Do You Guys Believe In "custom Painted Crankbaits"?

[WRB]

Here is a hypothetical question, you bought 6 crankbaits that the color combination catches nothing, they are $40 worth of lures collecting dust; Would you pay $5 each to custom paint them into bass catching lures where you fish?

Any tournament angler wants to have a lure that catches bass that the other anglers don't have, what is that lure worth? A lot more than it cost!

Tom

[Ginosocalbass]

I'm all about custom painting, Though I cant always afford it.

 

I have learned the hard way what a "Spike-It Dip-n-Glow Marker" can do for your soft plastics. 

 

 

So tell me how are hard baits any differant? when you incorporate what loss of light does to color in the water, Or how wind/water turbulance, breaks up light in the water... youll learn how much color plays a big factor in a species of fish that lagrely dispite what people think about the latteral line, are 90% of the time sight feeders.  

[rboat]

Unless you are suspending or stopping your bait, crankbaits are moving too quickly for a bass to see the realistic color pattern. Bass attack those baits due to the movement or vibration given off. If that bait is acting different from the native surrounding live bait it becomes instinct to hit the one that may be weak or injured. On slow moving baits, color and movement becomes more important because the bass have more time to see what they may eat. I believe it is sometimes the difference between a reaction strike and a feeding impulse. Color can be more important in a feeding response depending on available light and water clarity. To answer the question, I would not pay extra for a fancy paint job on a crankbait. Just my opinion.

 

If you are a lure collector, go for it.

[OkobojiEagle]

It seems we have plenty of opinions for the anti side of the equation... apparently those inclined to believe custom painted lures can be a benefit are choosing to remain quiet.  Hmmmm, the silence can be deafening...

 

 

oe

[hoosierbass07]

I read this in one of the Fishing With Confidence books. The author talked about one of the Japanese Bass Master pros and how he had a swimming pool at his home and spent hours painting crankbaits hundreds of different colors and fine tuning them in his pool. I guess after a couple of years of doing that he finally realized all that work and study did not pay off in increased catches and finally stopped all his crankbait experimentations and now only fishes with a two or three different color crankbaits.

[Dwight Hottle]

I beg to differ. On Lake Erie fishing for smallmouth, who are sight predators one guy on a boat of two people fishing two rods each can kick the other guys a-- by using a color bait that for that particular day has greater visibility or better matches the bait of that particular day. Trust me that is how it is. Color does matter to sight predators based on water conditions and visibility. If you don't believe it ask A-Jay or 00 mod.

Sometimes bass fisherman can learn from the experiences of other species fisherman. If that does not make any sense talk to the walleye guys. They know color does make a big difference.

It all depends on what specieces you are fishing for. Walleye, muskies and smallmouth are all sight predators. Largemouth bass are not considered sight predators.

[Ginosocalbass]

I beg to differ. On Lake Erie fishing for smallmouth, who are sight predators one guy on a boat of two people fishing two rods each can kick the other guys a-- by using a color bait that for that particular day has greater visibility or better matches the bait of that particular day. Trust me that is how it is. Color does matter to sight predators based on water conditions and visibility. If you don't believe it ask A-Jay or 00 mod.

Sometimes bass fisherman can learn from the experiences of other species fisherman. If that does not make any sense talk to the walleye guys. They know color does make a big difference.

It all depends on what specieces you are fishing for. Walleye, muskies and smallmouth are all sight predators. Largemouth bass are not considered sight predators.

LMB Bass dont have the same color spectrum that walleyes or trout have.  So yes color is indeed much more important for those species,  But to say bass are not site feeders? that I feel is wrong.  The latteral line theory only works when the lure is very close to the bass, and its displacing enough water.  Especially in windy and choppy conditions were LMB often get there Buffet on... they arent feeling the crankbaits with there latteral line nearly as much as youd think. That is why spinnerbaits, crankbaits, jerkbaits etc, all excell under those conditions...Becuase the flash from the movement of the lure, is the predominate attraction. Not so much the vibration of the lure itself. 

 

the whole pattern of "Red Colored Lipless crankbaits" in early spring proves my point more. 

[aavery2]

There are a lot of very opinionated responses in this thread, many of them are very uneducated and are just a repeat of what someone was told or heard.   I urge everyone in this thread to read this book, it will shed a lot of light on what fish see.