Bob,

I think we can all agree there are obvious situations when color
selections are significant. Such as stained off colored or deep water,
and using fluorescent colors that hold their color longer. Or contrasts
such as cop car (black/white) that can be used in many different
applications.
In my opinion, the point at which color discrimination becomes both
fascinating and perplexing at the same time is in clear water situations
where just seeing the prey isn't an issue, now we are talking about
details of the prey. The ability to see shades of a color, such as
blue, where in a bass's evolution would this be significant? I have
thought about their natural prey, and thought maybe a weak shad has a
different color tone to it than a healthy shad. We have all had a fish
tank at one time or another, and you can immediately tell the sick fish
from a healthy fish just by the color alone. Then I had read about the
sail fish, and just before a sail fish will strike a school of baitfish,
it will change color, and expose its bars along the side of its body to
alert the other sailfish of its intent so they don't get stabbed by the
spear. So I thought about it, and from a bass standpoint they don't
really school, at least not in their "optimal" setting. So maybe it is
a spawning thing, maybe discerning shades during the spawn help to find
a suitable, willing mate. Then again, maybe it is just a byproduct of
a predatory advantage, therefore giving them better eyesight than their
prey. Bottom line is I do not think there are any clear cut single
answers for the question, but I have a hard time believing there isn't a
purpose or use for it.
From a fishing standpoint, we are typically moving past the fish that
are honed in to "shades" of color and finding fish willing to strike our
generic versions of their natural prey. When the water is dark, we can
switch from being natural, to just being seen, and we can throw not so
natural colors. When the water gets clear, we usually drop down in
size, therefore we can still get away with natural colors, but the
smaller we go the less detail we believe we need to worry about (tell
that to a trout fisherman running a #22 black with a two tone hackle).

I guess this is the type of stuff that keeps me going fishing, reading
about fishing, and dreaming about fishing. I am happy it is still a
mystery.

Chris


Bob Rickard wrote:
Most predatory game fish evolved into creatures with a far wider visible
color reception bandwidth than humans could ever conceive. Few people would
argue that the direction of evolution has been directed only by the critical
needs of the species involved.

To humans, color has become vitally important in the selection of a car, a
new dress, or whatever. In predatory fish, however, which must hunt to eat &
survive, color reception is of major importance in detecting prey. It is
therefore absolutely logical that at some times lure color selection is
extremely important in catching those fish. Why? I don't know for sure, nor
do I really care. Simply put; what is... is.

Bob Rickard
Secret Weapon Lures