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Spectrum Fishing - Stan Lievense

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    Posted: 03 May 2015 at 11:37pm
Once had a book called 'Spectrum Fishing' by Stan Lievense who specialised in downrigging the Great Lakes in the USA for Salmon, Chinook, etc - the book was my bible back around 1990 +/- a few memory loss years.

Unfortunately it is now misplaced, seem to remember lending it to someone who never returned it and to my best endeavours I can't locate another copy anywhere Confused

Anyway, found some old hand written notes today that I had made on the contents of the book based on 'lure colours' and I quote my notes with much intrepidation:

- Fish prefer warm colours, red, orange and yellow in that order.
- Colours disappear underwater as follows:
Red 15'
Orange 50'
Yellow 85'
Green 110'
Blue 180'
- The 3 primary colour pigments are red, yellow and blue.
- Do not use the light primaries.
- Black is not a highly visible underwater colour.
- Highly contrasting grays and blacks might excite deep lying fish.
- The first colour to show beneath the surface in the morning is blue.
- A mixture of paint retains the spectrum better when in natural lighting.
- Realistic lures achieve hues through a mixture of paint better than a thin coat.
- To an angle of 30 degrees most of the colour the sun sends is reflected until blue first appears underwater.
- Morning to noon use lures from blue to red then reverse the sequence to dusk.
- White lures gather light rays and reflects them with diffusion.
- Black lures give maximum contrast.
- Nickel and silver lures reflect light rays like a mirror.
- Gold and brass lures reflect yellow rays.
- Blue, white and silver are best for deep fishing.
- Fluorescent colour pigments can be seen deeper than non fluorescent.
- Red is not transmitted well in clear water.
- Blue and green are not transmitted well in murky water.
- Fisherman should be focused with creating lures that fish can see.
- In turbid bodies of water fluorescent orange is the most visible.
- Water with mediocre clarity fluorescent green and orange are best.
- In clear water fluorescent green and white are best.
- Try contrasting colours near each other on the spectrum separated by a black stripe.
- Lures painted imitating fish are naturally camouflaged.
- Reversing colours on a lure may work.

Few home truths above and some points that many may disagree about, however I loved this book and these handwritten notes are all that is left LOL Cry



Cheers

Rob







 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote CaptainCranky Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2015 at 7:54am
Some great notes Rob.It is wonderful that you have kept them all this time and better still that you found them.
As with 99% of books I have read re colours and fish they are always about what a human sees not a fish.
One can always work out to a degree what colours work best on what days,moon,tide weather conditions and all these books certainly help.
Thankyou for posting this subject up.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Davent Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2015 at 10:47am
all the above is true to the HUMAN eye.
How do fish see things? For example birds see UV as well.
How does a barra see in the northern mud? You cant even see your own hand 2cm under the surface.
I think there is so much more to lures than color.
 
Why does a cat get excited by a bit of string, longgrass etc when we play with it? The cat obviously dosnt think thaT THE STRING IS FOOD.
Fish dont have hands.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote puglee62 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2015 at 12:39pm
I remember when the fishing magazines first started doing articles on lure colors that show up best at differing depths,it was such a revelation at the time,we can now paint our lures in special uv colors and clears and know that they'll be seen.you've got some interesting stuff written down there Rob do you still agree with all that you've written down or have you changed your mind on some of it?
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote puglee62 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2015 at 12:50pm
Originally posted by Davent Davent wrote:

Why does a cat get excited by a bit of string, longgrass etc when we play with it? The cat obviously dosnt think thaT THE STRING IS FOOD.

Fish dont have hands.
ah yes but does the cat get more excited over a piece of green string or red? all relevant mate,we all know fish are attracted (and sometimes scared)by movement but the color factor is there too.I think that colors may play a bigger part in the deeper water as water pressure would have to muffle the sonics(just guessing here),and being more uv light poor make the lures harder to see too
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote beer-breath Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2015 at 2:54pm
I actually find the opposite, that fish prefer cool colours, green, blue, and purple. even black.
but the colours all depend on weather factors as well. sunny, cloudy, etc. dark days and dusk, dark lures work best. on a bright, sunny day, I have done best with solid pink or pink/white.
a funny thing with spoons. they come in endless varieties of colours and paintjobs, yet, the backside of them is almost always left silver/chrome. so, perhaps, the fish are reacting to the flash of the silver more than anything else.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lure-Nut Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2015 at 3:00pm

Hi Chris, the points were originally written down so I could bring together all of his thoughts on colour and see if I could form a common thread. I was also one of those few people who bought a Combo-c-lector and still have it it to this day. 

One day I'm going to pull it apart and see if I can fix the damage a leaking battery caused Cry The Combo was slightly different to the Colour pictured below as it had a ph and temperature probe capability as well.




