Does bait colour matter?

Even the time of day can have an impact on whether or not your hookbait will be taken

AMONG the many variables that separate success from failure in angling, choice of bait colour is perhaps the least understood.

After all, we cannot know with certainty what it’s like to see through a fish’s eyes, and they certainly cannot tell us if they prefer muted browns over fluorescent pinks. But, using a mix of science and experience, we can piece together a few golden rules that can guide us in the right direction.

Rob Hughes is one of angling’s most experienced divers and underwater cameramen. His sub-surface observations make for interesting reading.

“Fish can definitely see colour and can differentiate colours too,” he says. “If they can’t, then why are perch camouflaged the way they are? Fish have good nocturnal vision too, and can see more of the light spectrum than we can, including into ultra-violet and infra-red.”

Rob admits that it’s a complex topic with many variables, and that even the time of day can have an impact on how colours are perceived underwater.

“Photographers will know that natural light in the middle of the day is more blue, whereas in the evenings it’s golden – reds and yellows. The light moves through the spectrum as the sun’s position changes, and as it matches the colour of the water it can even make things brighter underwater later in the day.”

“But every water, even those on the same complex, can differ greatly. Clarity, temperature, depth, weed growth and algae can all have an effect on how a bait’s colour is seen underwater. The trick to making your hookbait as visible and attractive as possible to browsing fish is to know exactly which colour of bait works best in which situation, and over which type of lakebed.”

SHALLOW AND DEEP WATER

Rob adds: “White is the one colour that stands out best either in shallow water, when the light levels are high or, conversely, in deep, clear water (more than 15ft) where the light levels are quite low.

“In shallow water, where light penetration is greatest, white reflects more light back than any other colour. However, when the water is deeper and light penetration is much lower, a white-coloured boilie will grab what little light there is, and stand out as a result.”

COLOURED WATER WINNER

“There’s a myth that red is invisible underwater. Although it may be the first colour to ‘disappear’, rather than turn invisible, it changes colour to a grey/green. Few people realise what a vibrant colour it is in highly-coloured waters too,’ says Rob.

“Remember that in clear water, fish will sight feed as well as ‘scent feed’, but in coloured water their sight feeding ability is restricted and the fish will scent the bait first and then look for it. Because red is so vibrant, it’s easy for the carp to find. It’s the same with pink baits - there’s nothing in the underwater world that is pink, so it really stands out and grabs the carp’s attention.”

YELLOW PERIL

“Freshwater is full of things like weed and algae. When you add in the yellow light of the spring and summer sun, the result is that green is the prominent colour, so if you want a hookbait to stand out, you need to look at either red, orange or purple.

“Also, if you dive a lake, you’ll see that undisturbed silt is more of a pale yellow colour than the black or brown we all think it is. This means that a yellow is more camouflaged than you think. In this scenario, again, a red, pink/purple or orange bait is the most visible. But in winter yellow baits stand out far better than earlier in the year because the weed has died off and turns brown/black,” Rob says.

‘MATCHING THE HATCH’

Knowing the science behind how light levels and water conditions affect how bait colours are perceived by the fish is one thing, but in many of our fisheries – especially wellstocked ones – competition for food between fish must be taken into account.

Top matchman Jamie Hughes, for example, has a preference for using baits of a natural colour. He says: “For me, the most important thing is feeding the right quantity of bait and presenting your hookbait naturally, rather than pinning your hopes on a specific colour.

“I don’t think fish will choose to eat a pellet simply because it’s red. If anything, I actually think that on occasions using a stand-out bait can put them off. I always try to match my hookbait to what I’m feeding. Think about it – you bring the fish into the peg with a certain feed that they want to eat. Why would you then put something different on the hook?”

Fellow competition ace Des Shipp says match anglers have been influenced by carpers when it comes to bait colour, and have used their findings to great effect.

He said: “In my experience, colour certainly makes a difference. In the past its importance perhaps wasn’t as well recognised, the influence of carp angling has made us all realise the difference that hi-viz baits make.

“Although I don’t think colour matters too much when the fish are feeding, I’m sure a really visible wafter can pick off fish that are in the area. I always like to have a selection of hookbaits to try.

“I’ve found a light-coloured groundbait will bring the fish into the swim, because it clouds up the water, but they don’t often like to settle over it – they much prefer to graze over a dark one.”