On the question of how much color is important lures for pike fishing, there is no consensus.

Someone thinks that the color, as well as, has great importance.

Others carefully pick up under the conditions of fishing bait type and try to make it as attractive as possible during posting, not paying attention to the colors. Let's figure out who is right and who is not and find out what color the pike likes.

V actually, the color affects the size of the catch, and this moment should be given Attention.

V first of all consider general regulations color matching for pike, which relevant and when catching a predator:

• on bright sunny days, models with dull coloring;
• in cloudy weather they are catchy bright;
• models are suitable for fishing in dark water dark colorings;
• when the water is cloudy, preference should be given bright colors, including acidic.

Bright lures and spinners that reflect light, work great in cloudy days and in muddy water, since they are the most noticeable predator. For sunny weather and for illuminated shallow waters in clear water, they are much suitable worse, because screaming coloring and sparkling metal in such conditions cause in pike rejection.

Important... It should be borne in mind that color plays a role primarily when fishing in clear water and in shallow water. At depths of more than 5 meters, it no longer matters.

When fishing, preference should be given to baits that do not merge with the bottom... So, on sandy soil they work dark colors. On a muddy bottom, in turn, the best results can be achieved with bright.

The best colors for pike fishing

Select specific colors that can be definitely called preferable for pike fishing, impossible... Fish preferences differ from reservoir to reservoir.

As a rule, every experienced angler who regularly goes on pike fishing has own preferred color options... At the same time, the opinions of spinningists about their favorite pike flowers strongly differ.

• naturalistic colors - silver, bronze and perch colors;
• provocative, acidic colors - green, yellow, orange;
• Red color;
• black color.

Making up collection baits on pike worth buying two type of models - naturalistic and provoking colors. They can be alternate on a fishing trip to determine which option the fish prefers in this specific day. Silver and bronze baits imitate different linen, and coloring for perch should be primarily used in those bodies of water where this fish is the main food pike object.

Provocative colors do not look like potential booty predator. But they are strong annoying pike, provoking it to bite, and often turn out to be the most catchy.

Many people point out that has a positive effect on the bite of the pike Availability on a lure or wobbler red elements... It can be a plastic tail or the edge of a tee. Wobblers and spinners are also used, rear part which is painted in Red.

Black lures are used by anglers infrequently, and you cannot find them in every store. Many do not even know that they exist and turn out to be catchy when hunting for pike. However, spinning periodically get into situations when fish is best responds to this color.

In some cases black baits save anglers from full bastard... Therefore, if possible, it is worth adding several such models to the collection and using them on fishing, when standard colors work poorly or do not give results at all.

When fishing for pike in first of all it is important , pick up suitable for fishing conditions bait and correctly submit her predator. But Colour also matters, and you should have a good arsenal of models of different colors, and on the pond in the absence of bites experiment to find the most catchy option. This approach will reduce the likelihood of being left with a bad catch or even without it to a minimum.

Useful video

What color is the catchy pike wobbler below:

Disputes over the choice of color scheme for lures for pike or any other fish among anglers will never subside. Some believe that color is not important at all, while others, on the contrary, approach the purchase of new copies with professional fanaticism. Also, if you ask two different people about what color the bait prefers the pike, in their opinion, most likely, you will receive completely different answers. Why is this happening and what is the reason for such serious disagreements? Let's try to clarify something.

Does the pike distinguish between colors?

It is worth saying that there is no exact answer to the question of what colors she distinguishes and how she sees the world in general. However, the fact that pike is not only able to distinguish one color from another, but also to give preference to some, confirms not only the practical experience of many anglers, but also some scientific research.

The ability of most fish species to distinguish colors has been proven by ichthyologists for a long time. Studies show that much in this matter depends on the conditions of the environment. Naturally, fish living at great depths or leading a nocturnal lifestyle distinguish colors much worse than their shallow and daytime counterparts, or do not distinguish at all due to a lack of light in the environment. For the same reason, the sensitivity of fish to light and color can vary greatly depending on the color of the water in the reservoir or the degree of its turbidity.

Pike prefers to lead a daytime lifestyle and settle in shallow waters where there is enough light and, as a rule, not too muddy water. Therefore, purely logically, we can conclude that it distinguishes colors and, moreover, it is good enough for the color of the bait used to affect your catch.

What colors does pike like?

There are no specific colors and the most catchy lures that will give you a pike "on a silver platter" with absolute certainty. Again, everything depends on the fishing conditions, namely on the quality and quantity of light and the optical properties of the water. There are only a few general guidelines, including:

• colors for real fish: shiny bronze, silver, "perch" colors;
• bright, provocative colors: acid yellow, red, green, etc.;
• classic black and red.

Practice shows that the color of the bait must be chosen for specific conditions: season, time of day, water color, temperature and weather conditions.

Fall pike bait color

In the autumn, cloudy days prevail, and the water tends to darken. In such conditions, it is worth choosing a lure that is brighter. If you are fortunate enough to be on a riverbank on a bright sunny day, use the dull colored models. In strong light, the shiny and acidic colors only repel the pike.

Winter time

In winter, when the reservoirs are covered with ice, light practically does not penetrate into the water at all. Therefore, the bet should be made on lures of dark (black) colors or glowing in the dark. In general, when fishing on ice, you should give preference to baits that work not for color or shape, but for smell.

For muddy waters, use the brightest bait in your arsenal. You will not regret.