I think the primary takeaway that has stuck with me would be to paint lures in two or more colours that are adjacent to each other on the colour spectrum and use dark or white markings to provide the contrast.


Cheers

Rob


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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bilge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2015 at 4:25pm
Lure color and action is enough to drive a man to drink. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lure-Nut Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2015 at 4:27pm
That being said I still think that action is the predominate feature, but then believe that colour can make the difference.

We typically troll dams with 4 rods - I have lost count of the number of times we have gravitated to 1 particular lure based on it's success, then put a spread of colours out to find one in particular that worked.

Remember one session at Wivenhoe last year where we moved to 4 Mini Tonk's based on sheer weight of success then to have a single black, yellow and gold flecked one hook up six Yella's in a row against 3 different colours and we were just going back and forwards across a knoll.

Guess all of our theories are all based on our individual interpretations of our experiences Tongue



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Rob
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lure-Nut Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2015 at 4:28pm
Originally posted by bilge bilge wrote:

Lure color and action is enough to drive a man to drink. 

Knew there had to be a reason - how fortunate are we LOL



Cheers

Rob
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Seaweed Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2015 at 4:43pm
Read somewhere once, colour really irrelavent, fish home in on action, sensed by their lateral line.
What colour is a mullet? Think that's really what a barra wants to see in murky turbid water, colours make lure painting fun, that's about the crux of it.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Steve B Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2015 at 5:22pm
There's quite a few of those ColorClector devices on eBay at the moment.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote horrorhead Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2015 at 6:07pm
 Lure Nut wrote -In turbid bodies of water fluorescent orange is the most visible.

A bloke on site only uses lures with a lot of orange when fishing a (secret) dam with muddy water - he swears by them.

Different fish species see different colours as determined by the length of the cones in their eyes, and the amount of these cones as well.Trout identify those colours of their own species because of these cones which is one reason why spotted dogs and rainbow patterns work well on them.

I like the notion of using contrasting colours separated by black. In fact Elton John paint schemes would most likely cover a colour for most fish species.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Davent Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 May 2015 at 11:46pm
We need a like button seaweed!

Most baitfish are light color underneath, and a darker color above, most have some sort of metalic fleck from their scales, most bait fish are colored to blend in with their environment for survival.

Wish I really KNEW the answers, but I think that finding the fish you want to catch, and then presenting a bait very close to it is far more important than what color the bait is.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (2) Thanks(2)   Quote Lure-Nut Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 2015 at 7:35am
Originally posted by Davent Davent wrote:

We need a like button seaweed!

Most baitfish are light color underneath, and a darker color above, most have some sort of metalic fleck from their scales, most bait fish are colored to blend in with their environment for survival.



Fish are naturally camouflaged so that they are not easily found by predators - basic survival .... but I want the predators to easily find my lure Big smile

Why is an inverse painted lure very successful i.e. dark on the bottom and light on the top. Colours are identical, but it stands out from the natural environment, is no longer camouflaged, making it more easily noticed by predators. 

It is illegal for obvious reasons, but I've always wanted to live bait one of those big plump bright orange boggly eyed goldfish with fans for fins and swim it over one the yabby beds in Jindabyne - nothing further from natural could there be Shocked

Btw, there is a like button .... looks like this  Thanks (0) Thanks(0) .... on the top right navigation of each post Thumbs Up



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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Davent Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 2015 at 11:17am
Originally posted by horrorhead horrorhead wrote:

<span style="font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 18.6666660308838px; : rgb251, 251, 253;"> Lure Nut wrote -In turbid bodies of water fluorescent orange is the most visible.</span>
<span style="font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 18.6666660308838px; : rgb251, 251, 253;">
</span>
<span style="font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 18.6666660308838px; : rgb251, 251, 253;">A bloke on site only uses lures with a lot of orange when fishing a (secret) dam with muddy water - he swears by them.</span>
<span style="font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 18.6666660308838px; : rgb251, 251, 253;">
</span>
<span style="font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 18.6666660308838px; : rgb251, 251, 253;">Different fish species see different colours as determined by the length of the cones in their eyes, and the amount of these cones as well.Trout identify those colours of their own species because of these cones which is one reason why spotted dogs and rainbow patterns work well on them.</span>
<span style="font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 18.6666660308838px; : rgb251, 251, 253;">
</span>
<span style="font-size: 11.9999990463257px; line-height: 18.6666660308838px; : rgb251, 251, 253;">I like the notion of using contrasting colours separated by black. In fact Elton John paint schemes would most likely cover a colour for most fish species.</span>


