Why UV is Better

[Kodiak]

I am firm believer in UV. It started 2 yrs. ago when I started researching what fish see in an effort catch larger chinook. I'm a big fish junkie! You know seeing colors, shapes, etc. I kept running into the UV thing, you know by guys with UV products to sell. So I started researching the thing, not their ranting, but honest scientific stuff about salmon and steelies. Turns out that they see it like you and I see any other color. I wasn't sure until an accident happened. My brother polished a blade with our first pattern on it that we had fished all day with no fish. We polished the blade went and within 20 mins had a chrome bright 30 lbs. nook. After studying the contents of the polish there were multiple UV reflective substances. After more research on what UV is, how it reacts, polerizes and what natural items have it it turns out almost all salmon and steelhead foods reflect UV to some degree. Some more intensly than others. Then logically if salmon and steelhead natural foods all have it then why doesn't our equipment?
Keeping that in mind, No visible wave length of light (red, yellow, blue) penetrates deeper than 40-44 feet in ocean water. Considering salmon and steelhead most of thier lives deeper than that why in the world do they have eyes? Simple, they are seeing something. But how? There is only one wavelength of light that fish can see deeper than any other. It is UV. At these depths UV polerizes easily and can still be seen horizontally for greater distances than others causing them to easily target prey via there UV signature and become lethal predators.
The use of UV enhancement on my herring, eggs, spinners, plugs and wobblers has increased my catch rates unbelievably. I went from being 8-10 springer a year guy to 20+, I've hit 15 winters in 4 trips, filled 4 1/2 hatchery cards with summer steelies in just under 30 days. UV works and works well. I'm not trying to tout my own gear, just answering some questions about a technology in it's infancy.

 

[FishSchooler]

I am firm believer in UV. It started 2 yrs. ago when I started researching what fish see in an effort catch larger chinook. I'm a big fish junkie! You know seeing colors, shapes, etc. I kept running into the UV thing, you know by guys with UV products to sell. So I started researching the thing, not their ranting, but honest scientific stuff about salmon and steelies. Turns out that they see it like you and I see any other color. I wasn't sure until an accident happened. My brother polished a blade with our first pattern on it that we had fished all day with no fish. We polished the blade went and within 20 mins had a chrome bright 30 lbs. nook. After studying the contents of the polish there were multiple UV reflective substances. After more research on what UV is, how it reacts, polerizes and what natural items have it it turns out almost all salmon and steelhead foods reflect UV to some degree. Some more intensly than others. Then logically if salmon and steelhead natural foods all have it then why doesn't our equipment?
Keeping that in mind, No visible wave length of light (red, yellow, blue) penetrates deeper than 40-44 feet in ocean water. Considering salmon and steelhead most of thier lives deeper than that why in the world do they have eyes? Simple, they are seeing something. But how? There is only one wavelength of light that fish can see deeper than any other. It is UV. At these depths UV polerizes easily and can still be seen horizontally for greater distances than others causing them to easily target prey via there UV signature and become lethal predators.
The use of UV enhancement on my herring, eggs, spinners, plugs and wobblers has increased my catch rates unbelievably. I went from being 8-10 springer a year guy to 20+, I've hit 15 winters in 4 trips, filled 4 1/2 hatchery cards with summer steelies in just under 30 days. UV works and works well. I'm not trying to tout my own gear, just answering some questions about a technology in it's infancy.

Very informative, I like it.
Would you think UV corkies will drastically improve my catch rate? I have corkies tat are UV/orange. I'll give em a try next time.

 

[ninja2010]

thanks, kodiak. that makes a lot of sense. i know uv is a big thing amongst the bassing circle as well. but i never put too much thought into it since i was doing fine with just the lures i have in my t-box.

but the coldwater fish is seriously kicking my butt and i can't take it. i need all the help i can get... sounds like uv tackle would give that added edge.

 

[GraphiteZen]

VERY interesting!

 

[Kodiak]

Another piece

Another piece

Another thing to understand about UV is that it must be polerized for fish to see it. UV light polerizes at a 30 degree angle or less that's about 8:30 in the morning. Certain situations will cause UV to polerize as well. these are overcast days, fog, rain, shade, deep water (over 40 ft), and muddy water. If you take what you knowabout fish in general, about there behavior at certain times of the day, and the fact they spend 70% of their lifetime feeding, we can draw some parallels between the importance of UV in a fishes ability to actively persue prey.
Ninja has spent a lot of time on the salt, can probably tell you about how fish keep the sun at thier back and looking at the bait. As the sun rises the fish sink, as the sun sets they rise again. If you look at the position of the majority of the fish versus the position of the bait and the sun they approximate a 30 degree angle. As these active fish find that angel it exposes the bait like a neon sign that says "EAT AT JOES"

 

[ninja2010]

man, you nailed it down to a science there, kodiak.

i've been out on many trips at the kelp forest and seen this play out - one guy fishing the bow gets all the bites and the guy at the stern gets zip (or vice versa). it's the angle of the lure to the fish and the sun.

and it's also a curious thing to see a school of yellowtail or dodos circling a baitball and only attack repeatedly from the same side. that's where we troll, matching that angle. again, the angle of sight. very interesting...

so on the river, i guess by quartering the spinner there's bound to be an angle where the lure gets seen, right? and having uv coloring would definitely increase that visibility...

ahhhhhh... soooooo...

question: this uv thing is like blacklight paint, right? better than glow in the dark fluorescent, more like glow in the ultra short wavelengths of light, or untraviolet.