The color of the bait depending on the species

As for specific types of baits, everything continues to obey the laws described above. However, there are also some peculiarities.

Wobblers

Volumetric lures depicting small fish. When fishing in shallow water, the pike is most often interested in the color of the wobbler of various green or greenish shades. These are probably the best colors that have been tested in practice by many spinners. At depth, the color of the wobblers in brown shades proved to be good.

Jig (silicone)

Soft lures with a small lead lead, often referred to as "silicone" in the fishing environment. Jig baits (vibrotail, twister) imitate the movements of a live bait in the water. Therefore, to enhance the irritating effect, it is preferable to choose a shiny silver or golden rubber color (of course, this does not apply to fishing in shallow water).

Foam lures

The same kind of soft baits. There is no color preference. They take with their cheapness and smell, as they are usually moistened with attractants.

Spoons

Artificial, usually metal baits that imitate live fish. The advantage of spinners, spinners and spoons is in the maximum similarity to the "game". Depending on the fishing conditions, the following are suitable for pike: silver, tricolor, acid, white and “tiger”.

Balance weights

A horizontal lure used mainly for winter fishing. In color, they should imitate the food base of pike in a particular reservoir. It can be a perch, trout or roach color (light silver).

Mandula

Composite polyurethane foam bait. It is a provocative type of bait. In other words, it should be as bright as possible. The alternation of contrasting colors is ideal: orange, bright yellow, blue, red, a combination of white and black.

Many spinningists note that the presence of any red elements on the bait has a positive effect on the bite of pike. And in the absence of a catch, black baits may suddenly come to the rescue. Engine oil can also show good results.

Conclusion

For successful catching of any fish (especially pike), it is important not only to choose the right shape, color and specificity of the bait, but also to give it to the predator correctly. Don't be afraid to experiment if there are no bites. Experience and knowledge in such a difficult but exciting business as fishing are much more valuable than your technical equipment.

Many anglers, sooner or later, are faced with the choice of the color of the bait for fishing pike. Some say that lures of a certain color are needed to catch pike, while others argue that the color of the lures does not matter, the main thing is to choose the right place and fishing tactics. There is no definite answer to this question, and the first and second versions are correct, but to some extent depend on each other.

But no matter what they say, based on the physiological development of the pike, its main reference point when hunting is sight, while other factors, such as scent and hearing, fade into the background. Taking into account these factors, one can come to the conclusion that it is still worth choosing the color of the bait for fishing pike. About the privilege of a particular color of bait for catching pike, it is still quite difficult and not entirely rational to speak.

The color of lures for pike should be chosen based on the following factors:

• the depth of the reservoir
• seasons
• transparency of water in the reservoir
• bottom relief
• time of day
• weather conditions
• fodder base of the reservoir

The choice of the color of the bait based on weather conditions and the transparency of the water. For example, if you are going to fish for pike on a clear day, when the sun is shining well and the water is warm enough, then you should give preference to lures of light and calm colors.

But, on a cloudy day, when the sun does not illuminate the reservoir poorly, baits with a golden color are more suitable. When fishing at great depths, where there is very little sunlight, it is worth using lures of very bright colors. In the spring, the water has a rather dark color, based on this, it can be assumed that it is best to use baits of dark colors.

Do not forget about other factors contributing to the capture of pike, such as the correctly chosen wiring, a promising place for fishing, and of course good luck.

For several years now, anglers have been discussing the effect of the color of lures on the bite, and there is a lot of information on this. And most of the fishermen adhere to the idea that nothing depends on the color of the bait. But there are those who believe that the bite depends precisely on the colors of the baits. And I belong to the first and second. There is no definite answer. There are times when only one color works on fishing, it happens that there is no dependence at all.

When I was a beginner in spinning fishing, I had no idea what color of silicone lures to choose, and I chose the shape of the lure without looking, because I didn't know which one I needed. To begin with, I went to the store with a flying gait and scooped up a whole package of silicone fish. But then it was more interesting, I noticed that half of the baits did not fish, after reading a little, I concluded that I bought silicone fish for sea fishing.

And then one day I came to the lake, not knowing anything about the correctness of the fish attachment on the jig head. I pulled the vibrotail onto the hook (and now I began to realize that the hook should have been taken more). Fishing technique was also unknown to me. In short, I started fishing with silicone lures, because I didn't catch lures, and I simply could not drive wobblers to the depth I needed. And when I saw a stand with silicone fish in the store, I started fishing on them.

The first fishing trips fell on the pike and it could be caught on anything. And she was even caught by me. There was no posting as such, and the predator was very active. After catching some fish, I went home. And from that day on, I believed in the performance of silicone baits.

So that's what I mean. Every year I got more and more experience and slowly began to understand how to choose the color of silicone baits, how to mount them correctly and knew a little about the preferred colors of perch, pike and pike perch. I say right away that all the information described below is purely my observations, and of course it may not work in your fishing conditions.

The best color for pike perch lures is the tones of machine oil. There are a lot of shades and variations of this color scheme. But they all work in different ways, depending on the conditions, it will be best to bite on solid colors, and in some places the advantage will be with lures with a golden hue.

Dark colored baits work best in the morning and around lunchtime. As evening approaches, it is better to change the lures to lighter ones, sometimes better with a green base color. Just like the first ones, they can be used in combination with sparkles or golden tones, or maybe in a pure performance. I choose the color of lures for zander according to the following principle: the cloudy the weather outside, the lighter the bait used.

