If Bass Are Colorblind To Blue, Why Is There No High Vis Blue Line?

[TorqueConverter]

I'm trying Cajun Line Red Cast this season as a pitching line. It's a nice co-polymer with a red tint that offers increased visibility above the water over a low vis green color and looses it's red color becoming a low vis grey under the water. Cajun Line is a nice concept but misses the mark. It's too dark a red color making it far less visible for line watching as I'd like. The depth were the line will lose it's red color varies bases on depth, light and water clarity.

If bass do not have blue cones in their retina and are colorblind to blue, then wouldn't a light blue, translucent, line be ideal? It would allow for high visibility above the water for line watching yet be a translucent low vis grey to the fish at all times at any depth.

[Jar11591]

Berkley makes a hi-vis blue monofilament. I used it once accidentally, and it's very hi-vis and very blue.

[F14A-B]

I've been using a clear/blue fluorescent line for 30 years.... Lots and lots of big fish... Try P-line CX

Premium it's a co-poly... I like it from say 10 to 20 pound... Lighter than that breaks a little too easy for me... Sure makes line watching easier! Change pretty often...(line) and you're good to go!

[MCS]

ohero braid 

 

http://oherofishing.com/pages/adrena-line

[Preytorien]

I've been using a clear/blue fluorescent line for 30 years.... Lots and lots of big fish... Try P-line CX

Premium it's a co-poly... I like it from say 10 to 20 pound... Lighter than that breaks a little too easy for me... Sure makes line watching easier! Change pretty often...(line) and you're good to go!

 

I agree with this. I have used CX Prem for several years now and it's pretty darn visible above water. I use 10lb on a 2500 size spinning reel and it works great. Just make sure to use KVD since it tends to spin up pretty easy.

[WIGuide]

Both Stren an Berkley offer blue lines. 

[tritondriver]

mccoy also has a clear/blue..made in the USA..

[Todd2]

mccoy also has a clear/blue..made in the USA..

This is all I use. 10 lb for spinning, 15 for baitcasters.

[robster80]

ive got some mccoy extra clear but wanting to give the clear blue fluorescent a shot. may pick some up.

[roadwarrior]

What makes you think bass are colorblind?

 

http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/75803-are-bass-color-blind/

[mjseverson24]

OP i dont think you are quite understanding how colors get filtered out by water, and what happens to them when they do... two of the most successful colors for bass fishing across the country are red and blue, especially a black and blue jig... to think that bass do not notice or see these colors seems kind of foolish... they do or will change to a certain shade of grey, but for the bass now that shade effectively is the color blue or the color red... if you are looking for a line that does offer superior invisibility then floro is the best option (and there is sound science to back it up) especially in moderately stained water to clear water... in dark water braid in what ever color will work just fine... if you want hi vis line that will make ine watching easier then go with whatever line you can see the best...

 

Mitch

[frogflogger]

Sure caught a lot of bass on blue worms.

[bflp3]

I don't think OP means bass are color blind per say, but that they don't see blue very well, which is true. Even though blue light travels the furthest underwater, bass eyes can't detect blues and purples very well, due to their structure.

[bigbill]

I been told when I asked why does the rapala f7 blue original floater work so good when it's blue? I was told that under certain conditions that blue turns to brown. Maybe the blue line does too?

Electric blue worms and senkos are hot here. When other colors don't work blue is my go to color.

[Brian Needham]

who said bass are color blind to blue?

[Catt]

According to the U.S. Navy the color blue can be seen at a deeper depth than any color...well atleast by humans.

[baluga]

Power Pro S8S has blue braids.

[Brian Needham]

According to the U.S. Navy the color blue can be seen at a deeper depth than any color...well atleast by humans.

 that is the color charts I have alwasy seen.

[bigbill]

The basses eyes aren't like our eyes. There seeing different colors is limited.

If you read Dr. LOREN HILL experiments if it's still online the bass are limited as to what colors they can see at times. It's only a certain color or multiple colors.

Quote, Bill Dance if the bass could see all the colors all of the time there wouldn't be a minnow left in the body of water.

This makes me think the bass can't see the color of my crank at times but it can feel the vibration, hear the rattle and smell my bass scent. This is why I throw different colors in my ritual of baits.

