Choosing the right lure

[skip]

I've been reading that when trying to decide what lure to use initially you should start by first looking at the weather, combined with the time of day and season. Dr. Greg Vinall posts these following insights (for those wanting to read the whole article I'll post the link at the bottom).

1. Use dark colors at night. This may seem strange to the novice, but from experience it definitely works. When you think about it, all colors appear to us at night to be black or shades of dark grey. Usually when we see something at night it's a shadow, and dark colors give the best shadow. Also, fish usually attack lures from below at night and during low light conditions. This is because it maximises the benefit of any limited light available. Under these conditions a dark lure throws the best silhouette and is therefore the most visible. Black, dark blue and purple are good choices at this time of day.

2. During winter or periods when there is lots of particulate material in the water (such as silt or algae), reds and oranges are the first colors to be filtered out. Under these conditions, lures with plenty of yellow, green or blue appear the most colorful below the surface. Fluorescent yellow and greens are also worth a shot.

3. Red, orange, yellow, silver and metallic colors are most intense during bright summer days in clear, shallow water. Having said that, metallic finishes have some benefits at depth because they have a tendency to create flash, even under relatively low light conditions. Mind you, all colors are visible under these bright conditions and if the fish are actively feeding on baitfish that are blue in color, then that's the color to use.

4. Color choice is a moot point if you are deep trolling using a downrigger or paravane, particularly under low light conditions or if the water is colored or dirty. The most important factors under these conditions are lure size, shape and action.

5. When fishing topwater lures, color is far less important than size, shape and action. A fish coming up below a surface or shallow running lure has the light behind it, making the lure appear grey or black. Try it for yourself - hold a fluorescent lure up to the sun and view it from below. Black and dark colors remain the best for surface lures because they throw a great silhouette.

6. Red and orange lures come into their own in tannin stained waters, as do fluorescent hues.

Greg has deliberately overlooked a key topic here - the use of color combinations, patterns and contrast to increase hook-up rates which can be very significant, so bear that in mind.

http://www.bigfishtackle.com/articles/fishing/freshwater/freshwater38.html

Conclusion: Matching lure size to the baitfish your target fish are feeding on, lure type based on the depth you want to achieve and action to combine the two - in other words swimming type, jetheads, flat heads, left/right movement of crankbait type plugs like rapala's seem to be far more important that lure colour which many of us dwell on.

It is fair to say that the above is generic, as there will be exceptions to the above 'rule of thumb'. Certain fish are known to react in certain ways. Let's take alungi as an example (Albacore).

In addition to lure selection and speed also having the lure at the right depth is also very important. There are different factors in choosing the lure best suited for certain situations. Style, color and size should all be considered. Albacore anglers should also remember the effect that ocean conditions and speed can have on how a lure tracks in the water. Crankbait type plugs such as large Rapalas and mirOlures are terrific as are the cedar plugs for tuna. However good they are when the seas are smooth they are very difficult to keep in the water in sloppy conditions. Best trolling speed is usually found between 6 and 7 ? knots. Larger lures will draw bites from bluefin, yellowfin and bigeye tuna but while keeping the skipjack away the albacore may not hit the larger sizes. Try to as a rule use darker color lures when trolling for albacore in the gray of dawn and as it gets brighter the liter colors seem to be better choices. Also as it gets brighter try to keep the lure deeper. When the wind blows and it gets sloppy tuna feathers tend to spend to much time skipping across the surface and this may be a time try considering a jet head or a heavier tuna clone type jig.

There are many articles on the net and like anything else, alot boils down to personal preference combined with some theory, which we usually all forget when we're out fishing and insist on using our favourite lure that's caught fish many times!!

Skip

[fin]

I really think that this article is going to be a subject of controversy especially to the dark colored lure vs the light colored lure as i am can easily find some more articles saying quite the opposite, anyway, here in our waters lets here the experiences of you out there with clear skies vs overcast days!

Go on members give us your thoughts!

FIN

[martin271260]

Hello, I'm new and relatively green to trolling with rixa. I'm coming to Malta for a break over this weekend and was planning on going with my small boat for tunnagg. Never done it before and am totally ignorant   any tips for a starter please such as type of rixa/lure, length to let out, speed etc. Fuq kollox, is it the right time??  was planning on going outside m'scala st thomas bay all the way to delimara point and back. Thanks for any tips and suggestions

[skip]

Hi Martin,

I don't have a boat in the water and don't normally fish at this time of the year so can't say for sure whether it's good right now for tunnagg. However Visa and shanook did go out trolling and bottom fishing last weekend without much success.

Small feathers and pin minnow type lures should be good for coastal trolling at around 4-5 meters behind the boat. Aim for around 3-4 knots based on the type of fish you're after.

When in doubt, and if you don't have the rixa's, pop over to Mister Fish or Ta'Bormla and ask what's best to use at the moment. Ta'Bormla in Mosta seems to give a pretty good indication.

Sorry I couldnt be more specific, am waiting for the Alungi season to start.

[bigboy]

I believe that right now isnt any good for trolling for tunnagg. You mightencounter maybe a tumbrell or cavall but very rare. try using squid jigs or feather lures and let out around 30m of line. after 8m attatch a 150 gram weight and troll with 4 - 5 knots.

[martin271260]

Thanks Skip and Bigboy

When is alungi season approx, soundinteresting. That's a type of tuna isn't IT? (excuse my ignorance but as i said i'm new to this). And how to troll - length lure etc please ?

Martin

[skip]

Hi Martin,

Should start in June assuming they migrate as expected. It's Longfin tuna and great fun to catch. There are several posts on how to catch Alungi, what to use etc.

Have a look at the first post in this board www.maltafishingforum.com/talk/index.php?board=3.0 started by Gazzetta all about how to fish for Alungi.

At first it's a bit confusing to find your way around the boards but you will soon get used to it. Don't forget to use the search function if you're stuck.

Skip

[martin271260]

Thanks Skip

I thought I was green!!!  Judging from what I've read it seems i'm more like white :)will see what i can decipher.

martin