# Fishing: Why darker lures for muddy water? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 16, 2015, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishing-why-darker-lures-for-muddy-water/727998 "2015-08-16T16:13:07Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishing-why-darker-lures-for-muddy-water/727998/1 "2015-08-16T16:13:07Z")
I’ve read postings on several fishing forums that you should use black/blue or generally dark colored lures in muddy water. After some research I found that the blue side of the spectrum, having more energy, can penetrate deeper/muddier waters. What I don’t understand is: 1. Why use black? 2. Why not use a bright blue? I’ve asked on fishing forums but it’s hard to get a scientifically-minded answer. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishing-why-darker-lures-for-muddy-water/727998/2 "2015-08-16T16:38:19Z")
Complete WAG coming from someone that doesn’t fish. Maybe fish that spend most of their lives hanging out in dark murky waters aren’t going to be attracted to something bright and shiny. Perhaps those bright shiny lures are better used for fish that live in clear water where the sun is already bouncing off of everything and the lure won’t look so out of place. ---
**Author:** ![KidCharlemagne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed8c4c/32.png) [@KidCharlemagne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KidCharlemagne)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishing-why-darker-lures-for-muddy-water/727998/3 "2015-08-16T16:47:22Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Complete WAG coming from someone that doesn’t fish. Maybe fish that spend most of their lives hanging out in dark murky waters aren’t going to be attracted to something bright and shiny. Perhaps those bright shiny lures are better used for fish that live in clear water where the sun is already bouncing off of everything and the lure won’t look so out of place. While that is an issue in choosing a lure, I don’t think it’s the factor here because the argument was about what fish could see. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishing-why-darker-lures-for-muddy-water/727998/4 "2015-08-16T16:48:50Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Complete WAG coming from someone that doesn’t fish. Maybe fish that spend most of their lives hanging out in dark murky waters aren’t going to be attracted to something bright and shiny. Perhaps those bright shiny lures are better used for fish that live in clear water where the sun is already bouncing off of everything and the lure won’t look so out of place. I was thinking the same thing. I used to fish for bass with bright colored worm-tubes, didn’t work that well, maybe I should have tried something darker. I have noticed fake worms at the shop are mostly dark colors even though bright ones are available. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishing-why-darker-lures-for-muddy-water/727998/5 "2015-08-16T17:00:00Z")
I don’t fish either, but I’ll guess that the ambient light in muddy water isn’t enough to illuminate much of anything, whatever it’s color. However a dark object would be visible from below because it blocks the dim light from above. Sort of the same reason many fish are dark on top and light on the bottom, but in reverse because you want the lure to be visible while the fish want to be invisible. Of course any opaque object would block the light from above but a darker one may be slightly more visible. –Mark ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishing-why-darker-lures-for-muddy-water/727998/6 "2015-08-16T17:06:45Z")
> [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > While that is an issue in choosing a lure, I don’t think it’s the factor here because the argument was about what fish could see. I hate to go further down a possibly wrong road, but, fish that can already see in muddy water may have no problem seeing a dark lure. Sending a bright shiny, flashy thing down there could scare them away since it looks so out of place. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t mean they can’t. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishing-why-darker-lures-for-muddy-water/727998/7 "2015-08-16T22:13:13Z")
There is no one answer - the general school of thought is - the clearer the water, the more you want to “match” surrounding forage, and in darker water, the more you want to stand out from the background. That being said - I’ve yet to see minnows change color in dirty water. After that - you start getting into confirmation bias - the more you hear about partiular rules - the more you have confidence in the idea - the more you use those ideas (and catch fish) - the more those rules become “facts” simply because they “work”, but the reality is something else may have worked just as well had you thrown it at that time. ---
**Author:** ![Last\_Glacial\_Maximum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bc79bd/32.png) [@Last\_Glacial\_Maximum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Last_Glacial_Maximum)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2015, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishing-why-darker-lures-for-muddy-water/727998/8 "2015-08-16T22:41:40Z")
As a life long fisherman, I have an opinion as well. I never really believe what fishing articles/fishing forums have to say about what fish can or cannot “see” in terms of color. To me the determining factor is the action of the lure in the water and how it “displaces” water by wobbling, fluttering, popping, twitching, etc. etc. etc. As I age and my skill level improves {hopefully} I worry less about color and focus more on the details of my presentation. Here’s some of my bragging pics if anyone is