U.V. Lures

With all this ultra violet tackle coming out the last couple years, what has been the best depth and time of day to use them in your experience? Are they only activated to certain levels of the water column? Have they made a big difference in your catch rate? I'm mainly referring to uv apex's,hoochies, and pro-cure gels.

Interesting question. I found that it really didnt matter. I found the UV worked good all the time. Shallow, deep, overcast, sunny, spring, summer, didnt really matter. As the sun gre higher in the sky, we went deeper and still did well.

Just my two cents.

We use glow stuff before sun-up and switch to uv as the sun starts to hit the water. uv hoochies catch fire when that sun is first penetrating the water in the morning (and continue to produce well throughout the day). I've been using them for a couple of years now and can say without a doubt that they work. They've definately increased our catch rate.

I've also had success with uv dodgers and spoons from RMT, but I havent tried the gel yet. I ran out of my old kokanee special gel in August, so next year I'll try the new UV stuff out. Tons of success on uv apexes too.

UV has its detractors, but I see nothing but positives. These are lures in true flourescent colors that survive the color shift much better. Its good to see a lot of companies getting on board and committing to providing the highest quality flourescent lures they can!

what digi-troller saidthumbsup

Many of the koke fisherman I have fished with won't use anything but glow and uv lures. The catch rates are far greater in their experience using them than just plain lures. I switched over to using mostly uv lures and using Pro Cure's uv gel this year and had a great year.

As the Regional Sales Rep for RMT, all I can say is wait until you see what we have out this year for the UV Selection. We'll have it at the ISE shows for those who want to get their hands on it early. But one thing is for sure, my catch rate over the last few years has tripled at a minimum. Fortunately the RMT team is usually a year ahead of the rest becuase we always test the year before what we are thinking of marketing the following year. Next to electric downriggers, UV is the best thing to come along in a long long time.

halojm said:

As the Regional Sales Rep for RMT, all I can say is wait until you see what we have out this year for the UV Selection. We'll have it at the ISE shows for those who want to get their hands on it early. But one thing is for sure, my catch rate over the last few years has tripled at a minimum. Fortunately the RMT team is usually a year ahead of the rest becuase we always test the year before what we are thinking of marketing the following year. Next to electric downriggers, UV is the best thing to come along in a long long time.

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I'm waiting for the kamikaze spoon

Maybe someone could elaborate on the difference between UV and flourescent because I don't believe they are the same. I am a believer in UV, but also in offering contrast.

Well, I'll tell you who is most qualified to answer this... fishwithgary. Petty, is he around?

Its my understanding that a UV paint reflects UV light and is therefore more visible. Most are also flourescent, which means that they survive the color shift. UV paints therefore give you two great weapons... visibility due to reflection of UV light, and colors that dont shift and turn gray so fast.

You bring up another great point, contrast is always really important. Now, a lure with good contrast, reflecting UV, and maintaining its color at depth... these kinds of combinations can really pay off. Koke fishing is all about doing the small things, and doing them well. Recognizing the small things is the first big step... if you know about contrast, UV, and color shift you can better experiment and find the combos that work on a given day.

Anyways, UV is another great tool we can use as koke fisherman. I'm looking forward to seeing what RMT has to offer this year. Two years in a row they've surprised me, and helped me catch more fish! 09 should be yet another great year!

Digi-Troller said:

Well, I'll tell you who is most qualified to answer this... fishwithgary. Petty, is he around?

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Yes Brett he is now a registered member here now, this is what his kokanee university says about the colors.

(from "Fish with Gary Kokanee University)

U.V. light is below the visible spectrum (of lower wave frequency), which means it cannot be seen directly. All U.V. light is dissipated in very shallow fresh water holding kokanee, because the water, plankton and other particulates in the water absorb all of it. It is well documented that there will be no U.V. light in the fresh water column below just a few feet. I have tested lures labeled "U.V." Most work very well in waters holding kokanee, and in particular the UV squids should be a part of your tackle box. However, lures labeled "U.V." would be more accurately labeled as "fluorescent." These "U.V." lures come in visible colors. Since UV is not visible, the color you see is fluorescent. As with all fluorescent colors, stimulation by a black light will make the color jump out at you. But these lures are in fact only fluorescent. But that is why they are good. They still need some visible light at depth to be most effective. They do not glow. Match one of these "UV" (fluorescent) squids with a Fish With Gary™ POWER Dodger and you have a great setup.

