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Message Subject: Bucktail blades !!! | |||
Plitz..... |
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Posts: 600 Location: West Bend, WI | What determings your choice of color on bucktail blades?Which water or sky conditions affect your choice?I don't throw tails that much but these new mepps look like some really good baits.so I bought 3 with 3 differnt blades.silver,gold,tiger,and a orange (magnum) So now I need help with when to throw what blade? The tail colors I have are white,black,tiger-magnum tail is black and orange.I plan on switching these up so what blade with what tail when? thx | ||
kevin |
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Posts: 1335 Location: Chicago, Beverly | Water clearity makes some difference. If it is not real clear the flourescent colors, especially the bright ones. If it is clear then silver/gold/copper, plus some painted blades only tipped with with flourescent colors.attached is a pic of the tipped type blades. If it is overcast or getting dark the bright flourescent stuff I might throw. As for which hair I am not real good on that one, I've had success with bright orange on clear lakes, all black on stained lakes, so I am not all that sure myself... Edited by kevin 1/4/2004 4:07 PM Attachments ---------------- boettcher blades.jpg (38KB - 199 downloads) | ||
ToddM |
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Posts: 20221 Location: oswego, il | On brown stained water I really like chartruse or copper blades. On clearer waters up north I like gold and silver. For shad waters I like silver or white. Chartruse is always good in very low light. Orange blades have never produced well for me, so they are not a confidence blade color even though it's probably the most popular blade color. | ||
sworrall |
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Posts: 32888 Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Contrast, plain and simple. I use the color I feel will stand out against the sky best at any one time. | ||
jlong |
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Posts: 1937 Location: Black Creek, WI | My thought process is similar to SWorrall's, except I consider "flash" over constrast with the background. Two reasons for this. 1. The background can be almost impossible to determine (just ask a scuba diver what the surface looks like under various conditions - the results often go against common-sense). 2. I think flash is a better "attractant" and use the tail of the bucktail to provide the "contrast" for a good target. With that said... I think flash is depended on a ton of different variables. The two biggest factors are light conditions and water conditions. If the sun is out... I'll often go with a metal finish for specular reflection and a more intense flash. If it is overcast or windy, I'll often go with a painted blade (usually a fluorescent color) for maximum diffuse reflection. Water clarity (color) obviously influences this thought process as well. Then again... on most days I start with my LUCKY bucktail (heh heh). | ||
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While we're on the subject, what dealers wold any of you recommend for purchasing blades for home bucktail construction? | |||
ToddM |
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Posts: 20221 Location: oswego, il | Scott, I get my stuff from www.staminainc.com www.mooreslures.com and www.muskyshop.com Hope this helps. | ||
Plitz..... |
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Posts: 600 Location: West Bend, WI | Thx,for the replys guys. Steve where you talking contrast between the sky and the bait or tail and blade ? | ||
Plitz..... |
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Posts: 600 Location: West Bend, WI | ok, silver or gold for say clear water sunny day, painted for dark water or overcast.I think I got it now ! But what would you throw at night? | ||
nwild |
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Posts: 1996 Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | I think sound makes more difference at night than color. If I had to pick one color for blades at night I would go with black (I'm not sure if Mepps still makes these or not--they are in my box though). Blade thump means everything to me at night. I usually throw a Magnum blade after dark, but recently have been grabbing the big Mepps marabou blade more and more. I have tried the glow blades after dark a bit, more experimentation needed before I have a firm opinion. Edited by nwild 1/5/2004 5:38 PM | ||
ToddM |
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Posts: 20221 Location: oswego, il | At night, I would go with black or something that would reflect some light like silver, white or chartruse. I seen gillespie get one at night on an all white bucktail. | ||
kevin |
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Posts: 1335 Location: Chicago, Beverly | The two blades(tips of blades glow red) pictured in my previous post would be all I throw at night. Glow at night has increased my catch ten fold and they still work during the day. | ||
sworrall |
