Does color matter??

[fishbear]

As I am going thru my list of items to purchase, to deck and fix up my jon boat, and reading everyones posts about painting, I had a thought.   Does the color of the bottom of the boat matter for a fishing boat??????  I have seen black, white, blue, etc..... I guess I am more curious than anything right now, since at the moment, I do not have plans to paint, but one never knows when the boat monkey will raise its ugly head.  

[NJfishinGuy]

i dunno, i guess it might not sense alot of boats are like crazy bright colors, but i would think the best would be to paing it sky blue or white/grey. or maybe a mix of both so you would blend in with the color of the sky above you.

[Sam]

Ever notice the color of those small aluminum boats used for hunting and fishing?

They are olive drab.

I always wondered why they were olive drab and thought that maybe it was so the ducks would not see them.

However, I am thinking they are olive drab to help them blend in with the surface of the water.

I swim and it is amazing to go to the bottom of the pool and look up.  You can see the ceiling and the people and the other swimmers. And the surface is bright and clear so I guess that is what the fish see.

I would suggest looking at the Ranger and Triton, etc. boat ads to see what colors their boat bottoms are to get an idea.

Great question.  I wish I had the answer.

[cart7t]

I seem to recall this question being asked of the Pro's in Bassmaster a few times over the years and none of them ever thought it made a difference.  Considering the wild color schemes of the wrapped boats the past years I really doubt it does make a difference.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

My boat is fire engine red.  Doesn't seem to bother them.

[senile1]

I have painted a school of shad on the bottom of my boat.  

[fishbear]

ok, i get the picture, lol,, it is just gonna look like a huge shadow going over them anyway,,,,   maybe flourescent pink   ;D ;D ;D

[NJfishinGuy]

thats why if u paint it grey itll look like a cloud maybe shodowing them

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

There are a few salt guys that have glow in the dark stickers of squid on the bottom of their boats.

[airborne_angler]

I am currently in the process of stripping and repainting my 10 foot Jon Boat. My plans call for painting the sides Olive Drab Green and leaving the bottom of the boat its original aluminum finish. Im gonna be hauling it in the back of my truck and I dont see the point in painting the bottom of the boat if its gonna get scratched up anyway when I put it in and pull it out of the back of my truck. Does my logic make sense or does the paint on the bottom of the boat actually make for better fishing? I figure if im fishing deep (30-40 ft) then the fish wont much care for whats at the surface. And if the theyre not spooked by a 10 foot object floating over them,why would they care what color that 10 ft object has on the bottom.

[tipptruck1]

Well I was told bass it dosn't matter. But if your going after walleyes it dose. The only reason it dose for walleyes is becasue your siting over them jging. So The dealer told my buddy to get a light colored bottom. So unless your walleye fishing go for any color you want.

[TR186FLA]

If I ever re-paint the running surface on my boat, it will be a painting of a HUGE school of shad... ;D

[Keithscatch]

Guys,

Think about this for a moment. Unless you have light coming from off the bottom of the lake shining up towards your boat what difference does the color make on the bottom of a boat anyway? White, black,red, yellow, blue, polka dotted, striped, shad colored (good one guys), Godzilla, etc.etc.etc. they all will be dark from the shadow of the sun.

[PeterF]

LBH,

That's not completely true. Only the ones that come up can see that red  ;D.