Best Ned/creature colour for muddy canal canal?

[Gary Coggon]

Brought over from Predator forum at Mark P’s very sensible suggestion…

Anyone help me out with their experience with this, please? Just started fishing local canal, with only 6 - 12” visibilty, for first time after years of fishing successfully mainly clear stillwaters but struggling to gain any interest from the canal perch. I know they’re in there, and I know to work the Neds slowly/subtley under moored boats, against vertical structure, down central track, etc., so… Any firm advice on colours would be much appreciated, please, other than ring the changes? Ditto Cheb creatures. Many thanks.

[Daniel]

As close to black as you can find, a very bright option, and something the same colour as the water, no idea why the last option works, but it most definitely does!

[Gary Coggon]

Thanks, Daniel. Those first two of yours sum up the concensus so far but… same colour as water is a new, interestingdeparture. Are root beer and pumpkinseed-type colours part of this?

[Daniel]

Thanks, Daniel. Those first two of yours sum up the concensus so far but… same colour as water is a new, interestingdeparture. Are root beer and pumpkinseed-type colours part of this?

Yes mate.
I can't explain why the same colour as the water works, but I saw it on a kanalgratis video and gave it a go on a session when I was struggling and it transformed things from the next cast.

It doesn't always work, but it works often enough I make sure I have suitable options available!

[dropped_run]

I’ve got a little box in the pocket with 5 slots.
Bubblegum
Mud minnow/the deal
White lightning
Pb&j
Green pumpkin orange.

You don’t need anything else except those 5, ever- in my experience. Mud minnow was the colour for me today on a fairly coloured river.

[stubbojo]

natural colours for me work , have tried the brighter colours but never seemed any better the green glitter neds work for me and the darker ones ,
think its more about movement with them type of lures......and yes slower the better .....in winter but use a wire ..pike like em too

[Mark Phillips]

Based on my efforts, the best Ned lure colour for really dirty water on overcast days is black or a dark red or purple. Not much different to using black lures for pike in coloured water, it just works.

[Gary Coggon]

Lovely stuff, chaps, thanks. Job done, I think.

[Taffypiker]

Black ?

How can a predator see a dark colour in dark water ?

Isn't a orange yellow green firetiger or sparkly glittery white more visible .....if visibility is important when it's chocolate brown ?

My mate swears by a big s with those rattles or a mepps with lots of vibration

[Jack H]

Black ?

How can a predator see a dark colour in dark water ?

Isn't a orange yellow green firetiger or sparkly glittery white more visible .....if visibility is important when it's chocolate brown ?

My mate swears by a big s with those rattles or a mepps with lots of vibration

I think darker colours like black give off a better silhouette in the water. That’s why a lot of the musky anglers in America use black lures at night. One of my top perch lures that use to catch when all else failed was a tiny fox shad in dark brown. Even when the rivers were chocolate brown, I would always manage a bite with it.
Jack

[Taffypiker]

Black ?

How can a predator see a dark colour in dark water ?

Isn't a orange yellow green firetiger or sparkly glittery white more visible .....if visibility is important when it's chocolate brown ?

My mate swears by a big s with those rattles or a mepps with lots of vibration

I think darker colours like black give off a better silhouette in the water. That’s why a lot of the musky anglers in America use black lures at night. One of my top perch lures that use to catch when all else failed was a tiny fox shad in dark brown. Even when the rivers were chocolate brown, I would always manage a bite with it.
Jack

It's the reverse of what you would expect

[Jack H]

Black ?

How can a predator see a dark colour in dark water ?

Isn't a orange yellow green firetiger or sparkly glittery white more visible .....if visibility is important when it's chocolate brown ?

My mate swears by a big s with those rattles or a mepps with lots of vibration

I think darker colours like black give off a better silhouette in the water. That’s why a lot of the musky anglers in America use black lures at night. One of my top perch lures that use to catch when all else failed was a tiny fox shad in dark brown. Even when the rivers were chocolate brown, I would always manage a bite with it.
Jack

It's the reverse of what you would expect

Yes, it’s a funny game this fishing lark!

