Ok, question... why does it seem like every lure in Bass Pro and Cabelas now has red hooks, red skirts, and red everything on it? The marketing hype is insane on this stuff! I've fished a lot and seen a lot fish. I can't ever remember seeing a red fish go by. Ok, I know the idea is to imitate blood, but helloooooo if you've ever noticed, if something is bleeding underwater the blood dissapates really fast - so fast that you're unlikely to see it for more than a few seconds. Anyone here ever seen a bloody shad swim by? How about a bloody trout or a bloody crawdad or a bloody minnow? This whole red thing just seems so silly to me. That's my rant for the day :)

I've noticed that too. Must be the pistachio syndrome. I remember talking to a snack delivery driver maybe 20 years ago about the red pistachios. I guess from a marketing test that was done, the nuts dyed red outsold the naturals more than 3 to 1. Maybe the lure industry is hoping for the same results?? I doubt the fish are gonna be as much attracted to red hooks, as humans were to red pistachio nuts!...but the fisherman might be!!:-)

I think under certain circumstances a red hook can make a difference.But remeber, red is the first color to fade to black with in a few feet in the water column...so these baits that dive much past 4 foot...yep...the hooks look black.I made some spinnerbats about a year ago with wire I dyed red with blade dye...They did look really nice..but the blade dye wears right off..I'm surprised they aren't making red wire for spinnerbaits....and when they do..remember you "read" it here first ..(Pardon the pun..couldn't resist)..Nathan
www.Bettencourtbaits.com

You'd figure if they have the means to anodize a hook red the have the means to make one that has a stealthier look about it. Anodize one dark green, or come up with a way to paint one with a light flat green. But then again that wouldn't add to the sporty look of thier soft plastic topwater with flames on it, unfortunately it would only deduct from the gayness factor of the bait. The real kicker is they actually make sales on these things. So for all as much as Johnny Thibadeux from Louisianna makes fun of me for my oversized reels, 8ft. poles and $100 dollar baits. Well I'd have to say I laugh at him just as much for his NASCAR quantum reel, flamming topwaters and neon blue 20lb stren.

Andrew

http://www.webspawner.com/users/bigdaddybasspimp/index.html

The red craze is very interesting, but in another much smaller segment of the industry they are attempting to establish a craze for 24K goldplated hooks for fresh and saltwater. A friend tried these 24K goldplated hooks in Alaska and Mexico (all salt)and did very well, but that guy almost always does well in those places. So, I merely conclude thus far that 24K goldplated hooks will not likely deter a bite in deep water. I wonder what the manufacturer thinks gold looks like to a big ling or Pacific halibut a few hundred feet deep in Alaska?

Rob: I agree with you but for one thing; I thought the ''red' color was to imitate red "gills" not blood. I shy away from the red craze personally as I too think it's mostly hype.

Dan

"Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less"

Deo Vindice

i'm a believer, at least for senkos. At my home lake here in Austin. I fish the same shallow water set of boatdocks that are in a small secluded area off the main lake. I hit this area probably 40 times a year, with the same setup,,,,6 inch wacky senko on a 4/0 bait hook on a 25lb flurocarbon leader on a mono main line. I fish it all times of the year. Two years ago i made my usual flipping pass thru the docks. There is probably 30 slips in 2 to 4 feet of water. i caught a fish or two. I had some of the red hooks and thought, Why not. I did not have much confidence at first. I used the same bait hook in red, and got bit again like it was my first pass thru the area. The next time out i swear i got bit more, and it increased my confidence. That spring i caught a 27inch 10.6lb spawned out female out of one of those boat slips on the red hook. I had one set of tires that i'd flip to each time...about 70% of the time i'd catch what seemed like the same 3lb fish. I started calling this fish "Rerun". I fished some small jackpot tourneys on the lake, and i'd tell my partner that on the way back to the weigh-in that we needed to stop and catch "Rerun". And Rerun was there both times!

