Fluorescent Baits?

[atpns1234]

I own a crazy looking fluorescent yellow/ blue square bill. Looks great but what is this suppose to look like and when/where should it be used?

[MarkH024]

Guessing its a citrus shad color crank. Good in stained water.

[WIGuide]

It's meant to be seen by the fish. The profile makes it look like a baitfish, and although the color is not natural, in dirtier water you need something that stands out and not blend in or worse, disappear in the water.

[Raul]

I swear that you gotta try it at any time under any condition, theoretically speaking ( or following the advice of the people who supposedly know ) that color ought to be used under low visibilty conditions ( notice I said low visibility, not low light ) however it´s my personal experience that bass don´t read books/magazines nor visit forums so what we humans say don´t always applies, why I say so ? because I´ve fished with hot fluorescent orange, fluorescent chartreuse & firetiger in crystal clear water with excellent results.

 

I would be much more interested in the shape ( hydrodynamic signature ), wiggle or wobble ( action ) and diving depth than in the color of the bait.

[Kevin22]

I've caught bass consistently on some BRIGHT and UGLY colors while fishing for walleye. Fish it fast, bump it off of cover/bottom, and you will get bit. 

 

I use chartreuse/blue (bright color) when fishing in dingy water. Love me a chart/blue squarebill. 

[OkobojiEagle]

Bright colors do not necessarily equal fluorescent colors.  Fluorescence is the ability of a color to reflect a color in a slightly lower (if I remember correctly) wave length.  Fluorescent colors can be seen more easily at a greater distance in dirtier water and deeper depths.  My question is... will fluorescent colored lures catch more fish in low-vis waters than non-fluorescent lures or will bass (and other fish) shy away from them because of the lure's unaturally bright color?  Bring on the anecdotal evidence...

 

 

oe

[Choporoz]

The only fluorescence I have any confidence in is chartreuse JJ's Magic and a touch of blaze orange or chartreuse on a crank bait.  I've completely discounted plastics that are bubble gum pink, methiolate, blaze orange, etc.

[aavery2]

Bright colors do not necessarily equal fluorescent colors.  Fluorescence is the ability of a color to reflect a color in a slightly lower (if I remember correctly) wave length.  Fluorescent colors can be seen more easily at a greater distance in dirtier water and deeper depths.  My question is... will fluorescent colored lures catch more fish in low-vis waters than non-fluorescent lures or will bass (and other fish) shy away from them because of the lure's unaturally bright color?  Bring on the anecdotal evidence...

 

 

oe

This is a great point, Fluorescence is the ability of an object to reflect light of a longer wavelength. This is a paragraph from the book What Fish See by Dr. Colin Kageyama, O.D F.V.D..

"A fluorescent red object would look red whether it is struck by ultraviolet, blue, green, or red light. A fluorescent colored lure can appear two or three times as bright as the visible light that strikes it because it converts invisible light and reflects it off as visible light.

A red non-fluorescence object will only appear red if struck by red light, if it is struck by only U.V.,blue,green it will just appear dark. A non-fluorescent object cannot reflect more than 100% of the visible light that strikes it.

Great book, you should give it a look if you have not read it.

[OkobojiEagle]

Yes, I have a copy of "What Fish See" and have read it.  I understand the science of fluorescence but have not found any literature indicating whether or not a bass/walleye will more often shy away or attack full on when presented with a fluorescent colored lure in a turbid water situation.

 

 

oe