Home Fish Science Can Fish See Lures At Night? (Helpful Examples)

Can Fish See Lures At Night? (Helpful Examples)

by gvald

The night is an excellent time to stalk fish from the shore for two main reasons:

 

  • The return to calm

The calm being back on the banks of the estuaries or on the beaches and other rocky coasts, the predators do not hesitate to come to feed with a few centimeters of the bank to collect all the preys which offer themselves to them.

Moreover, fishing in the dark is really a particular activity, the atmosphere, the silence, a sense in less… The sensations are completely different and almost intensified by the context.

 

  • The awakening of a particular fauna

At night, a whole fauna, relatively discreet during the day, becomes active: shrimps and crabs come out of their hiding places and fishes, especially the big ones, know it perfectly and intend to take advantage of it.

 

Can fish see at night?

Fish see in colors depending on the species (if they live in deep or shallow water). They are able to distinguish red (first color absorbed by water), yellow, orange and purple.

 

They also have a retina capable of absorbing a very large quantity of light, which allows them to have a good night vision, much better than that of the cat which is however famous.

Their binocular vision allows them to see far away and in relief.

 

Do fish see lures in the water at night?

Yes, fish can still see a lure at night, but not in the same way as during the day! Most scientists say that they see them with a shade of gray.

 

Of course, you will have to adapt your equipment for a night outing, because the lures you use during the day will probably not have the same effect once in the dark.

 

The best would be to use white or black lures, or even fluorescent lures! We’ll explain below why these lures are best for night fishing.

 

At night, you can prospect exactly the same spots as in the daytime, but don’t hesitate to animate your lure right into your feet. A vein of water, a border of oyster park, a spot of seaweed, a rock outcropping in the middle of the current, even at 1 meter from the edge must be exploited.

 

Which lures to use for night fishing ?

The ability of fish to perceive light intensity should also be taken into account. Indeed, this capacity increases as the efficiency of the cones decreases, when the night falls for example. Like us, fish do not distinguish colors by low luminosity, but they discern much better the values, the shades of gray if you will. This is probably why white and black are regularly used.

 

In the semi-light of dawn or dusk, it is better to play the contrast card to the fullest! This is also why fluorescent colors are more visible, because they continue to emit in “lighter” wavelengths.  On the other hand, there is the aspect “brightness”, ie gold, silver, holographic reflections that are also managed by the sticks, as well as the movement.

 

However, using lures that are an exact copy of the food the fish eat is not always the most effective technique. If it were, the shelves of every tackle store would be filled with dull-colored lures in shades of gray, brown and green.

 

There are some, but right next door you’ll find others sporting all the colors of the rainbow, plus fluorescent lures in colors that hardly exist in nature. Indeed, how many small phosphorescent minnows have you ever seen? How about purple or chartreuse worms? Nevertheless, these bizarre creations continue to be used by anglers, season after season, when other natural-looking lures fail to work.

You may also like