Colors - Colors

March/April 2000

No, I'm not talking about the movie about gang violence with Sean Penn and Robert Duvall, but about what we're all probably thinking about right now - when can I go fishing and what can I do this season to make things even more enjoyable and productive than last year? So let's get to it.

We all know how many color variations there are for baits, particularly plastics. The Yamamoto line, alone, has almost 100 colors, and sometimes, even that doesn't seem to be enough. We humans have great color vision. We can distinguish over a million different shades of color through the use of the "cones" in our eyes. As you remember from high school biology, we have both rods and cones in our retinas.

Rods, which are primarily used in night vision, can't distinguish colors. That task is left up to our cones. The cones contain light-absorbing pigments and in humans, we have one of three different pigments in each cone cell: blue, green, and red. These three "different" cone cells allow us to see the "visible" light spectrum which goes from violet to red (you know, the colors of the rainbow).

Now, in order to see color at all, you need to have at least two cone cell types. Fish have different numbers of cone cell types. Bottom-dwelling fish, such as most catfish, have only one type of cone cell so they cannot see color - they can only distinguish between the relative brightness of various colors. Some fish, such as carp and minnows, have four types. This allows them to see every color we see, plus colors in the ultraviolet spectrum (you thought being a carp would be dull?).

Believe it or not, bass have not been "studied" enough (who says?) to know for sure how many types of cone cells they have, but their close cousin, the bluegill, has two types: green and red. Considering how closely related these fish are we can assume that a bass is the same. Other behavioral studies have also shown that a bass can easily distinguish between different shades of yellow and green, yet they cannot distinguish between shades of blue. So, what does a bass see on the infamous black and blue jig?

Although we don't know for sure, chances are it just sees black and some shade/brightness of gray. What it all boils down to is this: apparently, a bass can tell the difference between a chartreuse grub and a lemon grub, but might not be able to tell the difference between a purple grub and a plum grub. Of course, such colors may appear to be a little "brighter" than another color in an area of the spectrum that the bass cannot see.

When analyzing and choosing colors in a catalogue or at the tackle store, it's important to remember that they may be perceived differently by the bass. As an example, a slight change in color, from say yellow to yellowish brown, might make a world of difference to the bass, because it can distinguish that slight difference very well. On the other hand, slight changes in blue or purple may go unnoticed by the bass.

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