interested. [![](https://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h192/2Chanita/IMG_20140927_224531_213_zpseb9101c4.jpg) ](https://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h192/2Chanita/IMG_20140927_224531_213_zpseb9101c4.jpg) [![](https://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h192/2Chanita/IMG_20140808_112457_382_zpsbfb85d08.jpg) ](https://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h192/2Chanita/IMG_20140808_112457_382_zpsbfb85d08.jpg) [![](https://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h192/2Chanita/IMG_0596_zps76a6c1f7.jpg) ](https://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h192/2Chanita/IMG_0596_zps76a6c1f7.jpg) [![](https://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h192/2Chanita/Glens_big_bass_9_25_06_002-2.jpg) ](https://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h192/2Chanita/Glens_big_bass_9_25_06_002-2.jpg) . ---
**Author:** ![bluezooky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e8c25b/32.png) [@bluezooky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bluezooky)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishing-why-darker-lures-for-muddy-water/727998/9 "2015-08-17T06:14:27Z")
> [@KidCharlemagne](#): > > I’ve read postings on several fishing forums that you should use black/blue or generally dark colored lures in muddy water. After some research I found that the blue side of the spectrum, having more energy, can penetrate deeper/muddier waters. What I don’t understand is: > > 1. Why use black? > > 2. Why not use a bright blue? > > I’ve asked on fishing forums but it’s hard to get a scientifically-minded answer. Thanks! The first thing a lure has do do is catch a fisherman who generally prefer red to black, blue or purple, most wouldn’t realize down deep or in muddy water the red filters out and the fish would see it as black anyway. Blue generally isn’t a popular colour in freshwater unless your matching the colour of crayfish which can turn blue depending on their vitamin intake. In the case of trout research has show their develop sensitivity to blue when migrating to the salt and loose it return to fresh water. There is a good book by Colin Kageyama “What Fish See” deals with many colour theories and he actually goes underwater to photograph colour patches, once you use modern paints with brightens or florescence many colours are visible at lower depths than you might imagine. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2015, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishing-why-darker-lures-for-muddy-water/727998/10 "2015-08-17T23:30:21Z")
A good lure is one that catches the fisherman’s eye at the store and convinces him to buy it. ---
**Author:** ![Chuck8227](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Chuck8227](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chuck8227)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishing-why-darker-lures-for-muddy-water/727998/11 "2017-06-09T16:04:08Z")
Like Last Glacial Maximum mentioned, it comes down to multiple factors. I wouldn’t just throw a stick with a hook, just cause it’s dark. One of my favorite lures for dark or murky water is [https://www.kananlures.com/products/aqua-relic-fatty-crappy](https://www.kananlures.com/products/aqua-relic-fatty-crappy). Here’s a breakdown as to why: - It looks identical to a small crappie (for those that believe fish do have a superior eye sight) - It swims like a real fish (eye sight aside, I’m sure a fish notice when another fish swims by, or if it’s a piece of drift wood) - Water enters through it’s mouth, and exits through the gills. Why? I guess it makes bubbles like real fish do. - It has a good weight to it so you can cast it far, let it sink, retrieve it fast, etc. To come back to the color subject, I believe that bright colors are good when sun reflects on it. When a bright color lure is used in murky water, it kind of loses that advantage. While a dark lure becomes more visible, since the water has a lower visibility, a dark subject sticks out more prominent. Just my 2 cents. ---
**Author:** ![Ornery\_Bob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/da6949/32.png) [@Ornery\_Bob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ornery_Bob)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishing-why-darker-lures-for-muddy-water/727998/12 "2017-06-09T16:54:57Z")
It seems backwards, because it is. A black lure works by blocking light, not by reflecting it back. It has the most contrast against a lighter background. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishing-why-darker-lures-for-muddy-water/727998/13 "2017-06-09T17:20:05Z")
> [@snfaulkner](#): > > A good lure is one that catches the fisherman’s eye at the store and convinces him to buy it. There’s a saying in the fishing product industry: Big fish go for big name lures. I do think the only color that makes a difference is the color of the real food the fish eat in a particular location. If the bass are eating brown worms the lure that resembles those worms the most will work the best. I doubt color is the major factor anyway, my dad could pull a fish out a puddle of dog pee, there’s a lot more to fishing than just the right lure. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2017, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishing-why-darker-lures-for-muddy-water/727998/14 "2017-06-09T23:41:32Z")
> [@Ornery\_Bob](#): > > It seems backwards, because it is. > > A black lure works by blocking light, not by reflecting it back. It has the most contrast against a lighter background. Life long fisherman here. I believe the above is the correct answer. A lure in the water looks much different looking up (to the sky, fishes view) than it does looking down (into the depths, your view). It’s all about the contrast.