Do you think fish care????

[AChotrod]

Wasn't sure where to put this since it is a question about fishing and boats, but looks like this section gets more traffic so here's my question.

I'm going to repaint the bottom of my boat and wonder if fish care what color the bottom is? I don't want to scare them away from it with a dark, or bright color.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Do you think fish care????

Trout care if you are stream fishing .....it is best to wear a shirt that blends with the sky or trees...... in a boat - not so much. a boat is a large sun blocking floating mass to a fish.

 

[AChotrod]

Re: Do you think fish care????

Thanks for the reply,
I was thinking more along the lines of how they paint a fighter jet to blend into the sky to camouflage them. IE a gray, white, light blue bottom etc. Thought the same may apply to boats. If it doesnt matter to fish Ill just pick what I want. Now comes the hard part of choosing a color.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Do you think fish care????

Well considering I do not leave my boat in and even if I did leave it in......lake and river slime and grime is a bunch easier then barnacles from salt water. I personally save money on bottom paint....... I think that is a salt water boater's burden

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Do you think fish care????

Like all boating questions, it depends.

Flounder are particular to deep red bottoms and are comfortable around them, but are really annoyed by blue as it's just so overdone. Toadfish like gray but no one likes toadfish so their opinion doesn't count. Croaker are real snobs about condition, more than color; spot on the other hand don't care how beat up it is as long as it's gray. Stripers find black to be very stylish as it goes with everything, and can be casual or formal--the "little black dress" approach. It can also exude that "bad boy" look that they like but they won't admit it to their friends. Sharks like black, probably for that reason. Bluefish, with their military attitude, love an unpainted olive drab jon boat. Sheepshead, a fish with little personality, is fine with plain vanilla white.

 

[AChotrod]

Re: Do you think fish care????

Haha! What about freshwater fish? Such as large and small mouth bass, pike, Muskie, walleye, catfish and of course panfish? lol.

Anyways I was thinking of a gunmetal or charcoal gray, possibly red. Just dont want something that could actually deter fish from the boat, since I fish a lot of shallow areas. The rivers and lakes average about 5-6 ft for the most part with some areas getting 35 ft in the deepest parts of the lakes.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Do you think fish care????

Fish have a white belly for reason, it's the least obvious color when another fish is looking up at them.

 

[V153]

Re: Do you think fish care????

I painted mine in a multi-colored 'patchwork quilt' motif, so's not to offend any fish ...

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Do you think fish care????

Fish have a white belly for reason, it's the least obvious color when another fish is looking up at them.

which is important if you are prey; few fishing boats are.

you can't over-think it; for every fish that may be spooked by a shadow there is another who see a shadow as cover and will move toward it. In open water you look for an old plank or something floating b/c baitfish hide under it and game fish lurk around looking for the hiding bait fish.

what really matters is whether you are holding your mouth right while fishing.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Do you think fish care????

Actually I'm not too concerned about it, only one of my boats that I fish out of has a white bottom.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Do you think fish care????

They are more effected by sound than color. Colors change with light and water depth.

 

[colbyt]

Re: Do you think fish care????

Anyways I was thinking of a gunmetal or charcoal gray, possibly red. Just dont want something that could actually deter fish from the boat, since I fish a lot of shallow areas. The rivers and lakes average about 5-6 ft for the most part with some areas getting 35 ft in the deepest parts of the lakes.

I would not do red. There was a study of fishing line sometime back and red got the shaft.

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Do you think fish care????

Like all boating questions, it depends.

Flounder are particular to deep red bottoms and are comfortable around them, but are really annoyed by blue as it's just so overdone. Toadfish like gray but no one likes toadfish so their opinion doesn't count. Croaker are real snobs about condition, more than color; spot on the other hand don't care how beat up it is as long as it's gray. Stripers find black to be very stylish as it goes with everything, and can be casual or formal--the "little black dress" approach. It can also exude that "bad boy" look that they like but they won't admit it to their friends. Sharks like black, probably for that reason. Bluefish, with their military attitude, love an unpainted olive drab jon boat. Sheepshead, a fish with little personality, is fine with plain vanilla white.

Okay I want to know how that survey was done!!

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Do you think fish care????

Okay I want to know how that survey was done!!

My wife stuck her head overboard and asked them. It was a slow fishing day and you know how the ladies godblessem can go on and on about color schemes.

I wish bonz hadn't brought up sound. Now we have to discuss the best mood music, too.

 

[V153]

Re: Do you think fish care????

Now we have to discuss the best mood music, too.

Hadn't thought about that yet ...

 

[JimS123]

Re: Do you think fish care????

Grandpa said you had to have a forest green bottom to catch a lot of fish. He always caught a lot of fish and so did I when i went with him. My boat bottoms have been white, blue and copper bronze and I don't catch nearly as many fish as he did.

Grandpa said a lot about trailers, OB motor HP, maintenance, etc. Many of the things he said contradict what's said on forums. I find a lot of misinformation on the internet, but in the 44 years since he passed I never found anything he said to be wrong!

 

[NYBo]

Re: Do you think fish care????

Like all boating questions, it depends.

Flounder are particular to deep red bottoms and are comfortable around them, but are really annoyed by blue as it's just so overdone. Toadfish like gray but no one likes toadfish so their opinion doesn't count. Croaker are real snobs about condition, more than color; spot on the other hand don't care how beat up it is as long as it's gray. Stripers find black to be very stylish as it goes with everything, and can be casual or formal--the "little black dress" approach. It can also exude that "bad boy" look that they like but they won't admit it to their friends. Sharks like black, probably for that reason. Bluefish, with their military attitude, love an unpainted olive drab jon boat. Sheepshead, a fish with little personality, is fine with plain vanilla white.

ound:ound:ound: I darn near shot wine out of my nose all over my computer!

 

[AChotrod]

Re: Do you think fish care????

I would not do red. There was a study of fishing line sometime back and red got the shaft.

Ok red is out. Damn now I have to install a stereo though.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Do you think fish care????

Fresh or salt-- once you paint the bottom of a glass boat figure on doing it on a regular basis.

 

[bonz_d]

Re: Do you think fish care????

Sorry been in and out of dry dock this past week so I'm not keeping up.

Yes sounds, Rainy days and Mondays = Carpenters. Sunny days = Young Rascals, Storms moving in = Doors. Windy = Chicago.