[WRB]

There is so much misinformation about how animals see colors, bass included.

Exactly how fish like bass see underwater is still not completely known, however the science and research is getting better. Ultra violet and infra red spectrums are beginning to be accepted colors that bass can see at very low light conditions.

The thought bass can't see blue or red is ridiculous.

Blue is very good soft plastic color, especially translucent blue neon. When bass go very deep in the winter, 50-75 feet, blue neon, cinnamon blue neon are very effective 3" reaper and 5" finesse worm colors. The human eye would need a spot light at 50' depth to see any color!

Black with blue flakes is a very popular night worm color combination followed by black with red flake. Again we need light at night to see any color, bass often have a preference for a specific color at night.

Tom

[bflp3]

There is so much misinformation about how animals see colors, bass included.

Exactly how fish like bass see underwater is still not completely known, however the science and research is getting better. Ultra violet and infra red spectrums are beginning to be accepted colors that bass can see at very low light conditions.

The thought bass can't see blue or red is ridiculous.

Blue is very good soft plastic color, especially translucent blue neon. When bass go very deep in the winter, 50-75 feet, blue neon, cinnamon blue neon are very effective 3" reaper and 5" finesse worm colors. The human eye would need a spot light at 50' depth to see any color!

Black with blue flakes is a very popular night worm color combination followed by black with red flake. Again we need light at night to see any color, bass often have a preference for a specific color at night.

Tom

Where did you see that bass can see ultra violet? According to the book "Knowing Bass", which is base on data from Berkeley's research center, bass see reds and greens the best, don't see blues very well, and have a lot of trouble seeing anything in higher frequencies.

I don't think a certain lure color working is any indication of the bass's ability to see it.

[Brian Needham]

I don't think a certain lure color working is any indication of the bass's ability to see it.

 

it is when you switch colors and they start eating it, IMO

 

we have all had days where color mattered

[WRB]

When everything else is equal, profile, action, speed etc., etc., and a specific color is the only difference, color matters. Slight variation in soft plastics colors can make a big difference, some pros will buy up specific batches of worms believing that batch out fishes the current production.

A 3"reaper being split shot basically dead stick slow has very little action or profile however bass find it and target specific colors, if you don't the right color no strikes, right color game on in deep structured lakes with clear water.

UV lures, try web searching; Tightlines UV lures for example.

Keith Jones works for Berkley and his data is biased towards Berkley products. Good book but not the last word on bass vision.

Tom

[TorqueConverter]

OP i dont think you are quite understanding how colors get filtered out by water, and what happens to them when they do... two of the most successful colors for bass fishing across the country are red and blue, especially a black and blue jig... to think that bass do not notice or see these colors seems kind of foolish... they do or will change to a certain shade of grey, but for the bass now that shade effectively is the color blue or the color red... if you are looking for a line that does offer superior invisibility then floro is the best option (and there is sound science to back it up) especially in moderately stained water to clear water... in dark water braid in what ever color will work just fine... if you want hi vis line that will make ine watching easier then go with whatever line you can see the best...

 

Mitch

 

who said bass are color blind to blue?

 

 

This quote form Dr. Keith Jones in response to the ability of the bass to see UV.  I have tendency to trust biology over beliefs when it come to bass sight. 

 

The bass retina contains only two types of color cones: a red and a green. They do not possess a blue cone, and certainly not a UV cone. Moreover, assuming bass follow the pattern of other centrarchids, their ocular media (the fluid in their eyes) strongly absorb light with wavelengths shorter than 450 nm, meaning that very little UV light would ever reach their retina anyway. So, no, bass do not see UV light.

 

If bass do not have a blue cone in their retinas then they are certainly colorblind to blue.

[bflp3]

Well of course a company that sells UV lures is going to tell you how much bass love UV, that's the gimic they are trying to push.

You guys missed what I was trying to convey about color. I'm not saying color doesn't matter, I was trying to say just because a color is successful doesn't mean the bass can see that specific color. Perhaps they actively didn't like the colors you were previously using, or perhaps they liked the grey that the blue lure looked like.

Things with low success rates like fishing breed anecdotal based superstitions, its just human nature. I have no doubt that you guys have had great success with blue lures, I have myself as well. That doesn't negate that bass have limited blue vision.