 

[fisch]

UV

UV

Kodiak, How do you enhance eggs(maybe a shrimps cocktail) and plugs?
f.

 

[Mike123]

I really want to try those new UV corkies!!

 

[Dichrofisher]

Kodiak,
I have been researching this for a while and am convinced that the dichroic coating that I have on my lures reflects or acts as a mirror for uv light. The problem I am running into is knowing which colors of dichroic coartings are reflecting the correct part of the spectrum of uv. Have you any knowledge of the dichroic coatings. I understand that the color I see is the only color that the coating isn't absorbing...I should send you a lure, are you in the lure swap..Dichro and uv could be a killer combo...

 

[Kodiak]

Paint

Paint

man, you nailed it down to a science there, kodiak.

i've been out on many trips at the kelp forest and seen this play out - one guy fishing the bow gets all the bites and the guy at the stern gets zip (or vice versa). it's the angle of the lure to the fish and the sun.

and it's also a curious thing to see a school of yellowtail or dodos circling a baitball and only attack repeatedly from the same side. that's where we troll, matching that angle. again, the angle of sight. very interesting...

so on the river, i guess by quartering the spinner there's bound to be an angle where the lure gets seen, right? and having uv coloring would definitely increase that visibility...

ahhhhhh... soooooo...

question: this uv thing is like blacklight paint, right? better than glow in the dark fluorescent, more like glow in the ultra short wavelengths of light, or untraviolet.

Our UV paint Does floresce under a Florecent black light but understand It's not like the old school 70's black light paint. We've developed our own brand and reflects two different wavelengths of UV. when you look at our blades they look like any other painted blade, except when you put them under blacklight.

 

[Kodiak]

Eggs

Eggs

Kodiak, How do you enhance eggs(maybe a shrimps cocktail) and plugs?
f.

I've got an egg cure I'm working on with UV. It's just about dialed too. As far as shrimp are concerned They are NATURALLYUV reflectiveand I dont cure them. Could be why cocktails work better some days than others.

 

[Kodiak]

Dichro

Dichro

I'm not really famillar with Dichro will have to do some research, however if you chunk it under a a florecent black light it will tell you a lot.

Mike123>> those UV corkies really come into there own early in the morning until 8:30.

 

[FishSchooler]

UV UV and more UV, you're making it sound like its going to let me catch hundreds of fish...

 

[Kodiak]

More fish

More fish

UV UV and more UV, you're making it sound like its going to let me catch hundreds of fish...

Schooler look at it this way...if you eat a sandwich every day of your life and it's always on white bread it's what you are going to be looking for. If some one gave you the same sandwich on a dark rye, sure you might eat it, poke at it and try to figure it out. All I am saying is if fish want white bread (UV) than don't give em rye, give them what they are used to seeing. Match the hatch.

 

[ninja2010]

All I am saying is if fish want white bread (UV) than don't give em rye, give them what they are used to seeing. Match the hatch.

i'm gonna give them some whitebread this weekend.

kodiak, pls check pm...

 

[BobberDown]

ya i have bean useing uv flash in my jigs it seams to work well fo me am looking for some uv paint for jig heads any ideas?
thanks for the good info Dan:clap:

 

[just1nook]

Hey Kodiak, you gonna hook OFFers up with a discount on your UV hardware:dance:...ray:

 

[bankmaggot]

Last year,we did better on some UV krill goop,that was before they were extinct.:lol:

 

[Carrl]

Under the K.I.S.S. mantra it's to bad you couldn't use yarn to get the same effect. If you could buy a yarn that had metallic threads (think tinsel or something like that) in it already you could soak the whole spool in the UV dye or dyes. The yarn would sort of glow with very faint reflection while the metallic fibers should reflect similarly to the lures. Then your whole rig would be hook and yarn

Also a thought on polarization. Is there any reason not to coat the reflective paint with a transparent polarizing layer so that light reflected during the whole day would have the correct orientation?

Cheers!

 

[Kodiak]

Polerizing Layer

Polerizing Layer

We played with a polerizing layer and found the results to be not nearly as good. We really like like UV on spinners because as the spinner rotates 360 deg. around the shaft it will find the 30 degree angle to polerize twice. Once on the front of the blade, once on the back.

As far as UV yarn goes We will be playing with that soon, when we come out with the jigs mid march-ish.