For fishing in dirty water, or during the period of dying off of algae, it is better to use very bright baits, the acid color works great during such periods. As autumn approaches, when the water fades and becomes clearer, I try to use natural colors. It is best to choose them knowing the food base of the predator.

If you have ever been interested in such baits, you might have noticed that there are a lot of them, of the most varied tones that you just want. In my region, the closest color with bleak and gudgeon works best. Zander responds best to silicone fish with a red dot on the belly, whose task is to imitate a bloody spot on a wounded fish.

The shape of the baits, although not related to the topic of this article, I will highlight the last paragraph to it, the best baits on zander are vibrotails. And I'm not telling you this from the ceiling, it took a long time to come to this conclusion, going through a series of experiments with changing the color and shape of silicones. As a result, I realized that vibrotails work best for zander, while twisters and various worms with crustaceans bring significantly less bites.

If it comes about perch fishing, then I am not guided by small fish, which can be caught a lot with the help of a turntable, but I mean rather large specimens. Everyone knows that only small perches move in flocks, and large ones lead a solitary lifestyle. For some fishermen to catch large perch sometimes more preferable than pike. But, unlike a pike, it is almost impossible to predict the capture of a large striped, since it behaves unpredictably. I must say right away that I consider large perches over a kilogram.

So, why am I all this, most often I had to catch perch along the way, when I was guided by the pike. And the bait at the same time were vibro-tails of yellow shades, 120 mm in size. If there is a red spot on the bait, then it generally needs to be allocated to a separate category. The fish reacts much worse to monochromatic baits than to mixtures with red.

I decided to go straight to the specifics and highlight the two best colors and models of silicone lures, which I consider to be the best for spinning perch.

The first lure - "Bass assasin" attracts the perch very well and makes it peck greedily. Manufacturers decided to call the color of this bait "candy corn". And the pike reacts to it quite well, but the perch bite much better and more often. I recommend that every fisherman who is fond of jig fishing has it in the arsenal.

And the second bait I'd like to talk about. This is a twister with two tails, red, from a manufacturer unknown to me. Sometimes he helped me out when the perch was passive and refused any other bait. The 8 cm bait works best when combined with an 8 gram head. Excellent bait catches both pike and perch. I was surprised when I caught a pike weighing about 6 kilograms on it. Just perfect bait. I advise everyone.

The pike is a predatory fish that can grow to impressive sizes. It is a fishing target for many anglers. It is caught in various ways, using various lures, including wobblers.

The wobbler is considered one of the most efficient lures for pike. In retail, there are a huge number of such baits, which differ in both size and color. The angler's job is to pick up catchy bait, depending on the fishing conditions.

The outcome of the whole fishing may depend on the choice of the wobbler. The nature of the season has a great influence on the choice, as the pike reacts differently at different times of the year. Wobblers are divided into several categories, depending on the buoyancy:

• floating;
• with neutral buoyancy;
• drowning.

For effective fishing in the spring, it is better to use small baits. You should pay attention to wobblers of the Minnow class with neutral buoyancy. These lures mimic live fry, which is very attractive for pike in spring. This is due to the fact that a pike with caviar and in its belly has little room for big booty, so she chases and attacks "trifle". In addition, you need to decide on the wiring, which should not be fast. Still, the water is still cold and the pike is not so active. Therefore, it will not chase fast-moving prey.

Spring fishing consists of two stages. The first stage is pre-spawning food, and the second stage is after spawning food. During the spawning period, the pike practically does not feed. Before spawning, it behaves quite actively, but you need to be very careful with baits and without experiments it is unlikely that it will be possible to decide on a catchy wobbler. If something alarms the pike, then it is unlikely to take the bait. Start fishing with neutral, natural colors. If this does not help, then you need to move on to more aggressive colors. It is advisable to carry out the wiring slow, without various jerks or accelerations.

Summer fishing is conventionally divided into three stages, which correspond to three summer months. Depending on the summer month, the pike is interested in different, for their characteristics, wobblers. With the arrival of summer, when the fish spawned, and passed after spawning, fishing becomes measured, the pike begins to be interested in larger lures, with more aggressive posting.

At the height of summer, the pike does not particularly rush to the bait, since the fry have already grown and there is plenty of food for it. It is better to use large baits, since she does not pay any attention to small ones. As for the colors, wobblers painted for perch or pike work well. Not bad results can be obtained by casting lures for silver or bronze. In the summertime, the pike prefers to be in a shelter, where it waits for its prey. It can be lured out of the thickets with the help of wobblers working on the surface, that is, floating.

Summer fishing is characterized by the fact that the angler has to constantly experiment in order to interest the predator. Going fishing, it is better to take several suitable wobblers with an interesting game. Pike is an unpredictable fish: today it is caught with one type of wobbler, and tomorrow it will simply ignore this wobbler.

What factor should you pay attention to when choosing?

For successful fishing you need a catchy wobbler. To choose the right bait like this, you should pay attention to the following characteristics:

• on its buoyancy;
• coloring;
• sizes;
• immersion depth;
• wobbler game;

Buoyancy

As mentioned above, wobblers are characterized by buoyancy, which can be positive, neutral and negative.

Wobblers with positive buoyancy... Such lures, after casting, remain on the surface of the water. With the beginning of the wiring, they are buried to a certain depth. At the end of the winding of the line, they again float to the surface of the water. It is good to use them in shallow waters or for fishing in shallows. In the summer, the pike stays closer to the upper layers of the water, so floating wobblers are the most catchy during this period.

