DOES COLOR MATTER IN TROLLING?

Saltwater Fishing in South Florida
There is an old saying that fisherman have used for ages: “match the hatch” which was introduced by fisherman who attempt to match whatever the fish is feeding on. The bait should mimic as closely as possible to the natural food the fish are feeding on. Matching the hatch is just streamlining the process, because of the factors that play in color choice, such as water clarity and cloud conditions. But there is no doubt that choosing the right colors can make a big difference in how fish respond to an offering.
I have spoken to several anglers in the South Florida area on a daily basis to ask what colors work best for their trolling lures. I was informed that the guideline that holds true for most fisherman: “Clear water or bright, sunny days – use a light colored lure and for murky water or dimmer, cloudy days – use a dark colored lure.”
Some game fish, especially large saltwater predators, have cones in their eyes which allow them to see color. Some fish have none and some fish have as many as five cones to distinguish from color to color, such as, red, blue, and green. However, even colorblind fish can still see shades of grey. If you notice on most of the colorful lures, the manufacturers create the color patterns with degrees of contrast from light to dark, for example, yellow and black lures or white and blue lures.
Also, consider the depth you are fishing at, the reflective quality of the water changes as you go deeper and this makes the appearance of your lure color change too. So the next time you ask “What color lure did you catch them on” the next question should be “how deep were you fishing?”
Now go out and find the colors that work best for you!
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