Orange is the new...?

[Iceassin]

Read part of an article the other day that said Walleye see orange better than any other color, followed by yellow. And red being the most difficult to see. Confirm or deny this finding???

[bowmandan]

I always had the best luck with the orange and brown floating rapalas

[jperch]

I am not a marine biologist nor a walleye so I only have an opinion.  As a SCUBA diver I believe red is the first color to disappear as you descend to deeper depths.  "Roy G. Biv", Red, Orange Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet.  These colors are determined by wavelength.  In very clear water, at extreme depths, the water "blues out".  That means all you see is a hue of blue.  But I am not sure what any of that means to a walleye and how it responds to a lure.  Most of the walleye waters I have fished are a far cry from clear.  Also my observations underwater of walleye is that they are one of the spookiest, cautious species I have seen.  They have attitude.  Perhaps for clear big waters where walleye suspend colors are more important than the "dirty" waters I have fished.  I usually try to mimic the local bait for surface lures and contrasting darker colors for jigs.

[ice dawg]

Red will disappear first as depth increases according to the experts. They also say Walleye are colorblind  when it cones to yellow and blue. They say bass and northern see colors better than walleye.  Chartreuse is usually one of the best lure colors for me in summer, but I seem to catch them on all colors including yellow and blue depending on weather conditions. On darker days, blue or purple spinner blades can work best for me. I also have days when black works best.

[DR.SPECKLER]

Heres a little color depth chart.shows how far colors fade at depth.

[eyeflyer]

Studies I have read say walleye see chartreuse and orange best but other studies I have read suggest fish "feel" your lure (lateral line) long before they see it. What brings them is vibration and then color may make a difference once they see it but they are usually pretty close already. When I decide to change a lure, it is usually to one with a different shape, finish, weight...........somet hing that gives off a different vibe. That said there are the odd time when a different color jig seems to trigger more bites. Nothing is 100% fishing figuring out what lure/presentation is working that day is all part of the fun.

[esox_xtm]

Read part of an article the other day that said Walleye see orange better than any other color, followed by yellow. And red being the most difficult to see. Confirm or deny this finding???

That's been pretty much the general consensus for a long time. In the spring river run I always start with orange or pink. Sometimes chartreuse does better and one year it was a blue/white two-tone that slayed 'em. Also done well with red craw Rippin' Raps and lotsa stuff in firetiger.

I've seen the depth vs color before too. Do know that lures don't become "invisible" but their color just turns to shades of grey.

So many folks get hung up on color when they can't even get a location or other presentation details correct first. Depth and speed of your lure are nos. #1 and #2 with color being a distant 3rd. Not that color doesn't matter and fine tuning won't catch you more fish but you really gotta have everything else in order.

I simplify color selections by generalizing light, dark and in-between to start. So white, yellow and chartreuse are "light", black, brown and purple are "dark" and there's all kinds of in-between. I'll also say it seems like bass can be on the color picky side, especially with plastics but I've not noticed that very often with walleyes, perch or pike (my usual targets).

[filetandrelease]

 For me anyway orange is not the top getter here , I fish a few others places , and the color and size vary

[aquarium234]

https://www.landbigfish.com/articles/default.cfm?ID=1694
well that article says they lack blue and yellow color receptors....

[hardwater diehard]

[Iceassin]

That's been pretty much the general consensus for a long time. In the spring river run I always start with orange or pink. Sometimes chartreuse does better and one year it was a blue/white two-tone that slayed 'em. Also done well with red craw Rippin' Raps and lotsa stuff in firetiger.

I've seen the depth vs color before too. Do know that lures don't become "invisible" but their color just turns to shades of grey.

So many folks get hung up on color when they can't even get a location or other presentation details correct first. Depth and speed of your lure are nos. #1 and #2 with color being a distant 3rd. Not that color doesn't matter and fine tuning won't catch you more fish but you really gotta have everything else in order.

I simplify color selections by generalizing light, dark and in-between to start. So white, yellow and chartreuse are "light", black, brown and purple are "dark" and there's all kinds of in-between. I'll also say it seems like bass can be on the color picky side, especially with plastics but I've not noticed that very often with walleyes, perch or pike (my usual targets).

Ok esox...time for you to go to work:

I will be hitting a small (40 acres) lake that the MDNR has claimed to house a few Walleye. ( I have read the stocking and survey reports).There is a 45' area that transcends into a shallow, narrows before coming into another 40' hole. The lake is predominantly peat and marrow with very little structure and not conducive of spawning areas typically used by these fish. So, if you were to try and locate them, primarily morning and evening, where would you begin and what lures would you start with? I have:

Swedish Pimples (large)
Jigging Raps (small)
Rattle Spoons (small)
Lipless (jigging) crankbaits (medium)
Whistle Jigs (large)
Chuby Darters (medium)

Ok...GO!!!