Wobblers with negative buoyancy... Such lures are more suitable for fishing in spring and autumn, when the pike begins to move to a depth. At the same time, it should be borne in mind that larger individuals prefer depth. Therefore, on sinking wobblers, mostly large specimens are caught.

Wobblers with neutral buoyancy... These lures are best used for fishing in the middle layers of water, as they do not sink or float. Somewhere in the beginning of summer or at the end of it, such baits will be just right for catching a toothy predator.

Immersion depth

Depending on the design and purpose, wobblers have different immersion depths. Each model must indicate the depth to which the wobbler is capable of diving. The penetration depth depends on the design of the blade, as well as on the angle of its inclination. The larger this angle, the deeper the bait can dive. In addition, the depth of its work will depend on factors such as the speed of wiring. The higher the speed of winding the line, the deeper the wobbler will go under the water. Some models are capable of diving to a depth of 10 meters.

Bait color

Coloring, although not always, has a serious impact on the fishing performance. This is especially true when the pike very strongly begins to touch the baits. And she does not go over them especially before spawning, when she has a zhor and she is ready to swallow any bait that suits her in size. The rest of the time, in order to catch a pike, it should be interested. In this case, except for the color of the bait, there is nothing to interest her with. When choosing a color, you need to adhere to some rules:

• When "hunting" for a pike on a clear sunny day, when it needs to be provoked to attack, it is better to give preference to lures of bright blue or light blue color. When fishing in shallow water, wobblers of a silver or bronze shade may appear in the same conditions.
• On cloudy days and in dark water, bait for gold turns out to be out of competition. Turbid water requires the use of bright lures, visible at optimal distances. The most suitable baits will be painted in bright red, yellow or acidic shades. Most the best option Is the use of wobblers coated with fluorescent paint. The deeper, the more preferable lures with gold or yellow colors may be.

Rating of the most catchy wobblers for pike

Among the huge variety of models of wobblers, there are specimens that are very popular with spinningists because of their catchability.

This is an incredibly catchy model with a magnet system that allows for very accurate casts. Suitable for use both on current and on stagnant water.

This wobbler weighs 13 grams. If you use uneven wiring, then the pike will certainly attack him.

This lure is the most catchy when used for fishing in the middle layers of water. Incredible quality of a wobbler with a very interesting game that can activate any predator.

Works great for any predator, not just pike.

According to many spinningists, this bait has saved absolutely hopeless fishing more than once. The wobbler can be used in thickets of aquatic vegetation, directly at the surface of the water.

With the arrival of spring, pike can be found in the shallows, where the water warms up much faster. A lot of small things are collected in these parts of the water area, and the pike is sent there to "hunt". The most catchy ones will be those with a silver tint.

If, after several casts, there are no bites, then you need to go to another section of the reservoir. It is quite possible that there are no fish in this particular area, for some reason.

Going fishing, you should take several interesting wobblers, differing both in color and size. Using in turn different kinds wobblers, it is not uncommon to find exactly the one that prefers the pike at a given time.

Most fish are wary and pike are no exception. If you behave noisily, then the pike will go far from the shore or to another place. According to experienced anglers, the pike is very fond of eating perch, so the lure that imitates this striped robber is the most catchy in many cases.

Spinning pike fishing is considered the most interesting view fishing. But this is only if the bait is chosen correctly. Therefore, you should stop your choice on a wobbler as the most catchy bait.

Wobblers colors: which ones to choose?

Wobblers colors: which ones to choose?

There is simply an indecent amount of wobbler colors, especially if you combine all the options of the world's major manufacturers. Even excluding from them purely marine ones (although they often catch no worse colors for fresh water, and sometimes much better), we get an impressive variety, expressed in three-digit numbers. Having estimated how many color options are languishing in my boxes, I came up with the number 45. And after all, almost all work! True, many shoot at very specific dates, at very specific fish and at very specific reservoirs, and the rest of the time - these are just spare cartridges. But there are also some of the top color schemes, bringing trophies all season and in many places over the years. However, I want to warn novice spinningists: you do not need to strive for double-digit numbers (unless, of course, you want to do collecting) - it is quite possible to put all the variety of colors needed for fishing in a dozen options. We will now talk about them in detail - however, with a small "but". Everything that will be said below applies to all types of solid volumetric lures with the exception of surface ones - the fish sees them differently and perceives them differently, therefore, they should be discussed separately.

Natural colors

These are colors that imitate some specific prey of a predator - fry or adult fish. How often you can hear questions like: "What colors of wobblers (or wobblers) should you buy?" And what can they immediately answer, except perhaps a win-win option - "natural"? If you delve into the essence of the issue, finding out the types of reservoirs, fishing conditions, seasons, types of fish, etc., then the conversation can drag on for a very long time. Nevertheless, I will try to express my point of view on the "color" theme, because, firstly, the questions of beginners continue to sound from year to year, because the ranks of fishermen are constantly growing. And secondly, it was not enough that I saw something in recent times materials on this score from Russian authors.