Using true fluorescent materials in your setup will resolve issues of color shift in your favor. While some fluorescent colors will fade somewhat the deeper you are in the water column, they still are not gray if there is some light available to act on them. When using true fluorescent materials, the colors you are delivering at depth are those NOT ordinarily seen at depth. And that is exactly the effect you want. Your setup will be out of the ordinary, and kokanee will focus on it in the near field.

The relative differences between ordinary colors and fluorescent colors can be visualized in the following diagram:


VITAL CONTRAST

Using fluorescent materials is not the only way to get your setup noticed. Remember that you are after contrast, or what I call vital contrast. Vital contrast can be obtained by using different fluorescent colors next to each other, or spaced in such a way as to create the illusion of not being connected. Components that contrast with themselves will stand out even more in dull watery depth. Contrast is the enemy of camouflage. Contrast is the better developed part of kokanee vision, and encompasses about 10 times larger visual window area than does color. The color window is directly in front of the kokanee, but contrast is not only seen in front, it is seen up, down, sideways, and backwards. Contrast vision overlaps color vision. Effectively presented, color is a great contrast. When color and contrast are placed effectively presented, color and contrast are in front of the kokanee to see and react to. This allows the kokanee to put its mouth where the color is - which is pretty much what you want!!

The following diagram most certainly demonstrates vital contrast. The diagram on the left also has embedded the words "FISH ON!!" But because of lack of vital contrast, it is difficult to see.


GLOWS

There is another fantastic way to achieve this vital contrast at depth, and that is the use of glows. Glows are termed phosphorescent (or luminescent) as they carry their own light to depth. No intense scientific discussion is needed here either. Glows emit light when the light source that charges them is removed. On the other hand, fluorescent materials appear brighter in light, but do not glow when that light is removed.

Most glows on the market and peddled to fisherman are of very poor quality. Their glow simply does not last even long enough to make it to depth, let alone work for you at depth.

All Fish With Gary™ glows are of the highest quality and are termed extended glows for good reason. The natural glow beads in particular will glow for hours on a simple charge of sunlight for a few minutes. Stimulation of glows by using a black light is not very efficient, and the resulting glow does not last as long as sunlight stimulation.

Glows clearly take on more importance when the level of light is less in the water column. As you descend below light in the water column in later season, glows make visible what would otherwise be invisible. And if the surrounding water is pitch black, the glow of light most certainly is the kind of dramatic contrast that will get your setup noticed.

here's what PRO-CURE has to say about UV

Scientists tell us that UV light penetrates water to a depth of 1000 feet or greater based on water clarity. Fish biologists tell us fish seen in a UV spectrum, so fish see lures and baits better when they are UV enhanced. Several top guides surprised us by telling us they were getting bit in high rolling discolored water last fall while trying to fish coastal streams with UV enhanced plugs. Other anglers were not getting bit. The power of UV enhancement is just being discovered. It is a major breakthrough in angling technology. To put UV into a bait scent has never been done before.

We know the addition of the UV enhanced scents is for real. We have not only seen large increases in our catch rate, but for a relatively new product we’ve had tremendous feedback from top guides and fishermen in just a few short months on the market.

Thanks for posting those Jason. I know some believe that uv light only penetrates a few feet... and I've read others that believe the opposite. Thanks for posting two sides of it. Although the two sides disagree as to the depth of penetration (and therefore effectiveness of the uv reflection) it is good that they agree that flourescents will work in your favor either way. Like I said before, having both UV reflection, and flourescents to combat color shift, is a way of using two tools to your benefit. The UV gel will be a great tool that I'll try next year. Should be a good way to do some side by side tests. So far, in testing UV lures I've been very impressed. They will have a spot in my rotation for a long time to come.

Lot of misinformation, misunderstanding and mislabeling out there. UV, or ultravilolet light is that of shorter wavelength than visible to humans. It penetrates water LESS than light of the visible spectrum.

I believe UV is sometimes mistakenly used for fluorescent, which means a pigment that emits light instead of just reflecting it.

