# Walleye crankbait eye colors/gill patterns ?



## OhYeah (Apr 29, 2005)

Seems like different crank mfgs have different eye color patterns and gill patterns for very similar style crankbaits. I have cranks with black eyes w/ black pupil, yellow eye w/ black pupil, red eye w/ black pupil, yellow eye w/ red pupil etc etc. 

As a newbie to airbrushing, I think I'm reading too much and it's overloading the keep it simple philosophy. I fish Lake Erie for walleye. Primary baitfish would be alewife, smelt, emerald shiners and perch. Right now, I'm just getting ready to re-paint some old lures. 

How much importance should I put on eye color ?
How important are adding gills, either black or colorized ?


The following I found interesting, and see many lure mfgs don't adhere to the following theory: 

To make fishing lures that actually catch fish, you need to have a strong understanding of response triggers. A response trigger is a fishing lure characteristic that makes a predator feel compelled to strike at it. Although there are many opinions among fishing lure makers about which response triggers actually work, there is general agreement about the effectiveness of one trigger in particular - the "eye spot" (a.k.a "eyespots"). The eye spot is considered one of the single most effective triggers on a lure.

Research has shown that virtually all predator/prey relationships involve some sort of exchange of eye responses (such as making or avoiding eye contact) that sets the social order among species. Over time, the predator and prey species learn to interpret the intentions of each other by monitoring these physiological eye responses and reacting to them accordingly. For instance, a predator fish's pupils will typically get extremely small at the moment of attack while the target prey species' pupils will get very large at the same instant. Knowing that the predator fish expects its prey's pupils to rapidly dilate during the attack helps us, as luremakers, to design fishing lures that mimic this behavior and thus provide better strike triggers for the fish we are targeting. Likewise, knowing that a very small pupil is an aggressive sign that a fish is about to strike tells us we should avoid making eye spots with very small pupils because that could actually scare our target fish away!

In addition to the pupil sizes, the position of the eye in relation to the axis of the body also helps the predator anticipate the direction that the prey fish will go when it flees. Predator fish will watch the eyes of their prey and then gauge their angle of attack based on the direction the eye is facing and the level of dilation of the pupil. When the pupil gets big, it signals that the prey fish is about to flee, and the predator fish will attack at an angle that intercepts the prey fish. When you're designing lures, the pupil should always be facing in the direction of the line tie so the predator fish can anticipate the forward movement of your lure as you retrieve it and make contact with the hook during the strike.

GR


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## puterdude (Jan 27, 2006)

I don't know man,I am having a hard time wrapping my confidence around their theory involving the eyes. Apparently mfgs are as well.I was always under the belief that the fish's response is almost instant,they see ,they hit.I know more goes into the process than that.But the decision is rapid.How the lure moves,wobbles,shakes,sounds,shape,color.Also is the fish hitting because it's hungry or because the lure is there.I also know that the younger the fish ,the more foolish it is,just like us humans,lol. Also there aren't eyes,on spinners,rubber crawlers,twisters,most jigs,spoons,ect,ect,ect.Personally I'd just go with the color myself.But than again,I haven't done any research on fish striking more readily on eye shape,sizes,direction,ect.They have apparently why not put all the odds in your favor.But please let us know the results if you personally experiment with their theory on your own.Would be interesting to know the results.


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## Fish Scalper (Oct 31, 2009)

That research is actually funny:

"Likewise, knowing that a very small pupil is an aggressive sign that a fish is about to strike tells us we should avoid making eye spots with very small pupils because that could actually scare our target fish away!"

I can just see a little beady eyed emerald shiner puffing itself up now, giving a big old walleye the evil eye and sending him crying for his Momma.


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## Downriver Tackle (Jan 13, 2009)

Fish Scalper said:


> That research is actually funny:
> 
> "Likewise, knowing that a very small pupil is an aggressive sign that a fish is about to strike tells us we should avoid making eye spots with very small pupils because that could actually scare our target fish away!"
> 
> I can just see a little beady eyed emerald shiner puffing itself up now, giving a big old walleye the evil eye and sending him crying for his Momma.



I found it funny too. Reef Runners have the smallest of lure eyes, and in some cases, none. Yet, they probably work better for walleye on Erie than any other bait. So much for that theory. LOL


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## OhYeah (Apr 29, 2005)

Fish Scalper said:


> That research is actually funny:
> I can just see a little beady eyed emerald shiner puffing itself up now, giving a big old walleye the evil eye and sending him crying for his Momma.


LMAO and spit coffee on the screen !!!!!!
OK, enough reading and researching for me - time to spray some paint. 

GR


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## JIG (Nov 2, 2004)

I like it when the eye sticks out. I paint my bommers so that they stand out. Most of the time its yellow with a black dot. Guess bottom line is how a fish perceives a lure. Anything east of Cleveland means clearer waters and more natural lookin lures. West its more about color and spots or contrasting colors. Fish senses vary in diff water conditions. Dirty water limits the sight sense of fish. Theyll rely more on sound and sent. Clear water its mostly sight and the eye is an important part in triggering fish.


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## ShutUpNFish (Apr 17, 2007)

I'm a firm believer of contrasting color patterns and certain colors making differences during certain conditions. Thats as far as it goes for me.....all those other details such as eyes, special scale patterns and all those effects that give baits that "special" or "realistic" look are all effects to better sell a product. Don't get me wrong...I love trying to paint those plugs so that they look awesome, real or unique mostly because its fun for me. However, I don't think it makes all that much difference to the fish.....especially when the lure is being trolled at 2 to 5 mph. Any lure is typically just a blur to those fish and IMHO, the action is far more important to me.


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## Downriver Tackle (Jan 13, 2009)

ShutUpNFish said:


> However, I don't think it makes all that much difference to the fish.....especially when the lure is being trolled at 2 to 5 mph. Any lure is typically just a blur to those fish and IMHO, the action is far more important to me.


 Exactly! 95% of the walleye pros I paint for, especially the ones who troll allot, could care less if it had eyes, gill slashes, or any markings in general. Most just want the colors right. On the other hand, the bass guys and walleye guys who cast and finesse fish, demand great detail. When you're pausing a bait on retreive and the fish has a chance to check it's meal out, then detail plays a huge factor IMHO and many others.


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