Some patterns I’ve used.

[Rancanfish]

Read every word, sir.  I, (when I was paying attention) understood red to be most visible at depth.  But my favorite swimbait colors are root beer with gold flake and white glow.

It's fun to play with colors when pouring swim baits,  so the color chart goes out the window. 

[gstours]

Thanks for the information about the colors , rods, and cones.   I,m here to learn.   It seems to me that contrast might be the key to this underwater guessing game.   I,ve seen some good catches with the creme glow in the dark skirts, tails, and painted jig heads and thought the fish might see this "thing" as prey, or food and that visibility or at least getting noticed was upping your chances.   Most of my bait rigs have some glow on the skirts.  Many octipus skirts have at least a glow portion around the eyes on the head.   
  Here is a good producing jig for our halibuts.   Its got contrast of blue and white skirt  butt is basic black with some silver tiny sparkles on the lead.    This has me wondering again.   

  We are told that greens and blues and possibly black are the last colors to be seen as the water depth increases, at least what i remember.
  Red is catchy to human eyes and shallower water fish and catches my eye butt is faded out about 10 fathoms? 
Much of the tackle we buy is designed to catch the pocketbook,  butt as I make most of my tackle ive learned getting the wallet out is the easy part.  When you paint and rig your tackle now you have some more important decisions to make.
  Its fun to improve your tackle thru time and testing and adds another dimension to "just going fishing"

[gstours]

  Here,s another good fish released from the black kodiak clone with a blue ans white skirt.   Sorry Wayne these are harbor freight pliers shown.

[El Pescador]

 Sorry Wayne these are harbor freight pliers shown.

Sha... DANG Gary!!!

And I purchased a new pair of Craftsman 8" slip joint pliers just for you when I bent the old pliers you had on the USS Maiko when we were haul'n up BIG Halibut during our first visit.

5 Fish over 200 lbs. then the monster Dominick caught - 325 lbs.   Put the Tank to work for sure,

How's the crop of wild strawberries in your back yard - by back yard I mean the wilderness forest 30 feet behind your home!!!!!!

Wayne

[gstours]

Did someone say strawberries 🍓?  I am happy to share with the furry ones.   We got quite a few butt now it's raspberry time. 
I have lost a few pliers and your craftsman ones are in my shop safe and sound waiting for your arrival.
Best of luck to everyone down there.   Be safe.  Thanks.

[jurelometer]

  We are told that greens and blues and possibly black are the last colors to be seen as the water depth increases, at least what i remember.

Black is the absense of any reflected light.  Light waves of all frequency are absorbed.  That is why a black object gets hotter when you leave it out the sun.  Black doesn't fade out, it is more like if everything is completely dark around a black object,  then we have black on black and see nothing.   But even a white object cannot reflect light if there is no light to reflect.


It is important to remember that an object has no inherent color.  The paint on your red jig contains a pigment with a chemical that will not absorb light waves in part of the red frequency range.   So if a red light wave from the sun manages to hit the jig, bounce off and then miraculously  hits a bullseye on  a  cone cell in your eye that contains a chemical that absorbs that same red frequency, your brain says - "aha-Red".  Then another part of your brain says, " buy this jig" .

  Red is catchy to human eyes and shallower water fish and catches my eye butt is faded out about 10 fathoms?
 

More like two fathoms in your waters.  Mid-day at the equator in very clear sea water you might get 4 fathoms. Note Greg's post about diving (presumably in Hawaii).  I have done a bit of diving myself, and without a flashlight,  it is all just blue and violet at 50-60 feet in the best situation. As you get deeper, it is all just shades of gray.

I couldn't find much on Pacific halibut vision, but I would expect that they have no color vision at all,  a very slow sample/ refresh rate, and extremely sensitive, but not very specific  cone cells.  So it will all be blurry shapes to a halibut, but they probably will have some triggers for certain shape/motion patterns that indicate a high likelihood of prey.  Lots of things moving around in the water, but there'll be something different about a crab scurrying around vs. a couple rocks and some seaweed swaying.  A halibut can't spend all of its time spitting out rocks until  it finds a crab.

