Do Fish See in Color

Fish do indeed perceive color. Every fly fisher knows that or ought to know that. Like humans, the retina of a fish have rods and cones. Cones are used in the day and rods at night. Color vision evolved to help fish identify potential food. In the environment of the fish, the background will either be the bottom, the water itself, or if looking up for food it could be the sky. The bottom is normally tannish olive to green. When looking across the water, the background appears pale silver blue. But if the water is off color due to algae or high water one must take that into consideration as well. Skylight becomes more important at dusk and dawn when it contains more reds.

Thus for opportunistically feeding game fish, flies with bright or contrasting colors and/or a lot of flash will make them stand out against the above mentioned backgrounds. The Mickey Finn, tied with yellow and red, and a silver body is one of the most effective attractor patterns. As for dry fly attractors , the Royal Wulff is still hard to beat, with its red and peacock body and white wings. Black flies, because of their strong silhouette also are easy for fish to spot. Let's not forget patterns that contain strands of flashabou or other tinsel that reflect light when stripped or while drifting through the current are easy for fish to spot.

The fly fisherman also must remember that color behaves differently in water that it does when seen in the air. Water is denser, and the colors are diffused quicker. Cloudy days where there is less overall light will offer less visibility, and colors will disappear quicker in the depths of the water. And the clarity of water obviously greatly effects this as well. This is important in fly selection because certain colors travel farther in low light than others. Red is the first color to disappear, usually at about 15 feet in clear water, followed by orange and then yellow. Blues and greens are visible to the fish as long as there is light. Yet silver and white will be brighter.

So while the Mickey Finn is obviously a great choice as an attractor fly, it would not be as good a choice in murky water or if fished deep. A better attractor might be a white Woolly Bugger or White Marabou Muddler.

Color is also important to remember when matching the hatch. Since fish use vision as the deciding factor to strike, one's offering must be the correct color. However, very small differences in hue seem to not be much of a factor as most insects will vary slightly in color as well. But if the intensity of color the artificial fly has can be a factor. If the artificial is more intense than the natural it is more likely to catch fish. Why this seems to work is somewhat a mystery. It is understood that fish see deeper into the ultraviolet range than humans, so perhaps they are just seeing something we don't. It could also be due to the effect water has on colors. Perhaps we'll never know, but like many things in fishing, why something works is not as important as just knowing that it does work.

While color is probably not the most important factor in a fish striking a fly. The above considerations are nevertheless a good thing to have in the back of your fly fishing mind.

About The Author

Cameron Larsen is a retired commericial fly tier and fly fishing guide. He now operates The Big Y Fly Co. at http://www.bigyflyco.com.

info@bigyflyco.com

---

Fishing Grubs, The React Lure for all Seasons

One of the most versatile of all lures, the grub... Read More

Swordfish and Swordfishing

Generally an oceanic species, the swordfish is primarily a midwater... Read More

Do You Make Your Kids Fishing Experience Enjoyable?

If you take your children fishing with you, they can... Read More

The Alaskan Experience

"FISH ON!!"I yelled, as my seven weight fly rod bent... Read More

Find and Catch More Fish, Quickly and Easily, with the FISHIN BUDDY 2255

"Wherever you like to fish-lakes, reservoirs, rivers or streams, you'll... Read More

Eel And Eelskin Lures

Eel and eelskin lures are used mostly in saltwater to... Read More

Choosing the Right Fly Fishing Rod

Choosing a good rod is a major decision for the... Read More

The Old Man And His Bluegills

I started fishing a little lake just south of Somerset,... Read More

Cabo Sport Fishing is Like a Box of Chocolates

As Forrest Gump would say, you never know what you're... Read More

Concentrate on Your Bass Fishing

I was watching a TV Show with Bill Dance and... Read More

Colorado Fly Fishing ? Bait Huckin vs. Fly Fishin

It was one of those fishing trips. You know, everyone... Read More

The Value of Observation

The beginner must learn to look with eyes that see.... Read More

What You Need To Know Before You Sell Your Boat

As the owner/operator of a full service boat detailing-yacht maintenance... Read More

Bass Fishing In The Winter In The North

The next few days in Ohio are supposed to be... Read More

Saltwater Fly Fishing -- A Tide Runs Through It

Saltwater fly fishing is all the rage these days. This... Read More

The Wet Fly Swing

The wet fly swing sounds like something one does at... Read More

Dry Fly Techniques

Dry fly angling is at the top of any fly... Read More

Trout Species ? Rainbow Trout and Brown Trout

Rainbow Trout: Few freshwater fish can match the fighting spirit... Read More

Fish Cooking Basics - How to Transform Those Fish You Just Caught into a Wonderful Seafood Dinner

Fish Cooking Basics I must admit that I... Read More

Marine News Fall 2004 - Endangered and Threatened in Florida

Our oceans are home to many marine mammals, fish, turtles,... Read More

Fishing for Salmon? Do You Know the Different Salmon Species?

Did you know that there are five species of Pacific... Read More

Communications Equipment in the Wilderness

For Hunting, fishing, hiking, boating or cycling in all kinds... Read More

Orlando Florida Fishing - Redfish Capital of the World

When visitors think of Orlando and Central Florida, they imagine... Read More

Online Fishing Forums Change the Way Anglers Fish For Information and Photos

As the landscape of the World Wide Web changes at... Read More

Pitchin For Large Mouth Bass

Well, we have talked about flippin and now we'll mention... Read More

Bass Fishing - Recreation or Obsession?

First of all, we need to look at the word... Read More

Why Do You Need a Tacklebox?

A tacklebox or a tackle bag is... Read More

The Ubiquitous Woolly Bugger

The ubiquitous Woolly Bugger, never quite spelled correctly to my... Read More

Trout Species ? Cutthroat Trout and Golden Trout

Cutthroat Trout: Cutthroat Trout are generally found only in high... Read More

Take a Kid Fishing

Take a kid fishing and they will learn to be... Read More

Join The Vespa Fishing Team

High fuel prices got you down?Imagine how most of us... Read More

Importance of Artificial Light While Swordfishing

The use of light, either chemical or battery powered plays... Read More

No Boat? Join Your Local Bass Club

Having been an avid basser for years, and not having... Read More