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Ice Fishing Tips -Check your local regulations! => Equipment => Topic started by: BlueSnow on Mar 01, 2021, 09:47 AM

Title: Lures, water depth and color attenuation
Post by: BlueSnow on Mar 01, 2021, 09:47 AM

I've been going down a rabbit hole this morning.

I spent some time today reading about color loss in deeper water and while I've seen a few shows about it I never really thought about it in relation to ice fishing where I am targeting fish at a variety of depths.  The link below shows a chart where we lose the ability to see red after a depth of 5 Meters, orange at 10M, yellow at 20M, green at 30M and blue at 60.  So one of my favorite lures for this year has been a red blood worm plastic, but now I am thinking that the red disappears below 15 fow, and I'm starting to wonder if I only have had luck with that lure in shallow waters.

Do any of you change  your lure color to match the depth of water that you are in and if so does it seem to make a difference?  The season is getting close to being done and I don't think I am going to have much chance to do a lot of experimenting, but it seems like matching color and depth might be a differentiator.

http://www.divephotoguide.com/getting-started-with-underwater-photography/basic-principles-light-underwater/ (http://www.divephotoguide.com/getting-started-with-underwater-photography/basic-principles-light-underwater/)

Title: Re: Lures, water depth and color attenuation
Post by: DR.SPECKLER on Mar 01, 2021, 10:08 AM

Heres a little chart on lure color and depths they disappear at.
(https://i.postimg.cc/xkjr0FWG/E54-BB353-4314-4-B29-BE03-886-AA9-EF9465.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/xkjr0FWG)

Title: Re: Lures, water depth and color attenuation
Post by: BlueSnow on Mar 01, 2021, 06:45 PM

Quote from: DR.SPECKLER on Mar 01, 2021, 10:08 AM

Heres a little chart on lure color and depths the disappear at.
(https://i.postimg.cc/xkjr0FWG/E54-BB353-4314-4-B29-BE03-886-AA9-EF9465.jpg) (https://postimg.cc/xkjr0FWG)

Thanks doc - that's a very cool graphic.  Was there an article it came from?  I'm definitely interested in learning more.

Title: Re: Lures, water depth and color attenuation
Post by: meandcuznalfy on Mar 01, 2021, 07:52 PM

Dam, wish I could remember where I saw it, but some guys were talking about trolling for kokes deep and how the colors affected their catch rate.

Title: Re: Lures, water depth and color attenuation
Post by: DR.SPECKLER on Mar 01, 2021, 10:22 PM

Quote from: BlueSnow on Mar 01, 2021, 06:45 PM

Thanks doc - that's a very cool graphic.  Was there an article it came from?  I'm definitely interested in learning more.

i forgot where i got that chart years ago and keep it while im steelhead or bass fishing and match plug color  to depth.i just took that out of it as it pretty much summed up what the article said.lol i would never guessed red disappears real fast.

Title: Re: Lures, water depth and color attenuation
Post by: slipperybob on Mar 02, 2021, 03:17 AM

UV reflective color spectrum changes a lot of the color absorption depth of water.

Also the distance to the lure will also affect the perceived color of the lure.