In this area, Japanese manufacturers have no competitors. This also applies to the most accurate reproduction of color nuances, and the observance of the proportions of body parts, and the most careful detailing of the body of the bait. Therefore, in this section I will have to resort to their terminology. And in general, the number of different really natural colors in the Japanese is an order of magnitude higher than that of Europeans and Americans. But, despite all this diversity, we can single out several options that are truly universal for our region, adding to them such an uncharacteristic color for the Japanese as "perch", and not forgetting the most popular and understandable color of the first Lauri Rapala wobbler, created by him using silver foil.

Aui and her variants (photo 1). Auyi is a small anadromous smelt fish that inhabits many rivers in Japan and is the nation's most important freshwater fishing destination. Fishing Auy is a separate philosophy and a powerful specialty industry. It is not surprising that this coloring in different options(matte, shiny, holographic, translucent, and others) must be found in the colors of most models of almost all Japanese manufacturers. Even if some freshwater and often marine model of a wobbler has only 4-5 color options in production, then "Ayushka" is most likely included in this number. The photo shows the color - this is a grayish-olive body with a slightly darker tone on the back with yellow spots on the gill covers. Well, as for the yellow spots, I am not inclined to attach any magical meaning to them - after all, this is nothing more than a complete copying characteristic of the Japanese, and they can only have any meaning in Japanese rivers, where the predator really collides with a real prototype.

We do not have anything like that swims in water bodies. But the tone of the hull may well remind our predator of a specific real food object, which he confirms with his regular grips throughout the entire season and in all weather conditions. It seems to me that the color of Auya (a slightly metallic or translucent version of Ghost Minnow) may well copy the bleak, and bastard, and sabrefish, and dace, and smelt, and fry of European grayling, i.e. fish without obvious conspicuous color tints of the body, which explains the amazing catchability of wobblers of this color. It is not for nothing that Daiwa has kept this color scheme for so many years in the color cards of many of its models. And Mega bass almost all of its lures are produced in some versions of Aui. How can you find more worthy recommendations in the world?

If you are faced with the question of what natural color Japanese wobbler to buy, then take Aui - this is getting into the "top ten"! Personally, I do not know of a more universal natural color.

Oikawa (photo 2). Another famous Japanese color, which is present in the catalogs of many manufacturers of not only wobblers, but also oscillating lures. "Smudges" - this is how spinningists sometimes call it in their slang, although the popular name - "drunk" is more common. It also imitates a very specific representative of the aquatic fauna of the land of the rising sun. Represents vertical greenish-blue smudges on a silvery (mostly light tone) body. Well, in my opinion, it copies fish that have certain shades of blue-green on the back and sides, namely, roach (first of all), silver bream, chubs, blue bream, roaches. The colors are very catchy. True, in calm, clear summer weather, it is often inferior to "Ayushka" due to too strong glare. After all, baits with a reflective coating are mainly produced, but there are options with a darkened tone of the body, which can correct the situation. But they still need to be found on sale, which can be difficult due to their rarity.

Wakasagi (photo 3). One of the most natural colors also copies a very specific representative of the island fish fauna. Only the lazy in Japan does not use it in their production. It has many different variations, like "Ayushka", for every taste (and dark, and light, and holographic, and translucent, and all sorts of others). The main feature is a brightly outlined back of a dark brown tone and lighter sides and abdomen with a characteristic slight bluish (sometimes bluish-greenish or iridescent) overflow. As you can imagine, finding a match among our fish with such a color is as easy as shelling pears. Roach, chub, asp, roach, bleak, dace, vendace, sabrefish, smelt and other fish may well "take" a wobbler of this color as their own. But, in spite of this, personally, I put "Ayushka" a little higher, since it gives results (in my fishing conditions, of course) more stable and better. Perhaps I am subjective, but it is in your power to revise my conclusions by purchasing similar (or even the same) wobblers of the Aui and Wakasagi colors and driving them on your ponds. In any case, Wakasagi should definitely have its own cell in your box.

Yamame. If you still don't know what this is about, then, after looking at photo 4, you will probably remember that you have seen lures of a similar color in pictures in different fishing magazines more than once. The colors are used by almost all manufacturers in Japan (including lure manufacturers) and even abroad - Koreans, for example, also often use it.

I still can't figure out what Yamame is, this fish widespread on the Japanese islands. Either these are resident forms of some Pacific salmon (most likely sims), or their still undeveloped juveniles, or a kind of char, or, perhaps, a concept generalizing for all of them. And it’s not so important. The important thing is that this color has a lot of prototypes in our ichthyofauna. The fact is that the juveniles of all salmonids, the so-called "smolt", regardless of geographic referencing, looks about the same, and it is exactly the same way as among the "Japanese". Quite large vertically elongated dark spots, bordered to a greater or lesser extent by some dots, run across the body. Accordingly, in the regions where salmonids are present, their juveniles are the food of many predators - and wobblers of this color are just great. But they are very catchy even in places where they have not even heard of salmon. Both pike and perch eat them for a sweet soul. What this color reminds them of, we will never know for certain. The only candidate for similarity, excluding salmonids, is pike perch. In underwater footage, I found that its not as pronounced as in the perch, the stripes on the sides are very reminiscent of the characteristic spots of the Yamame color.

True, there are two big "buts". Firstly, pike perch is not everywhere striped, especially in reservoirs with dark water, where it is rather similar in general body tone to some rotan. And secondly, it bites perfectly on wobblers of this color even where there is no pike perch in the whole district. So, maybe our predators do not look at all these spots at all, but pay attention only to the general natural tone of the bait. But fact is fact - Yamame works. And if you live in the North-West, North, Far East or Siberia, then wobblers of this color should be the first candidates for getting into your shopping list.