Red is simply a good contrast color under certain conditions. All colors filter out to gray/black depending on light intensity, water turbidity and depth. Red is the first color to fade followed by orange, yellow, blue, green and chartreuse. As far as a fish are concerned, color is simply degrees of contrast under specific conditions. Red works on surface or shallow running lures in sunlight conditions for instance, because red appears black looking from a dark subsurface to a lighter sky and contrasts with the lighter colored portion of the lure. Red fish! Male salmon turn red during the spawn. Why? Contrast! They stand out from the lighter colored female's. Why do bass hold in shaded areas? Not to hide. Prey simply stand out better looking from dark to light. Most lure colors are made to catch fisherman not fish. Remember all those fish missing your white topwater? They can't see it very well. A surface lure would work much better if it was reversed painted or painted all red or black, but they wouldn'd sell many. A red and white striped crankbait would work better under low-light conditions than a natural colored one.

It because all other marketing ideas have been exhausted!

Does it help? Who knows, and nobody really will know unless some sort of peer reviewed research is conducted. First pass nothing, second pass with red hook, bingo. Doesnt really mean much, maybe some other more important variable changed slightly, some variable that humans cant detect. There are way too many variables for when and why fish bite, and its been proven that the human brain can only process x number of variables at one time, beyond that we just cant do it.

Presentation, timing, knowledge, and confidence is what puts fish in the boat. And if you have confidence in red hooks, then use them. If you truly believe a red hook will increase bites, you have great confidence when throwing them, you fish better, the results are better and for most the end result is that it was the red hook, not the other things. I do have red hooks, only cause they were given to me free, and I do use them and I do catch fish on them. But I really think that any positive effect from them is miniscule compared to the other variables involved.

PS: while sitting on the couch bored, I found a beer bottle cap in the couch. I got to fiddling with it and by the end of the night I had what looked like a good spoon. First cast I caught a brown trout, Im gonna market this thing and get rich. You all know what Im talking bout.

Personally I think the red hooks are kinda dumb, yet I still bought some. I think they may accualy help when drop shotting in clear water. I am sure who ever came up w/ this idea for red hooks just looked at the walleye hooks and noticed they have every color under the sun and decided they would work well for bass too.

I really like the color red or even pink when fishing for a reaction strike, yet I will only fish these colors alone like solid red or pink. I have made some red and pink senkos and cought tons of fish w/ them.

Hey let that Bass go I wanna catch her some day
http://www.calfishing.com/gallery/v/members/tmcustoms/

All I know is if I'm going bass fishing in Texas I make sure I have a ton of red baits with me. For some reason the Texan bass love red! I haven't had too much luck down here in So Cal unless it's at night, but other than that it seems to not make a difference. For a reaction bait I think color has less to do with it than anything. I've been in wide open bites where you think the color has something to do with it...nope just something flying by them and they eat it

I wonder why nobody has made a clear resin hook? You would think that there are materials that would be strong enough. Maybe not yet, but When sombody invents them they will be at least millionares if not richer!

www.mattlures.com

Did you see those spinnerbaits with the glass arms? The glass is fairly thick, but the idea is there. I think I'm going to stick with red line, red hooks and red spinnerbait blades though... ok not really. I do have one pack of red treble hooks and I may get a few more red hooks if they match well with my baits, but I still believe strongly that the fish I'm after are conditioned to avoid gaudy un-naturual looking things. The more my lure looks like a trout, crawdad, shad or bluegill, the more confidence I have.

So I guess you won't be buying any of my cranks in the Mad Dad pattern! lol
http://www.calfishing.com/dc/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=11&topic_id=955&mesg_id=955&page=

I'm glad the fish like it. }(

Magmaster,
I am pretty much a sight fisherman in the delta all spring and summer I have found the 2 best colors for a stright reaction strike to be Bubblegum and red I think these will get a more violent reaction than say green or brown, but who knows? Heck I have atleast 200 pink senkos waiting to be re-born and fish again, I would have to say it has been my best color in the delta, could be I just have so much confidence in it?