Of course, maybe fish are extremely responsive to UV light making up for its lack of penetration through water.

I'll post some other thoughts on color, especially pink.

Thanks for all the replies...very interesting! Where I fish the uv apex's I've tried out have caught a few, but the apex's I have changed with holographic reflective tape continue to out produce them by a very large margin. These are not glow or fluorescent, but are mainly colors for specific depths, and have contrasting colors applied (a few glow beads are incorporated into them also). One in particular has put around 98% of the limits in the boat the last 3 years. I know every lake is different and has their favorite lures and colors, and will continue to experiment with uv, glows, and fluorescents next year. From what you and many others have said about uv, I know it works, and works very well.

Silver Bullets said:

Thanks for all the replies...very interesting! Where I fish the uv apex's I've tried out have caught a few, but the apex's I have changed with holographic reflective tape continue to out produce them by a very large margin. These are not glow or fluorescent, but are mainly colors for specific depths, and have contrasting colors applied (a few glow beads are incorporated into them also). One in particular has put around 98% of the limits in the boat the last 3 years. I know every lake is different and has their favorite lures and colors, and will continue to experiment with uv, glows, and fluorescence's next year. From what you and many others have said about uv, I know it works, and works very well.

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Thought I'd mention the specific lake I fish has extremely clear water and is at an elevation of around 6,000'. The normal target depth is usually 40'. Would this additional info have anything to do with why some lures work better than others? I know useing the right color for the 40' depth works, but why does it work so well when not being florescent , glow, or uv? I thought maybe since the water is so clear, a holographic reflective surface shows up better than most lakes at a depth of 40'. While lowering setups down at this lake, I can see it down to around 35'. I wonder if more light is available here at 40' compared to other lakes...

Later in the summer there is not a lot of light in the lakes I fish, due to the algae blooms. This problem is compounded by the warmth that drives them ever deeper and darker. Could UV reflection at depth just be mistaken for the light that the flourecent is putting off? Absolutely. Thats another reason I'm very interested in the UV gels from pro cure. I look forward to trying it on my non flourecent old lures and seeing what happens. Still seeing so many conflicting reports on the issue.

Are fish more sensitive to seeing UV? I dont know, but I have read that a lot of animals may be. In fact, there is a push right now for UV paints for duck and goose decoys. Apparently duck feathers reflect UV, and so a decoy painted with UV paint looks more realistic to a decoy shy bird. This is a reminder that just because we don't see something doesnt mean an animal doesnt see it.

The evidence is not 100% at the moment for any of this... so, why the push for UV? One thing that has been clear in my fishing over the last few years is that these new lures consistently out produce my old ones (side by side). In a clear lake the reflective tapes may be a better answer because there is so much visible light available at depth. I know early in the year when the algae hasnt bloomed and the kokes are near the surface (cool water in the spring) that the RMT hyperplaid works best. I can see it reflecting light quite a ways down. But, when the fish are roaming the darker waters... UV and Glow are king.

I am still a little confused. I have been warned that some paints that are labeled as fluorescent are not truely fluorescent. How can you tell which is and which isn't? Will a black light tell you? I am thinking about getting a black light to test some uv paint and uv tape I have bought.

dlm said:

I am still a little confused. I have been warned that some paints that are labeled as fluorescent are not truely fluorescent. How can you tell which is and which isn't? Will a black light tell you? I am thinking about getting a black light to test some uv paint and uv tape I have bought.

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I've also been warned that some of the uv stuff marketed is not truly uv. I'm no expert on this, but as far as I know a black light should be able to tell the difference...anyone have hands on knowledge that can verify this??

Kokaholic said:

Interesting question. I found that it really didnt matter. I found the UV worked good all the time. Shallow, deep, overcast, sunny, spring, summer, didnt really matter. As the sun gre higher in the sky, we went deeper and still did
Just my two cents.

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I totally agree about the deeper during day always worked well

Silver Bullets said:

I've also been warned that some of the uv stuff marketed is not truly uv. I'm no expert on this, but as far as I know a black light should be able to tell the difference...anyone have hands on knowledge that can verify this??

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At the ISE show, they had some UV LED flashlights. You can see if a lure or flasher is UV/glow by shining the light on it. You can tell right away if it glows. They were about 4 inches long and cost about $15.