what if he ONLY used green lures, then ALL the fish he caught would be on green lures, and he would sing the praises of green!
Im not saying that color dosnt matter, what I am saying, is there are more important factors, like being able to find fish.
When I guided, I often ran out of my go to lures, and had to use something else, andthe alternatives worked just as well. I still stocked up on my go to lures though, because I am confident when I use them.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote puglee62 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 2015 at 12:51pm
its certainly good practise to try other colors,i remember fishing a stretch of the Brisbane river last year when the Bass were very quiet,the water was very dirty and I couldn't raise a fish using anything that stood out namely blacks (for their silhouette)and fluoro greens and oranges(they tend to glow a bit in dirty water).thought I'd use the least likely lure in the box ,a little brown lure that was near invisible in the dirty water.The brown lure worked very well getting smashed the rest of the afternoon ,you just have to be ready to experiment,incidently the brown lure was the same kind as the fluoros and the black ones.obviously sometimes you don't want the lure to stand out.this is in shallow water mind you where fish have to be wary of ospreys and cormorants ive a feeling in deeper water its different.its very interesting and frustrating I agree with Bilje its probably why fishermen are drinkers
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote horrorhead Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 2015 at 3:33pm
what if he ONLY used green lures, then ALL the fish he caught would be on green lures, and he would sing the praises of green!   Very true Dave..................  but he had tried every lure he had including those of the same lure in different colours BUT..... he didn't have every colour as I know he didn't have a white or a black lure.(at that stage he bought all of his lures off me).

I think a main thing is to have confidence in the lure you are using, and if that confidence comes in the colour of the lure.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Davent Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 2015 at 5:17pm
Ahh bugger! Im gonna have a drink!

I really kinda like this discussion, its a bit like polotics and religion!
Wish I could be a barra for a couple of hours......in a remote river.....with no crocs or sharks....or fishermen....or bigger fish than me......
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lead lure Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 05 May 2015 at 6:40pm
Dave if there was no fishermen there would be no lures to colect
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote bilge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 May 2015 at 12:22pm
I have twice started to write a reply and deleted it so here goes. The subject of black bars on lures is so intriguing that when going Barra fishing twice yearly to Darwin I will always carry a black texta . I have on more than several occasions used the texta to mark a plain lure with black bars with interesting positive results. I always retire lure after a good fish and they hang in front of me as I type this and I notice that there is large number with black bars and then some with red.
Can you draw a conclusion from this I think not but if the plain lure is not working I am not averse to getting the texta out. There is anecdotal support for this position.

It is too early for a Shiraz but my brain is working overtime again. Too much thinking and not enough fishing. The ramblings of an old man.

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Davent Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 06 May 2015 at 1:58pm
Bill! Crack the shiraz mate!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Digitalis Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jan 2016 at 9:12pm
Loving this read!
Peter Pakula wrote in his book, green water blue lure, blue water green lure. I tend to start fishing by matching the colour of the water with a little contrast.
I've seen a few fish follow a lure trail up to the boat after I have the lure back in the boat.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote horrorhead Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09 Jan 2016 at 1:10pm
Originally posted by bilge bilge wrote:

I have twice started to write a reply and deleted it so here goes. The subject of black bars on lures is so intriguing that when going Barra fishing twice yearly to Darwin I will always carry a black texta . I have on more than several occasions used the texta to mark a plain lure with black bars with interesting positive results. I always retire lure after a good fish and they hang in front of me as I type this and I notice that there is large number with black bars and then some with red.
Can you draw a conclusion from this I think not but if the plain lure is not working I am not averse to getting the texta out. There is anecdotal support for this position.

It is too early for a Shiraz but my brain is working overtime again. Too much thinking and not enough fishing. The ramblings of an old man.

billj

I have bought quite a few second hand lures that have been altered by textas, and I have done it myself. I also used to carry a texta in my tackle box for this same reason as Billj. Don't do it now though because I now mainly use members lures and I don't want to ruin their paint workLOL. But I always make sure I have a selection of lures with me with darker bars on them.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote senkosam Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 Dec 2019 at 12:11am
"I think there is so much more to lures than color."

I wrote a post about combinations or IOW a group of specific lure characteristics that provoke fish to strike. Like most animals, fish have certain hyped up senses that land animals do not that allow them to survive in the harshest conditions underwater. Those senses remind me of a blind person who has heightened senses that allow him or her to navigate, avoid danger and a developed tactile sense of feel for braille.

Lure characteristics vary depending on the lure, but a lure structurally has a body and tail and the movement of those parts we call action. Color is part of the combination which emphasizes action by providing the body/tail outline. Even clear plastic lures do something to the light reflected and passing through them that gives fish a clear picture of form-in-motion.

Are there best colors for certain lures? My color superstition makes me believe that there are poor colors for certain lure designs, the rest adequate enough to emphasize shape, size and action. But if certain colors or color combinations can hold a fish's attention better than others when the lure is at rest or in motion, than that color will be included among others.

Here is more on combinations:
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