# What colors ........ UV or Fluorescent or Glow?



## TIGGER

There are many factors involved with choosing the right lure to use on any given day. In my opinion it is up to 75 percent of your decision. Even though you can choose body profiles , lure actions , and diving depths it almost always boils down to your color choice. If you have favorite colors those lures will probably have more running time than others you have in your box. How many times have you been out fishing and have had one particular color that was on fire one day and cold the next. Or&#8230;&#8230;&#8230; come into the dock and talked to another fisherman that smoked them on a color you didn&#8217;t have. For tournament anglers they are always searching for an upper hand against their competition. 

This color thing has always kept me thinking is there something more to it? Over the last couple of years I have heard rumors of this magical world of UV. I have a friend in Sweden that is like the Al Linder over there. He writes fishing articles and is highly respected in the angling circles over there. Over the years he has bought many lures from me and we have become good friends. It was about two years ago that he first mentioned adding UV additives to his paints. He found that it mad a night and day difference in his salmon fishing. I just chuckled about it at the time but I am starting to have an interest. 

The first question that arises is can fish see UV light? What I have found from reading articles is that there is a protein that fish and some other species of life have that are receptors for this wave length range.

&#8220;Scientific articles discussing the recently recognized ultraviolet visual capabilities of birds, subsequently enlarged to include bony fish. Many of these discoveries of ultraviolet visual capabilities depended upon the scientific advances in the late 1990s which made possible chemical analysis of the optically active Rodopsin proteins in the retinas of fish and birds. The result was the scientific recognition that bony fish and birds have a Rodopsin protein in their retinas which reacts to the ultraviolet wavelengths around 360 nm, a wavelength totally invisible to humans. We also discovered that insects, shrimp and crabs have similar keen ultraviolet vision. Indeed, insects and birds have brilliant ultraviolet reflecting plumage, feathers and body parts clearly identifying species, sexual differences and state of health to each other, though to the human eye they may all look alike.&#8221; 


How far will UV penetrate in the water column?











&#8220;The standard &#8220;visible&#8221; light spectrum for humans is 700 nanometers (abbreviated nm) to approximately 400 nm and known as ROYGBIV, which stands for (R), orange (O), yellow (Y), green (G), blue (B), indigo (I), and violet (V). The higher the frequency the deeper it will travel in the water column. In nanometers, lower numbers have higher frequencies of light that penetrate the water column deeper than higher frequencies of light. For example, Red 700 nm, orange 630, yellow 550, green 500, blue 450, violet 400 represents the spectrum of light that penetrates shallowest to deepest. Standard light is pure white, but shined through a prism the light separates into the individual colors above. The absence of all frequency of light is black. Black, technically is not an actual color, as it has no frequency. Because fish see ultraviolet light, (UVA) which is just beyond the violet frequency at 400nm to 320 nm, it can penetrate to depths greater than 500 feet. Scientists have proven that many species of fish, especially salmonoids, use UVA light to find their prey. Ultraviolet light&#8217;s main source comes mainly from the sun and to a lesser degree, other stars. Ultraviolet light causes some objects to glow, or become &#8220;fluorescent&#8221; upon contact. Molecules in the object gain energy on contact with UV light and then release the energy in the form of visible light. This glow is what some fish look for when searching for food.&#8221;












The biggest problem I am having is trying to isolate what is true UV in visible color to the fish. If we cannot see UV light as humans is a black light a form of UV? 

&#8220;A black light releases very little light that is visible to the human eye, giving it it&#8217;s contrary name. A black light&#8217;s wavelengths start at one extreme end of the visible light spectrum in the high-energy visible light (HEV) range. HEV waves are detected by the human eye as deep blues and violets. From there, the wavelengths become so short and scattered we can no longer detect them, creating ultra-violet (UV) or &#8220;black light&#8221; radiation.&#8221;


My understanding is that true UV light appears to be black or white to the fish. Here is some info that I found on what UV paints look like through a true UV camera. 






















They have done studies with coral reef fish in which other fish were able to identify rival males or possible mates by UV patterns that were visible only in the UV light spectrum.












This is where it leads me back to fluorescent colors with a possible UV enhancer. There is no doubt that fluorescent colors are hot for walleyes and the salmonoid species. This is where the black light comes back into play. I went back to me more successful colors out of my tackle box. I put them under a black light along with other colors that weren&#8217;t as successful. The lures had a special glow to them. There is no doubt that everyone would agree that firetiger is an all time favorite.













There are natural minerals that give off fluorescent in the UV spectrum. Here are some mineral under a black light.













Calcite minerals glow red, yellow, pink or blue under a black light.There are several minerals that emit light, or glow under black lights (ultraviolet (UV) light). Non-visible (to the human eye) black light reacts with the chemicals in minerals and causes the rock to fluorescence. If the glow remains after you remove the light source, you have a phosphorescence mineral. Other minerals glow when struck or crushed (triboluminescence) or when heated (thermoluminescence). A UV light that emits both longwave and shortwave light helps identify fluorescent minerals as many emit different color under varying wavelengths; however use caution when using shortwave light as it can cause blindness. 