Perch ("perch" - photo 5). What can you say about this color? Only that it must certainly be in the arsenal of the spinning player, and preferably not with one bait, so that it can be used at all depths available for fishing. Perch inhabits a huge part of our country and is one of the most abundant fish species. The biomass of the Russian perch is simply monstrous. Accordingly, it is also the most important food item for predators, including himself. In some reservoirs or in certain seasons, it makes up the lion's share of the menu for pike, sometimes pike perch, burbot, trout - it all depends on the specific conditions of the river or lake. Of all the natural colors, perch is the most understandable to a simple fisherman, and the easiest way to trust her psychologically. So, if you want to start mastering solid volumetric lures - the first thing to do is take "natural perch".

I would only like to warn anglers against one mistake that could significantly spoil the impression of the first experience. The fact is that wobblers of this color are produced by a huge number of companies. And not all lures, as you know, are of high quality. Often, beginners have doubts about which wobbler is better to take in the store? Or very similar to a real okushka, but from an incomprehensible manufacturer and cheaper, or only slightly resembling a natural prototype, but from a well-known reputable company and more expensive? Very often, unfortunately, I saw that people tend to the first option and not necessarily because of financial issues, they just tend, due to their little experience, to believe more in the magical power of colors than in the working qualities of the bait, which they still have too much small presentation. The value of such a reliable imitation of perch colors is often not so great. The main principle of influencing the organs of vision of a predator is the flickering of a striated body with a desirable more pronounced contrast of dark and light stripes. That is why often baits (for example, not very expensive Yo-zuri or Strike Pro, as well as more expensive Rapala and Nils Master) with their very schematic perch pattern on the sides outperform various fruits of cooperation of Polish, Russian and other companies with mainland Chinese manufacturers. ... Think about this before making your choice.

Silver (silvery) and its variants (photo 6). Europeans and Americans are often not so scrupulous about matching the colors of the baits to specific natural prototypes. Here is a different mentality and a different culture of production - more and more rational, pragmatic and rude. Western people are not inclined for the most part to aesthetic delights, for him a wobbler is only a means, and for a Japanese it is also a work of art. It seems to me that in terms of the approach to fishing and to tackle, we are moving more and more towards Japan and further and further away from the West. But we must pay tribute to the West as well. Despite some primitivism, the products of old American and European brands have worked, work and will work. In particular, wobblers in silver colors from the largest and most respected manufacturers are the most versatile and reliable "means of delivery" of fish to the shore or to a boat. One way or another, but you can't do without them.

Despite a rather large number of important (and not so much) color nuances (shiny or matte body, presence of holography, light or dark back, point on the side or its absence, minor black, red or blue additions on the back, abdomen or throat), the principle the actions of coloring is simple and straightforward - it is an imitation of the vast majority of types of food objects of all predators of our waters, but without personalization. Accordingly, some of these baits will not be superfluous in your boxes, especially considering the very humane price of the "Americans" for the wallet of the average fisherman, due to the current low dollar rate against the euro. After all, a good "Japanese" with a similar color scheme often costs 2 or even 3 times more. That is, for the same money, you can buy two baits that seem to be very similar in appearance, but slightly different in purpose, which, ultimately, can significantly increase your chances. For example, shiny and matte - and catch calmly in all lighting conditions. Or with a depth of half a meter and 2 meters - and all the shallow water is yours. Yes, the flight performance and durability of the lures will be much worse, but if you intend trolling fishing, then why do you need all sorts of mass transfer systems? The final choice is always yours.

I deliberately omit the Pike color ("pike") in this article, because, despite its destructiveness, it is still very narrowly focused, especially considering the size of most wobblers that manufacturers produce using it. The main client of this color is pike, ranging from medium and higher, and the main tackle is casting, because these baits often weigh several tens of grams. It is unlikely that you need this on initial stage.

Of the natural colors for myself, I also single out the Japanese RT * (rainbow trout - "rainbow trout" - photo 7), BB (baby bass - "baby bass") and Kurokin - gold with a dark back (better known as "kopchukha" ), as well as European Tr (trout - "trout"), Mn (minnow - "fry") and BH (bull head - "bull head"). But if the first two can be easily replaced in real fishing by the ones listed above, and the third - by a more catchy, in my opinion, Akakin color, which will be discussed below, then the other three are quite specific and are used, first of all, in stream fishing and when fishing on small rivers, difficult for catching fish in tactical and technical terms. This is not the topic of our conversation yet, so let's leave these colors alone and move on to the next section.

Semi-natural colors

It seems that there is no such term, but I have not come up with anything better. Here I include the colors of lures, the real prototypes of which do not exist in our fresh waters, but I also cannot call them unnatural. Here I will highlight only two colors, the main highlight of which is that they exaggerately emphasize the color fragments of the color of its prey that attract a predator.

Blue back (photo 8). It is a bright, saturated blue, and not some kind of blue or bluish. The famous coloring, for more than ten (and maybe fifteen) years, has been in favor with spinning and trolling players. Its essence is simple: a hypertrophied imitation of the natural ebb of the dorsal scales of the most important forage fish - roach, smelt, vendace and others, so beloved by all predators. If you conduct a survey among anglers about their favorite colors, then the "blue back" will surely take one of the first places. And if you take those who like to fish in Ladoga or the Gulf of Finland, then, probably - the first, and by a wide margin. And we are not the only lovers of this color.