Jack

[stubbojo]

Black ?

How can a predator see a dark colour in dark water ?

Isn't a orange yellow green firetiger or sparkly glittery white more visible .....if visibility is important when it's chocolate brown ?

My mate swears by a big s with those rattles or a mepps with lots of vibration

I think darker colours like black give off a better silhouette in the water. That’s why a lot of the musky anglers in America use black lures at night. One of my top perch lures that use to catch when all else failed was a tiny fox shad in dark brown. Even when the rivers were chocolate brown, I would always manage a bite with it.
Jack

It's the reverse of what you would expect

its the same using fixed leads , you would think to much resistance.....but no they take it with no problems .....

[stubbojo]

Black ?

How can a predator see a dark colour in dark water ?

Isn't a orange yellow green firetiger or sparkly glittery white more visible .....if visibility is important when it's chocolate brown ?

My mate swears by a big s with those rattles or a mepps with lots of vibration

I think darker colours like black give off a better silhouette in the water. That’s why a lot of the musky anglers in America use black lures at night. One of my top perch lures that use to catch when all else failed was a tiny fox shad in dark brown. Even when the rivers were chocolate brown, I would always manage a bite with it.
Jack

but to give off a silhouette the water would have to be clear i would have thought , providing the fish are looking up and your lure is over them .....but if muddy there would be no silhouette.......if that makes sense....i have found the preds are very close to the bottom when muddy conditions and so are the prey fish .....hence thats when a ned can work ...

steve

[Taffypiker]

Black ?

How can a predator see a dark colour in dark water ?

Isn't a orange yellow green firetiger or sparkly glittery white more visible .....if visibility is important when it's chocolate brown ?

My mate swears by a big s with those rattles or a mepps with lots of vibration

I think darker colours like black give off a better silhouette in the water. That’s why a lot of the musky anglers in America use black lures at night. One of my top perch lures that use to catch when all else failed was a tiny fox shad in dark brown. Even when the rivers were chocolate brown, I would always manage a bite with it.
Jack

It's the reverse of what you would expect

its the same using fixed leads , you would think to much resistance.....but no they take it with no problems .....

True

[Mark Phillips]

Black ?

How can a predator see a dark colour in dark water ?

Isn't a orange yellow green firetiger or sparkly glittery white more visible .....if visibility is important when it's chocolate brown ?

My mate swears by a big s with those rattles or a mepps with lots of vibration

I think darker colours like black give off a better silhouette in the water. That’s why a lot of the musky anglers in America use black lures at night. One of my top perch lures that use to catch when all else failed was a tiny fox shad in dark brown. Even when the rivers were chocolate brown, I would always manage a bite with it.
Jack

but to give off a silhouette the water would have to be clear i would have thought , providing the fish are looking up and your lure is over them .....but if muddy there would be no silhouette.......if that makes sense....i have found the preds are very close to the bottom when muddy conditions and so are the prey fish .....hence thats when a ned can work ...

steve

There's a easy way to understand this - just lower different coloured lures into murky water and see which one you can see the longest as it drops. Black or very dark shades of other hues always win and that's due to the starker contrast against the coloured water. Colours like flo orange and charteuse do also stand out, but I find are better when the water has more clarity or light entering it. Adding UV hooks in orange or yellow to black lures is a little edge you can try - giving the pike a target to aim at once it has detected the lure. Colour of course is secondary to using a lure that creates noise and displaces water - which the pike doesn't have to see to detect - so combine black with rattles and bigger lures to maximise your chances. Spinnerbaits with black skirts and big colorado blades caught me a few last week in water that looked like a mocha cappuccino - no monsters, but a few pike to mid doubles from a water that looked a right off was very satisfying.