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This topwater bait has a pattern which could be
described as a "Sunfish" pattern. I added some Pizzazz Orange
color to enhance the match to
the intense color found in the existing forage in
my area.
I used flash Holographic Silver and small Black accents
for this example but. A little Dark Green and Lime Green Color could be added in stages as needed to produce
a reaction strike from the fish. |
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Maximum Contrast is the theme of this custom "splash"
pattern. Bubble Gum pink is used on the
eye, gill, and side dot shapes. The circular pink iris shape allows the
black of the pupil to show through and has a built in highlight shape as
well for a realistic highlight detail. Olive Green/Bright Red
on the head gives the maximum color contrast here and the Black/white
contrast on the sides and back give maximum contrast in those
areas. The Silver Dazzler "wave" shape below adds
flash. These same shapes if done in Dark Green, Olive Green,
and Fluorescent Chartreuse would give an effective frog pattern. |
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This deep diving suspending crankbait shows a modified shad pattern.
The Brilliant Blue enhances the red-orange
of the eye and gives a more defined shape to the head. Since predator
fish instinctively key on the eye when attacking their prey this
enhancement makes it easier for the fish to target the bait.The lighter Splash Blue blends with the
iridescent color of the bait and helps define the body of the lure. The
gill shape in Bright Red, because it looks like blood, elicits an
instinctual predatory response reaction. |
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This is a shallow diving plug. Sometimes when fishing muddy waters
brightly colored lures are necessary to ensure that the fish can find
the lure. This shows how the color shapes can be added to the body and
head as well as the the side/belly. The blue colors blend with the
existing greens and the hot colors enhance the existing chartreuse belly
colors giving the fish an altogether different look than they are
accustomed to seeing. Pressured fish see the same factory finishes over
and over and become conditioned to ignore these offerings. A different
look or color combination can sometimes elicit violent strikes from
normally wary lunkers. |
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In this photo the lure has been further modified by the addition of
a silver holographic shape and a black dot above it. Color shapes can be
added or taken off until you find what the fish want that day. Let's say
you are fishing shallow timber, for example, and suspect that fish are
in the area even though you haven't caught any. But you are convinced
that the type of lure you are fishing is right for the prevailing
conditions (it presents the bait at the correct depth and has the best
action). Then you might want to try some red, pink, black, or chartreuse
to give your lure the extra brilliance and attraction necessary to put
those finicky fish in the boat. As a rule of thumb try dark colors for
the back and sides and Flash or Bright colors for accents and for fins,
gills, eyes etc. Try blending or contrasting colors till you get a bite
then make minor modifications to improve your catch rate. Tie on another
lure for a few minutes to be sure the lure is dry before making
modifications for best adhesion. |
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Modifying spinnerbaits just got a whole lot easier with Lucky
Loper's Lure Customizing Kit. Many times the addition of a small amount
of chartreuse and red to a lure will drive the fish crazy. This
spinnerbait has Lime Green added to the head and some bits of,
you guessed it, chartreuse and red. But the unique addition of the
Bright Red and Fluorescent Chartreuse to the blade really
resonates with the gold of the blade as it spins and tricks the fish
into seeing a baitfish shape and still keeps sufficient flash to invite
a strike from that lurking hawg. The red dot ("eye") and Fluorescent
Chartreuse wave shape are positioned on both sides of the blade to
maintain visual contact with the color as the blade rotates. The two
pictures below show a couple of Bass caught with this lure customizing
trick. |
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| Remember to practice catch and release to preserve our
game fish for future generations. |
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