No matter how surfcasters discovered that yellow is a killer color for striped bass lures, the fact remains, if you don’t have a wide selection of yellow plugs, you aren’t catching as many striped bass as you could be.
What colors do stripers see best?
Yellow and chartreuse are fish-catchers because, simply put, they get seen. A study performed at the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences showed that striped bass see yellow and chartreuse better than other colors as they are smack dab in the middle of the striped bass’s visual range.
What color are bass most attracted to?
Most expert night fishermen use black or dark blue lures. The theory is that these colors provide a more distinct profile when silhouetted against the lighter background of the water’s surface. Thus, a dark lure is easier for bass to see and strike accurately at night.
What lure is best for striped bass?
Notes: Diamond Jigs are a classic striper lure that has been around forever. Their popularity comes and goes. They typically range from 2 to 16 ounces. They are very effective for vertical jigging for striped bass but the lighter versions can be cast from the beach.
What color do fish see best?
On one end of the spectrum, reds and oranges are most readily absorbed in water, so these colors are most visible in shallow water. Darker blues and purples penetrate the deepest. Yellow and greens are in between.
What time of day do stripers feed?
Stripers are still going to be more active at dawn and dusk, but the dawn feeding period will usually last longer. The dusk feeding period will also start earlier. Once those periods are over, their conditioning will typically take them to the same locations as on a sunny day.
What is the best color lure?
If you want to stand out, go for lures in bright greens and yellows, which will really stand out. Red Water. In red water, red, orange and yellow lures might actually get brighter or lighter in shade while blues and greens turn dark. So to catch a fish’s attention, opt for red, orange, or yellow.
What color should you throw in muddy water?
Use a Bright Color
My experience leads me to white or chartreuse as the best lure color for muddy water. Those are the colors that I reach for when it’s apparent that fish are not going to be using their vision as the primary means of finding my lure.
Do lure colors matter?
Short answer is lure color matters very little if you look at fishing from a scientific prospective. Water absorbs and blocks different wavelengths of light, effectively making colors disappear and light travels into the water column. Red lures disappear first, followed by orange, yellow, green, blue and finally black.
What color lures to use on sunny days?
Sunny and Dark Water: Bass see less detail in the water, stick with solid bright colors to grab attention. Cloudy and Dark Water: Bass see less detail in the water, stick with solid dark colors for contrast.
What is the best time of day to fish for striped bass?
The best time of day to catch striped bass is early morning from dawn until about 2 hours after sunrise and late afternoon from 2 hours before sunset until dusk. Fishing for striped bass can be even better in the hours before a major cold front or rain event arrives.
What depth do striped bass eat?
On many of these fisheries—especially in the South–stripers remain in the creeks throughout the winter and hold at depths of 15 to 20 feet. Catching striped bass doesn’t automatically slow down when the winter hits, these suspended fish will actively eat.
What is the best time to fish for stripers?
Many people consider the new and full moons to be the best time to fish for stripers because they create strong ocean currents, which bass thrive in. Generally speaking, three days before a new or full moon, and the three days after produce the best fishing, because there is more vertical water movement.
What color is hardest for fish to see?
The science says a multi-colored line that blends into the background should be harder for fish to see and track. While red and green blend well in many situations, blue blends best in offshore waters.
Do striped bass feed on the bottom?
Striped bass are no exception to bass bottom-feeding behaviors, favoring insects, worms, and crustaceans. Like white bass, mostly juvenile striped bass are typically found closer to the bottom, but all will opportunistically and seasonally (in the winter) feed the bottom.
What attracts fish the most?
Scents That Attract Fish
- Human Saliva. Human saliva seems to be a fish attractant.
- Anything Fish. Fish definitely will be attracted to the fish scent, which makes a lot of sense.
- Cheese.
- Coffee.
- Garlic.
- Alcohol.
- Human Natural Oils.
- Sunscreen And Bug Spray.
What is striped bass favorite food?
Striped bass eat a variety of foods, including fish such as alewives, flounder, sea herring, menhaden, mummichogs, sand lance, silver hake, tomcod, smelt, silversides, and eels, as well as lobsters, crabs, soft clams, small mussels, sea worms, and squid.
Do striped bass like high or low tide?
During the early and late season when the water temperatures are on the cool side (50 degrees and less), the outgoing tide will be the preferred tide. This is because the lower water temperature will cause the striper’s metabolism to be sluggish and the bass will not feed as often or travel as far for a meal.
What conditions do striped bass like?
Freshwater striper fishing often peaks in spring when water temperatures are between 60° and 70° F. Under these conditions you’ll frequently find the bass willing to strike lures on or near the surface. In both freshwater and saltwater, stripers tend to sulk in deep areas once water temperatures exceed 75 degrees.
Do fish learn to avoid lures?
In this manner, given enough angling pressure over the long term, populations can become more difficult to catch, even if overall population numbers remain static. So, yes, pressured fish can learn (or adapt) to avoid certain lures.
Is purple a good color for fishing?
Purple shades work well for most species of fish up to 150 feet and blue or green maintains the most visible color at depths beyond 150 feet. Silver and white are also great choices for deep water fish like salmon.