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Fishing Lures - Mepps Lure Selection Made Easy
Fishing Lures - By Phil Rabideau Mepps Master Lure Designer
Fishing Lures- Fishing spinners and spoons is an extremely productive way of catching fish. A balanced rod, reel, line combo, plus a few selected spinners or spoons is all that is needed. Unfortunately, many fishermen spend all their time trying to figure out which lure will work best for them.
Until recently, selecting the right spinner was a matter of trial and error. There were a few old "rules of thumb" which were passed down to us, but most of them make no sense under the scrutiny of modern lure technology. This guide will have you fishing productively the moment you make your first cast or begin your first trolling pass.
Several years ago, Mepps, along with Dr. Colin Kageyama, OD, developed Mepps Color Technology and a specialized See Best*line of spinners. This system allows a fisherman to quickly determine which color lures will work best in the water and light conditions he's fishing.
Fish are simple animals with small brains. It's a mistake to assign intelligence and human attributes to them. They do not think, they react to certain stimulus, and learn their habits and behavior through a process of "stimulus-response-reinforcement". They spend their life trying to survive by avoiding predators, foraging for food and reproducing.
In addition, they are cold blooded and their activity level is determined by water temperature.
At cold temperatures a fish's metabolism is low, and the fish is sluggish; a bright lure is required to stimulate a strike. Depending upon the species, there is an ideal cool temperature where fish are most active. When the water temperature warms above cool temperatures, in the warm range, a fish's eyes become more light sensitive and the fish tends to avoid bright lures. In addition, the fish becomes sluggish because of the lower oxygen content of the water.
One of the fisherman's best friends is a thermometer to judge whether the temperature of the water is in the cold, cool or warm more on this later.
Insuring that a lure is the right brightness for the fish's eyes, for a given set of fishing conditions, is a critical factor in the process of lure selection.
Fish's eyes do not dilate. They use distance and water depth to regulate light intensity. When light is too bright, the fish's eye receptors become overloaded and it moves under shade or to deeper water to control the light intensity. If a lure is too bright, fish will back-off from the lure, or even spook.
Light intensity depends upon water clarity, too, so a fish essentially wears "colored glasses" as it looks through the water; the farther the fish is away from the lure, the duller the lure becomes. When the water is cold, fish can stand more light intensity and will forage in shallower waters, but when the water is warm, the fish's eyes are very sensitive to light intensity and will seek relief by avoiding bright lures, going deep or hiding in the shade. Along with water temperature, cloudy or sunny conditions determine how a fish sees a lure.
For a fish to strike a lure, it must be able to see it. Motion stimulates fish to action along with other stimulants like sound and vibration, and in some species, scent. Mepps Color Technology provides maximum contrast between the lure and the background so it is visible to the fish while not being too bright at the same time. This is achieved through proper material and color selection for specific water and light conditions. Fishermen spend inordinate amounts of money on "fishy looking" lures. It makes no sense to camouflage lures. Camouflaging is the way bait fish survive.
Fish have two sets of color sensitive receptors in their eyes (man has three sets), so a fish can distinguish colors and hues quite well. From a color standpoint, fish's eyes adapt over a period of time to certain underwater conditions. Fish do not desire a particular color. However, lure color is extremely important only because it determines how the lure stands out under different water and light conditions.
Fish can see some colors better than others. For example, a salmon can see shades of green and blue quite well because their natural prey's camouflage reflects the colors of the ocean. During spawning season when a salmon moves from saltwater to freshwater to spawn, its eyes become more sensitive to red as it seeks a mate. But to suggest that a fish strikes a lure because it likes a certain color better than others is assigning too much intelligence to a fish. It is just trying to locate and target an easy meal.
When light travels through water, certain wavelengths are filtered out depending upon depth and water color. Sunlight contains all the colors of the rainbow, but as light travels through water, only certain colors in the spectrum penetrate depending upon the clarity and make-up of the water. So, the lure colors seen by the fisherman above water are not the colors seen by fish under water. Lure colors degrade substantially in the water, even clear blue water. We, at Mepps, know how these colors change and select lure color schemes that provide maximum contrast under various water and light conditions. Both fresh and salt water are one of three basic colors: Blue/Clear water is blue primarily because blue wavelength light penetrates it. Green water carries green organic matter like algae. 1\irbid/Stained water contains tannins and lignins from wood and plant decay.
By knowing which wavelength of light penetrates each kind of water, Mepps, with the aid of laboratory simulators, can choose a combination of color and plated finishes to provide maximum lure contrast for any given water condition.
Near the surface of the water light will penetrate, and direct light will impact a lure. However, as we fish deeper, light becomes indirect (monochromatic) and the water appears as if it were "colored fog." Not only does this change how the fish sees the lure, but also the background upon which it is viewing it. So Mepps has devised lure color schemes that suit various fishing depths. This is particularly critical in fishing deeper water. Also, some colors can be seen better than others from a distance. Mepps takes all this into consideration and applies them to all fishing applications.
Spinners & spoons are metal, primarily brass.
A review of the relative brightness of metal platings and finishes, starting with the brightest and working down, results in the following chart.
1) Silver Plate
2) Gold Plate
3) Polished Brass
4) Polished Copper
5) Chrome Plate
6) Nickel Plate
7) Tarnished Brass
8) Coffee
9) Black
Mepps uses a wide variety of these finishes on its lure blades and bodies not only to control flash and brightness, but to provide appropriate contrast. Note genuine silver plate reflects best, and all of Mepps silver blades are plated with genuine silver. This is why Mepps silver spinners are superior in cold water conditions. Poorer quality spinners and spoons are plated with chrome or nickel, and the reflective qualities of these two finishes are well down the brightness scale and are suited only for warm and sunny situations. However, many times, painted blades will outproduce plated blades under these conditions.
Mepps uses complimentary decorative paints, such as chartreuse, white, hot colors (reds, oranges and pinks), red, green, blue and black. The actual color of these hues that the fish sees is dependent upon the water color. Mepps Color Technology combines lure components to provide the appropriate brightness and contrast for almost any fishing situation.
Several types of spinners and spoons are required to get fishermen fishing at the right depth. Mepps makes the classical Aglia (French blade) spinner for fishing moderate depths; the willow leaf Aglia Long, with its classic willow leaf blade, runs deep. There is also the exciting Mepps XD for fast, rugged water that demands a deep-running smaller spinner. The Mepps Syclops and Syclops Lite spoons are perfect for casting and trolling. Each series features Mepps Color Technology.
Before fishing:
Check the water temperature to see if it is Cold, Cool or Warm*
Is the sky Sunny, Cloudy or Low Lite?
Is the water Clear/Blue, Green or Turbid/Stained?
Determine the background upon which the fish will see the lure.
Will you be fishing in deep water with indirect lighting?
*To make lure selection easier, Mepps has brochures on the Aglia, XD, See Best and Syclops that detail what lure to use under almost all fishing conditions. To get your brochures, or to get a full-color Mepps Fishing Guide, call toll-free: 800-237-9877 or visit us at www.mepps.com.
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