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Posts: 32888 Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | SInce I can't count of flash to work for me all the time because of the fish's attack vector or position , poor vision, particulate diffusion, weeds in the way while the fish attacks, etc., I did the scuba diver thing in every condition possible over the years to see what the sky color might be. Here are my observations: Most of the time visibility is poor unless water clarity is PRIMO. Much of the sunlight light other than at sun noon and two hours each side is reflected back off the surface. The sky 'color' was not important, as variables made that too big a leap to figure out exactly. What did matter was the amount and type of cloud cover, and the sun's position during the day creating a general background. Background is VERY important. On a cloudy day, generally speaking, the background is from white to grey to dark grey. A dark color or black will show against that background very nicely. On a sunny day, depending on particulate and sun height, position on the axis, etc., the background will be blue to violet, against which a light colored bait shows very nicely. Florescent colors seem more intense. White shines like a beacon. At night an interesting thing happens. The surface takes on a glow, and appears lighter by a considerable amount than looking forward or down. There is a name for this which escapes me at 1 AM, but fact is it's there. Black is an excellent choice at night. So is white, but that is harder to pick out. Add moonlight, magnify what I just said. My 2 and 1/4 cents. What if the UV spectrum was a factor? | ||
stephendawg |
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Posts: 1023 Location: Lafayette, IN | The UV issue.... I'm under the impression that animals (fish included) have certain properties in their unique eyes that respond differently to light and color than we do. I appreciate your curiosity underwater but would probably give science a bit more weight as far as analyzing how a certain fish sees color and light. Their rods and cones are unique for their underwater enviroment so obviously conclusions based on what "we" see under water with our human eyes would not be conclusive. Facinating none-the-less. Unfortunately, I can't think of any articles referring to this difference from a scientific point of view. I know I've read some before though. Just a crappy "human" memory I guess!
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sworrall |
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Posts: 32888 Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | You are correct. Muskies have both good color receptors (cones) and very sensitive vision for low light and night (rods). The cone receptors extend on a 'clock' basis, same time every day, and the rods take over basically speaking in the same fashion. General perception is that as the light under the surface builds, the color vision is ready, and as it drops, black and white takes over. The factors effecting the fish's vision are the obvious, like water clarity, wave action, types of particulate, and visual acuity. Interestingly, visual acuity in pike and most other freshwater fish is no better than 4' (Schwassman, 1974) (Muntz, 1974). The conclusions in most vision studies on acuity showing about 4' to 5' for most fish seem to indicate that the need for better acuity isn't critical because better acuity serves no purpose in the underwater environment. It is clear that some fish do have ability to see in the UV spectrum. UV is absorbed rapidly, but is available to most freshwater environments. I haven't been able to locate anything in the literature that indicates how fish actually use UV vision. | ||
CiscoKid |
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Posts: 1906 Location: Oconto Falls, WI | My choices for clear water blades are silver prism, chartreuse, and all white or white/blue. I don't fish dark water that often, but when I do I go with the Chartreuse or all white blades. Like Todd said, orange is not very good for me at all with one exception. A gold blade with orange tape on the blade combined with a rust or brown tail is an awesome combo.A great smallmouth bass imitator. Mepps use to make it, but doesn't anymore. If you have one use it and you won't be disappointed. If you don't use it, just send it my way. I need more! Edited by CiscoKid 1/6/2004 12:03 PM | ||
Plitz..... |
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Posts: 600 Location: West Bend, WI | WoW,Thx A lot of good responces here!!! I will have to save this thread for next season.I was reading a MH today.....um I mean working.In a article by Jim Saric,he says that his favorite bucktail for night fishing is hands down a willow leaf blade.Does anyone care to share why they think that is? I always thought that the willow gave off the least amount of noise and viberation.While a colorado gave off the most thump.Why would the willow be his first choice then? | ||
sworrall |
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Posts: 32888 Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | I know the willow leaf was the quietest of the blades in the recordings I did. I like the big Colorados for night fishing because I can move them slow yet keep them up out of the stuff. | ||
ToddM |
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Posts: 20221 Location: oswego, il | Steve you scube dive? Well that explains the algae bloom on peilcan.:-) Sorry, this is just how my mind works first thing that popped into my head. | ||
sworrall |
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Posts: 32888 Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Never dove Pelican. In fact, have not used real dive gear in a very long time. I used snorkel gear to do the surface photos I did for the Nicolet College course I used to teach, as going under about 10' isn't a big deal. Last time I used dive gear was in the late 70's. Too old to recertify now. | ||
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