I did find one paper that stated that pacific halibut eyes are very light sensitive.   They found that if you exposed a halibut to direct sunlight on deck for fifteen minutes, the vision would be permanently damaged.  Your tax dollars at work

Much of the tackle we buy is designed to catch the pocketbook,  butt as I make most of my tackle ive learned getting the wallet out is the easy part.  When you paint and rig your tackle now you have some more important decisions to make.
  Its fun to improve your tackle thru time and testing and adds another dimension to "just going fishing"

Agree.  You learn a lot more.   If a jig  is working well, it is time to try something new.   I always tell folks that designing lures is a great way to catch less fish  And if you are still catching too many fish, take up fly fishing

-J

[gstours]

Here's two complete jigs that were tested in the same tide.   The white on got-hits every drop. And was heavier than needed,  butt it's only a test.   Was the color persuasive?  Much has to do with luck and timing.   You can't catch a fish if there's no fish there?    Right?    Maybe I'll be able to test more.
   Heaven can wait.

[jurelometer]

Here's two complete jigs that were tested in the same tide.   The white on got-hits every drop. And was heavier than needed,  butt it's only a test.   Was the color persuasive?  Much has to do with luck and timing.   You can't catch a fish if there's no fish there?    Right?    Maybe I'll be able to test more.
   Heaven can wait.

Good stuff!

I see: 

Heavier, reversed skirt, and a head shape that will kick up more mud when dragged along the bottom. Dark will have more contrast when fish is looking up,but white will show better in a cloud of mud. 


Like you say, so many variables.  I think that is why ther are so many superstitions.  Folks trying to minimize the variables by making  everything the same.  Same number of drinks in the cooler, with the labels facing the same way, lucky underwear, jacket zipped up the same amount...

And if the fish are not right under your jig, even the right jig and you lucky underwear won't save you

-J

[Donnyboat]

Thanks Gary, interesting post, Gee Wayne how could you brake a pair of pliers, did you have weeties for breakfast, they must have been older than the red cooler, thanks again Gary, cheers Don.

[gstours]

Here's another imitation of the kodiak jig.   Fairly inexpensive to dyi.    About 9 oz.

[gstours]

And this one was expected to be a heavy hitter, butt haven't caught anything with it yet?   
   Now I,m starting to get superstitious?    Ha ha. .   Maybe next time?

[jurelometer]

And this one was expected to be a heavy hitter, butt haven't caught anything with it yet?   
   Now I,m starting to get superstitious?    Ha ha. .   Maybe next time?

Have you tried rubbing it on your lucky red cooler .

A lot of skirt on that jig.   More skirt  displaces more water, but jiggles less.  So many variables to mess with.

-J

[gstours]

  Thanks Dave for your views.  Some things in life are oxymoron,  like less is more.
      When my wife sees me in the kitchen kooking.   I,m generally reminded.  Now let talk fishing 🎣.
The skirt was part of the jig to make everything larger, 🤔 more size, more colors, more contrast, more visible and sudden interest in attracting a nice fish to strike.   I do agree mabee go back to a less bushy lure design.   Maybe?   
  The weight of the lead head makes a fairly heavy jig for its length. Versus 🆚 a minnow type,  if got some more ideas butt I still want to catch fish.    There's only so much time in a fishing day!
   Butt rub the jig on the red cooler first?   🥁   More things to try!🤓
Sounds like the weather is hot down there.   Stay safe in the garage.🍺

[gstours]

These are pretty basic.  Butt made for shallow water oar slack tide.  Fish move,  you got to be ready.
   Both of these have caught a few dinners.   Small fish seem to hit them a lot.  About 25% get caught.
       Maybe it's the day,  tide,  season,  maybe they are baby 🍼 lures ?

[gstours]

Here is the standard octipus.   Not much contrast or bling.  It works about the best in this color and skirt, always a bait strip is attatched on the hooks.     butt more testing is planned.

   This pattern is from a silicone mold generated by Dave and his computer.   Thanks again Dave