North American anglers from the Great Lakes also distinguish this color as the most versatile and catchy of all. Its execution often differs from different manufacturers (only Nils Master has as many as five variants of "blue spins"), but I consider Rapal's SB (silver blue) definitely the best. She helped me out so many times in the deadliest bastards. It's a shame that Rapala has stripped this color scheme off most of its models and replaced it with a bunch of bullshit. But, apparently, the bosses of the corporation are more concerned about marketing and sales growth than adhering to good traditions and preserving the unique style of one of the world's oldest manufacturers of wobblers.

True, even simpler options perfectly fulfill their purpose. For me, for example, blue-back lures from Salmo have always shown good results, although their colors are much more primitive than those of Rapala and other manufacturers. For example, only the colors "53" for Nils Master wobblers are similar in simplicity, and "46", "66", "75" and "88" are already much more complex.

From my own experience I can say that the "blue back" works all year round in any weather, at any time of the day and for many types of fish. Personally, I used it to catch almost all predatory and semi-predatory fish, and in different regions. Even in winter this color (balancers in color "85" from Nils Master) is one of the most popular for me, and for many lurers in the Northwest too. Suffice it to say that I took the bulk of the daytime burbot on such balancers.

The conclusion is this: if you are going to fish with spinning or trolling on large bodies of water in our region, then without "blue backs" it is better not to go in there. The same applies to fishing in "difficult times" on all other rivers and lakes. They must be in the arsenal without fail.

Gold with a red back (photo 9). In the slang of our spinning players - "orange". A very popular color in the world production of wobblers. Pictures in fishing magazines around the world of Rapal wobblers with this color (GFR-gold fluorescent red - golden fluorescent with a red back) in the mouths of all kinds of trophies have pretty numbed eyes over the past decades. Many companies have it under the abbreviation OG (orange gold). Among the Japanese, this color is usually called Akakin and is one of the most important and one of the most widespread (along with Ayu, Kurokin, Wakasagi and Yamame) by most manufacturers. It seems to be similar to natural in many ways, but it is impossible to find prototypes in the northern freshwater ichthyofauna with all the desire. If the golden sides may still belong to some of our fish such as crucian carp, tench, rudd and ide, then none of them have a bright red back. Personally, I find wobblers in this color much more catchy than natural Kurokin. I have them in large numbers in various versions - and they catch everything. The percentage of the predator caught on them, in comparison with other colors, is close to twenty. But these are my conditions. Plus holy faith in the power of this coloring.

There are a number of specific nuances in the use of wobblers of this color. First, it is desirable that the sun is present (and its height above the horizon is not so important) - then it works better. It works beautifully both on a clear afternoon and at dawn. A predator (for the most part - a pike perch) simply rages on such lures, especially at the moment when the sun is in contact with the horizon line and the color scheme of the wobbler completely coincides with the color of the disk of the rising or setting sun. Secondly, according to my observations, top scores the color shows all the same in water tinted with humic substances (reddish-brown color of water). Here, too, the importance of a certain color match can be traced.

It is easy to conclude that this color is not as versatile as all of the above. It turns out that this is practically a purely summer option, but at the same time it may be out of competition in its time. And our summer is quite long and sunny, so you should have such baits in your arsenal.

And one more important nuance - shallow wobblers of this color allow you to exercise excellent visual control over them during wiring, because the bright red back is visible from a great distance.

Black. Recently, I have identified for myself another important color in this category, namely black (photo 10). But, firstly, for beginners, and some spinningists are more experienced, despite all the publications in the periodicals on the successful use of pure black lures, it is difficult to force themselves to fish with a wobbler of this color.

And secondly, it is quite specific: it works great (which is based on the principle of maximum contrast) in two diametrically opposite cases - either in conditions of very strong illumination (the height of a sunny day), or at a very low level (late twilight). It is unlikely that this is necessary at the initial stage of mastering wobbler fishing.

Provoking colors

"Provocateurs" are the most important category of artificial lures both in spinning and fly fishing. And ensuring the presence of provocative colors of wobblers in the spinning player's box is the sacred duty of its owner. What explains the astounding all-season performance of these colors? Logically difficult to explain. They fire even when there seems to be nothing to hope for. And when the fish is in good spirits, almost 90% of the provoking wobbler will not be left without her attention.

FT (fire tiger - "fire tiger" - photo 11). Probably, there is no spinning player in nature who does not have a whole set of lures with this color. And beginners are likely to be one of the first to buy just such a wobbler - for some reason, the "fiery tiger" inspires widespread confidence in itself even among very little-informed fishermen. Apparently, the glory of this color runs far ahead of her. It is no coincidence that even the most ordinary firms from the most distant countries have this color in production. In the same China, you can find a great variety of options for this color, often incredibly hypertrophied. Is this not an indicator of FT catching ability!

As for reputable manufacturers, the FT gives them a lot of creativity, and they take full advantage of it. Each company has something of its own in terms of the proportions of colors and stripes with spots, and the saturation of colors is also very different. But this has little effect on the result, as shown by comparative tests, if the same type of wobblers with the classic FT are used, without any deviations in the color range. Nevertheless, the fish perceives this color in a complex way.

