Color vision in Bass?

[HarveysMinnow]

I suspect this topic has been covered in previous threads posted in earlier times, but when I first joined this Forum, Kevin told me “… generally speaking, it is advisable to not dredge up old threads if you can avoid it by posting a new thread.”
So, here goes …

It seems that everyone who fishes a lot develops certain mindsets about lure colors and we eventually develop strong preferences for certain colors, based largely on the degree of success we’ve had in the past. If these colors catch more fish for us, we have little or no reason to change. I dare say that, when we are catching good Bass on our favorite colored lures, not one of us is going to suddenly change to a different color, just to see if we still catch fish.

On the other hand, when I’m fishing and getting no action, I’m as likely as the next guy to change the colors of my baits. After all, what have I got to lose if they ain’t biting anyway. But I have wondered, during my years of Bass fishing, if the big-uns lurking out there really care as much about color as I or other fishermen do. Apparently I’m not the only one who sometimes commits a breach of faith and wonders if colors really matter. In Cassidyda’s recent thread on “Sweeping a Buzzbait”, fellow member Boloson commented:

Originally Posted by boloson

it just goes to show u that u could probably throw a piece of string with some rattle attached to it & probably catch a fish as long as there are fish in that area. makes me wonder if colors on lures actually makes a difference?

I have frequently been skeptical about what Bass actually see and I have considered the possibility that they don’t perceive things in the same ways as we do. Even if they do see colors, do they actually have preferences? When I’m in a tackle store, I stand there and think “that lure color looks more appetizing than this one”, but is a Bass going to actually make a conscious choice on that basis? It seems more likely to me that he just reacts instinctively, and his strike is the result of overall size, shape, and presentation of the bait. I guess I wonder about such things more in the Winter, when there’s more time to think and it’s too cold to fish anyway.

So, the major question at the moment is … does anyone know of any concrete evidence that Bass actually do see colors and make distinctions based on what colors they see? (In the absence of concrete evidence, I’ll even be satisfied with asphalt evidence.) And even if they can tell one color from another, do they really have favorites? I shudder to think of all the other variables, but I feel sure that some Ichthyologist at some time has attempted to devise a controlled experiment to characterize the vision of various fish. But the nice thing about this Forum is, it’s just tons easier to ask you guys, than to try digging it out of the Internet. However, here is one ‘food for thought’ entry:

http://www.ccmr.cornell.edu/educatio....html?quid=295

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