Bomber, Rapala, and other companies, seem to make the lure stand out in a crowd so to speak. Knowing the bass feed on the stray shad that leave the school due to injury or weakness. This natural selection is helped by a color that makes a target stand out a little more than the rest.

As with any crankbait lure presentation, always start moving the lure fast. If you are not soon rippin’ some lips, change your retrieve to a stop and go or slow it down to a crawl. As Bill Dance says, allow the fish to tell you what they want.  I hope these tips help you to more effectively take advantage of crankbaits while fishing deep structure as well as shallow water.   

Happy Fishing! 

 

Source : http://www.worldfishingnetwork.com/tips/post/bassin-with-crankbaits-color-choice-tips-and-techniques

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