I can remember many examples when FT was a lifesaver in all seasons and in all predatory fish... And during the summer heat of the day, this color can be considered the main one in many cases. For example, last season: Novgorod Region, first half of August. For several days now the weather has been hot, clear and calm, with daytime temperatures around 32 ° С. At dawn it still pecked somehow, but when the sun rose over the forest, only rare perches haphazardly "sat down" on a popper of natural color. But then this stopped too - and for three hours I walked without a single bite. Moreover, the mirrored surface of the river did not show that there was anyone swimming here. After going through all the lures of natural colors, I put in a wobbler in FT color, and the largest one available, namely the composite Bomber Long A (B15JA). What was my surprise when, on the very first cast along the coastal grass, he was powerfully attacked by a good pike. In general, I caught four pikes on that hot afternoon, and the attacks were greedy and from a long distance. Someone would argue that the notorious pike exit occurred, but I specifically checked this version with the most catchy wobblers - they were still not interesting to the fish.

When choosing FT lure in the store, try to resist the temptation to be cheap. It will most likely take place, since absolutely everyone does this color. Take the money and buy a well-known product from a reputable company. Then the famous FT catching ability will be multiplied by the outstanding performance of the model itself - and you will gain faithful helper to extract from the water its toothy and fanged inhabitants.

RH (red head - "red head" - photo 12). The famous coloring, which in the slang of spinningists has another not quite, so to speak, "politically correct" name - "tampax". One of the oldest colors available in many models of wobblers by any self-respecting manufacturer in the world. Simple and brilliant to the point of impossibility. I don’t know who was the first to use it, but for that alone he is worthy of the monument. Coloring practically excludes the possibility of any "tuning". Well, if only - small variations on the theme of glitter (holographic version) or the clarity of the border between red and white (the transition is sometimes blurred). Everything else, as they say, is from the evil one.

The catchability of this color has a truly universal scale - it works equally well in fresh and salt water, in the Arctic and in equatorial latitudes, day and night, at all seasons at any water temperature. But for some reason anglers, even no longer beginners, often shy away from such lures, while unconditionally trusting the FT colors. Something from the field of psychology does not allow them to feel comfortable when a wobbler of this color is attached to the end of the fishing line. I strongly recommend having this color in your arsenal, and on wobblers of different depths and types.

On account of this color, I also have a lot of examples, but I will give the most memorable one. The same Novgorod region, the same river, only a few years earlier. End of July. An anticyclone with all the accompanying delights - heat, calm, not a single cloud. Since dawn, in five hours I caught only one pike perch (still in the morning fog), one perch, and got a couple of indistinct pokes in the appendage. He was already heading towards the house, since the sun had already fully begun to illuminate the river. And what pulled me? It was eleven o'clock, scorching heat, and I attached a sinking red-headed Salmo Minnow 9S wobbler to a decent-sized leash. Most likely, I wanted to fish the deepest points, and with a wobbler. And he caught it, and how! In an hour, I lifted exactly ten pikes from the pits, and all of them were almost the same size - 1.1 - 1.2 kg. And that's not counting a dozen more bites! I don’t know how much one could catch in a whole day, but after the tenth pike I no longer wanted anything. And in this case, I tested the "exit theory". Five times I put other baits that were catchy on this river, and different types(both a "turntable", and a "shaker", and wobblers of natural colors), but not a single bite was in the same points where I then threw my redhead, from which they immediately began to remove shavings in the literal sense of the word.

Everything related to the purchase of the FT paint wobbler applies to the RH. But the temptation to save money will not be so strong here. demand creates supply (demand for RH is not very large) and the number of useless crafts is not so great. It may also happen that there is simply no alternative to "Japanese", "American" or "Finn" in the store. And this is good.

There are three more provocative colors that can work very well under certain conditions. But I would not recommend paying your attention to them at first.

Cln (down - "clown" - photo 13) is also a kind of "red head", only instead of white and red - it has, respectively, pale lemon and deep pink colors.

"Schisandra" (photo 14) is a poisonous greenish-yellow color with some minor color additions (mostly green) on some parts of the bait body. Under certain circumstances, they show themselves very well, but in general they are inferior in universality to those described above and are more narrowly focused. They will often have an advantage over RH and FT only for targeted pike perch fishing; in other cases, you will only need to have a redhead with a "tiger".

Another color is matte saturated bright yellow - with varying degrees of red or even orange presence. It is a very catchy and almost universal color, especially in peaty water. I love her very much, but, unfortunately, manufacturers do not like her. You rarely meet it on store shelves, and if you do find it, then, most likely, this wobbler will cost a lot of money - because of its Japanese origin. Why many companies ignore it, I do not understand. It would be better to take the example of Megabass, which uses its excellent Aka-Tora color scheme (photo 15) in a very large number of models. And these Japanese people just don't do anything.

As you can see, not everything is so scary, and in order to have a decent set of wobblers for all possible fishing conditions, you don't have to spend crazy money, unless you get carried away with elite Japanese brands. But there is one interesting pattern. The charm of these plastic and wooden fish is so great that it is internally difficult to buy them only until their number exceeds a dozen. Then, for many, the process becomes easier and faster. A snowball effect arises. Everything turns into a "clinical form" - and the total value of your arsenal of baits eventually approaches the cost of a used car. So, if you are a gambling Paramosha, then think carefully - is it worth getting involved in all this.

1Not to be confused with European RT - there is nothing natural about them.

M. Nezhdanov

"Sports Fishing No. 9 - 2008"

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An article from the site " Kaliningrad fishing club