Hey let that Bass go I wanna catch her some day
http://www.calfishing.com/gallery/v/members/tmcustoms/

I believe you bro but I'm down here in So Cal and red just doesn't seem to get bit. But watermelon w/red and stuff like that works but no solid or pink has done the trick for me. Weird how the same kind of fish like different colored stuff in different waters...maybe it's all those crabs or craws that are up in the delta?

Magmaster,
You what is strange, when it gets to around 100+ degrees here in the summer and no one is catching much during the hot hours of the afternoon. I can just go spot the fish sitting on top and almost always get them on a pink senko or watermelon/red 4" lizrds. I have poured some pink lizards and have yet to catch anything on them. I think this is due to the fact that the will accualy chase a lizard down and on a senko you will usally catch them out of a pure reaction say the fish sees it and it has sunk more than a foot you usally wont catch them, kinda strange. As far as the delta vs. your spots it is probably the water color it always seems to have a bunch of tiny dirt particles floating around even on the clearest days.

Tight Lines,
Taylor

I'm waiting for everything to go purple, cause I get bit more on purple than I do on red ! Out here at least

Rob,
These spinnerbait blades arent really red, more of a florecent orange I painted many of mine this color after catching so many fish w/ orange in spring in the delta and was kinda shocked to see it working there year round! I guess it just really gets a reaction from them? Funny thing I was throwing that soild orange on this fall and keept getting hit so hard but never hooking anything even w/ a trailer hook. After about 30 minutes of this I hade about a 30lb salmon follow it all the way up and figured it out, the salmon were just attacking the blades like crazy. Anyhow if your ever fishing the delta I suggest you bring a couple w/ red or orange blades.

Taylor

http://www.calfishing.com/dc/user_files/3176.jpg

Attachment #1, (.jpg file)

Personally I prefer the red hooks. When I finness a soft worm I can see the red reflect under water from a further distance than with other hooks. I think maybe the bass see it from a greater distance also. It seems to me I have better luck with the red hooks also. Just my opinion.

Elevators smell different to midgets!!!

Heck dude, my first jig was all red! I used red rubber bands that came off the newspapers at my folkd house, tied them around a jig head with lead wire (before lead was dangerous!), took it out to the local lake and caught a bass on it on the first cast, no smelly jelly, nothin'.
I think I remember reading in some old bass book how red and other bright colors can make a bass react and hit out of anger.

Red hooks work, but so does most everything else too. cv

check out this article on color scheme...

www.fishontario.com/articles/spectrum-fishing/index.html

It mentioned red is good for top 15' water...

cy

Thing is red will get a reaction strike on a flip' or cast in the delta I can say this for sure, what they think it is I have no clue because teh craws out here are all brown? In the spring redwhite pink orange anything brightly colored will piss a bass off enought to make em' eat it I guess. I am still having trouble seeing how a red hook really helps. Has anyone ever cought a fish on a rig w/ a red hook that they feel they would not have cought had it not been for the red hook?

Taylor

Hey let that Bass go I wanna catch her some day
http://www.calfishing.com/gallery/v/members/tmcustoms/

An easy way to remember the order in which colors turn to gray or black as a lure drops in the water column is to think of an angler named "ROY G. BIV", who fishes the spectrum according to depth. Of course, ROY G. BIV stands for red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo, and violet.

I believe that the reason that steelhead and trout frequently bite red or pink lures, roe, or plastic worms is that we often fish for them in the top 15 feet, where red has not washed out much yet.

I also like the theory that calls for lures with dark undersides for fish that approach from below (to contrast with the sky as the fish looks up) and lures with light topsides for fish that attack from above (to contrast with the dark bottom).

I think that we may make too much of the change in color/lightness of a lure with increasing depth. Does it really matter that the lure looks different at different depths? What really matters is that that lure at a given depth looks like what the fish are feeding on at the depth or what the the fish will attack as an intruder at that depth. Therefore, "match the hatch" is a good rule that goes far beyond fly fishing. For example, rockfish, lings, and salmon will bite bright chrome jigs and light anchovy/sardine color swimbaits, etc. at great depths although such lures do not look bright at great depths. They likely bite because these lures look like whatever anchovies/sardines look like at those depths.

Bob