With almost all fishing lures and jig heads, there are 3 types of paint finishes- Regular Colored Finishes and Paints
- UV Glow Finishes and Paints
- Glow Finishes and Paints
Regular Finishes
These finishes are the most common and used most of the time in shallow water, less than 30 feet. The following chart shows what happens to these colors as they get deeper in the water column. Once you get past 20 feet, true colors begin to fade with less light penetration.
UV Finishes
These finishes are designed to reflect UV light and make it appear to “glow” in bright light. UV is typically a top-coat of UV enhancers, not an actual color. Much like your white shirt “glows” under a black light, UV light will make the true color of the lures stay bright as it gets deeper into the water column and also appear even brighter in shallower water.
Standard Glow Finishes and Super Glow Finishes
These finishes are “Glow in the Dark” finishes. These types of finishes absorb UV light, rather than reflect it. The absorbed light then illuminates the lure under dark conditions.
Standard Glow finishes emit a “light green” color regardless of the actual paint color.
Super Glow finishes emit a true glowing color, the color of the paint is the same as the emitted glow color.
What to use When and Where?
In most open water, shallow fishing situations, regular finishes are the way to go. These finishes have the most color options with almost an unlimited selection. Many are enhanced with non-UV brighteners, such as glitter or holographic tape or eyes.
UV enhancers are oftentimes added to most standard colors and the verdict is out on whether the UV addition improves fish catches in water less than 20 feet deep. However, when your lures are deeper than 20 feet, UV enhanced colors tend to produce better results…in Bright Light.
In low light or dark conditions, Ice fishing, for example, Glow and Super Glow colors are the best choices most of the time. If you are on a frozen lake with snow-covered ice, there will be almost no light penetration to show off your regular or UV enhanced finishes. A glow in the dark finish will be the best choice to help the fish find your lure. The relatively new Super Glow colors on the market take it to the next level, by having actual color matching glow finishes rather than the old “green glow”.
Re-Charging:
If there is no sunlight to charge your glow lures, you can buy a UV Flashlight to charge your glow lures. Many companies make a “charging box”, a small tackle box filled with UV light to keep your glow baits charged up. Because glow in the dark baits used absorbed light to emit a color, the light will “go out” after time and need re-charged.
More Info
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