Scheelite
A popular, collectible mineral, scheelite (calcium tungstate), glows blue under short wave ultraviolet light. 


Flourite
Flourite (calcium fluoride) usually fluoresces blue, but many specimens emit various colors, including yellow, red, white, green and red. A few specimens simultaneously produce different colors when viewed under long wave and short wave UV light, while a number of fluorite specimens' phosphorescence (glow without a visible light source) in a third color. 


Scapolite
Commonly found in short to long crystals, scapolite, which means "shaft" in Greek, emits orange or yellow color and, on rare occasions, red under black light. As an attractive gemstone, scapolite's colors vary from yellow or orange to pink or violet. 


Willemite
Nearly all willemite ore (zinc silicate) glows bright green under black light and a few will phosphorescence. This rare mineral, a source of zinc ore, is one of the finest specimens of fluorescent material. 


Calcite
Not all calcite minerals are florescent, although some specimens glow red, yellow, pink or blue under UV light. Calcite (calcium carbonite) gets its name from the Greek "chalix" (lime) and has many uses, such as cement, mortars, or as an ornamental stone. 


Autunite
One of the most beautiful radioactive minerals, the yellow-green color of the autunite mineral (hydrated calcium uranyl phosphate) fluoresces under ultraviolet light. Strangely, when autunite loses water it irreversibly converts to an entirely different substance called meta-autunite-I. After many years, the meta-autunite turns to powder, ruining the specimen. 


Hyalite
One of many names for the common opal, hyalite is a colorless to sky-blue transparent color that fluoresces green under UV light. 


Gypsum
A common sedimentary mineral, gypsum, (hydrated calcium sulfate) glows blue under ultraviolet light. As a natural insulator, gypsum feels warm to the touch, and is commonly used in drywall. 


Eucryptite
Some eucryptite (lithium aluminum silicate) minerals fluoresce pink under ultraviolet light. Eucryptite crystals, although transparent to translucent, are rarely cut as gemstones.


More to come shortly..........




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## Downriver Tackle

IMHO, knowing a bit about pigments and light properties, they're 3 different animals with limitations on each. 

Fluorescent color reflect their own true color, whether illuminated by UV or full spectrum light, but are visible for only a short distance. UV marker pigments, react with only the blue/UV spectrum and need that specific light source to be illuminated. Visible for greater distances, but illumination is limited to available light source. Glow obviously is illuminated and charged before they enter the water, so available light source while it's fishing is no factor at all, but do need charging. 

Here's some plugs I did a few years back well before the UV craze with UV pigment in the clear.

The ass I painted these for is the person who introduced a cetain spoon manufacturer to the technology and the rest is history. That lesson there taught me to keep my mouth shut about cetrtain things. LOL


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## Bester

thats very interesting. I had never really thought about it. Very cool.


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## Charly

Hey John when you figure out the formula thats going to work on every specific day I would really appreciate a copy of it.

Gary


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## Fish Scalper

I compared the Fish Vision to the CSI brands and didn't find any difference under the light really. I didn't try a third companies product though they do mix it with scent and by target species. They also make anti UV products for hunters.

I also tested the two brands I have using painted cellophane to simulate muddy water and find the UV effect all but gone depending on how transparent my screen was. What did your research turn up on UV in dirty water? Everything you have mentioned above is pretty much dependent on clear water. All my research shows UV light would pretty much be absorbed in Wetern Lake Erie in the first meter of the water column.


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## TIGGER

Fish Scalper, I just started to experiment with the UV stuff. I have not bought any name brand products. I did buy some UV paints and additives that are mineral based like the glowing rocks. This summer I hope to play with different things. I hear you on the dirty water having an influence on the light / UV. It sounds like you and Down River are more down the road than I am. 
Down River.......... neat stuff!

Gary you will be reeling the fish in for my experiment! 

Here are some pics I took of some paint that reacts to a black light. It is clear / milky white when you apply it. I just brushed the products on some stencils I had. 










































I hope to lay down some patterns of blades and walleye baits. I think that it may add to some bling. I have some other photos of stuff I will add later when I get home.





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## MadMac

Pretty cool stuff John. I will definitely be watching the results. Especially if you solve the stained water dilemma.


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## Charly

John, I know where that little shad is going to end up.

Gary


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## Downriver Tackle

WOW, those white UV paints are COOL!! That's totally different than what I've been playing around with. Mine is an enhancer in the clear. 

The plugs I showed earlier were run side by side with non-UV plugs, along with a few other UV and non-UV schemes, for steelies and salmon out of Frankfort, MI. The tester ran them for nearly every day for a month and the UV baits definitely stood out in numbers of fish caught. Food for UV thought.


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## TIGGER

Downriver, I started to play with painting some patterns with that stuff yesterday. You can see on the areas that is black there is no UV paint. I peeled the stuff off the nose on the one bait. Maybe there can be a contrast sort of thing brewing. I hope to have a good post by the end of the weekend. Playing around with the glow in the dark stuff also.

Gary I have your other lure also. Tell Cheryl I said hey. You have to show me a picture of that 52" she got! 

John


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