[esox_xtm]

Ok esox...time for you to go to work:

I will be hitting a small (40 acres) lake that the MDNR has claimed to house a few Walleye. ( I have read the stocking and survey reports).There is a 45' area that transcends into a shallow, narrows before coming into another 40' hole. The lake is predominantly peat and marrow with very little structure and not conducive of spawning areas typically used by these fish. So, if you were to try and locate them, primarily morning and evening, where would you begin and what lures would you start with? I have:

Swedish Pimples (large)
Jigging Raps (small)
Rattle Spoons (small)
Lipless (jigging) crankbaits (medium)
Whistle Jigs (large)
Chuby Darters (medium)

Ok...GO!!!

Geeez! Why ya gotta put me on the hot seat? I'm no walldog expert, I just dabble when I go with others that think pike are trash. But you know I can't keep my yap shut especially with an invitation, so since you asked, I'll take a swing. Remember though, there are others here that are waaaay more qualified than I to answer.

40 acres? That's barely bigger than a mud puddle and not likely a prime walleye lake. I'd be curious if there are any inlets/outlets are simply a seepage or spring fed body. Clear water, stained or just plain dirt dark? You don't have to spill here, it's just stuff that can change where you go and what you do.

Off the cuff I'd look at that saddle area between the basins. Almost gotta be that fish move back and forth between and that area would concentrate transient fish. Other than that I would think that any current areas (in or out) would draw fish as well.

As far as presentations I usually lean toward the most aggressive one to start. More often than we think fish will respond to very aggressive stuff while ignoring more finesseful presentations. If you don't start big, fast and loud you'll never get there because most often folks tends to downsize/slow down from where they're at if they are not contacting fish. Especially in dark and unfamiliar water something that is big and loud can call maybe (at least) one fish to come in an look validating your location choice. Another factor is the location of food. Catching perch? You're probably not too far off.

40 acres should let you cover most of that even if you're by yourself. Got a camera available? That can help reveal non-biters. You can fish two lines so make the most of that. Set a tippy and hole hop around until you're satisfied there's noting there. Don't forget to pay attention to your locator to reveal non-biters too.

You're on an adventure so, unless you have experienced help, be prepared to accept a goose egg. I think that happens quite often. Except for me and muskies... New water and the muskies there seem to be a free kick for me. Unfortunately, I can revisit multiple times and never (in some cases) re-create that first time experience. I guess that can be true with other experiences too    .

OK, you got my 2 cents. Perhaps other, more skilled folks will feel comfortable chipping in. I'll certainly not be offended if any or all of my advice gets contradicted. Like I said at the outset: I'm no expert. I just like to fish, like adventures and sometimes get real (real) lucky. 

[Iceassin]

Geeez! Why ya gotta put me on the hot seat? I'm no walldog expert, I just dabble when I go with others that think pike are trash. But you know I can't keep my yap shut especially with an invitation, so since you asked, I'll take a swing. Remember though, there are others here that are waaaay more qualified than I to answer.

40 acres? That's barely bigger than a mud puddle and not likely a prime walleye lake. I'd be curious if there are any inlets/outlets are simply a seepage or spring fed body. Clear water, stained or just plain dirt dark? You don't have to spill here, it's just stuff that can change where you go and what you do.

Off the cuff I'd look at that saddle area between the basins. Almost gotta be that fish move back and forth between and that area would concentrate transient fish. Other than that I would think that any current areas (in or out) would draw fish as well.

As far as presentations I usually lean toward the most aggressive one to start. More often than we think fish will respond to very aggressive stuff while ignoring more finesseful presentations. If you don't start big, fast and loud you'll never get there because most often folks tends to downsize/slow down from where they're at if they are not contacting fish. Especially in dark and unfamiliar water something that is big and loud can call maybe (at least) one fish to come in an look validating your location choice. Another factor is the location of food. Catching perch? You're probably not too far off.

40 acres should let you cover most of that even if you're by yourself. Got a camera available? That can help reveal non-biters. You can fish two lines so make the most of that. Set a tippy and hole hop around until you're satisfied there's noting there. Don't forget to pay attention to your locator to reveal non-biters too.

You're on an adventure so, unless you have experienced help, be prepared to accept a goose egg. I think that happens quite often. Except for me and muskies... New water and the muskies there seem to be a free kick for me. Unfortunately, I can revisit multiple times and never (in some cases) re-create that first time experience. I guess that can be true with other experiences too    .

OK, you got my 2 cents. Perhaps other, more skilled folks will feel comfortable chipping in. I'll certainly not be offended if any or all of my advice gets contradicted. Like I said at the outset: I'm no expert. I just like to fish, like adventures and sometimes get real (real) lucky. 

Thanks...good enough for a start. Gonna start " Loud and Proud" ( does a rock band come to mind ? 😉) and move down from there.

Looking for more input from others.