How a Walleye sees your lure
Which lure colour a Walleye can actually see, at your depth and in your water. 2 cone types, peak 605 nm. Ranked contrast for 54 colours.
Sander vitreus · pickerel · yellow pike
Measured for this species Tapetum lucidum
Cone peaks are direct measurements for this species. The rest of the model — water optics, contrast, detection distance — is still an estimate, and none of it predicts whether a fish will strike. Its retina uses the A2 (porphyropsin) chromophore, which pushes its long-wavelength sensitivity well to the red of what an A1 retina would give. Many freshwater fish shift the A1/A2 ratio with season and temperature, so real sensitivity drifts through the year. It has a tapetum lucidum — a reflective layer behind the retina that roughly doubles photon capture — which is why it feeds so well at dawn, dusk and in stained water.
Spectral sensitivity
| Cone peaks | λmax | Chromophore |
|---|---|---|
| Medium | 533 nm | A2 |
| Long | 605 nm | A2 |
| Rod | 533 nm | A2 |
Rods do the work at dawn, dusk and night — which is when most people fish.
Lure table
Ranked by how much each colour stands out to a Walleye in these conditions. — Slight stain, 9 m.
| Colour | Contrast | Seen from | Fish view | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | White | 97 | 2.5 m | Buy now | |
| 2 | Chartreuse / white Fluorescent finish | 96 | 2.5 m | Buy now | |
| 3 | Chartreuse Fluorescent finish | 95 | 2.5 m | Buy now | |
| 4 | Glow Glow finish — not modelled | 94 | 2.5 m | Buy now | |
| 5 | Bone | 93 | 2.5 m | Buy now | |
| 6 | Silver holographic Metallic finish | 90 | 2.4 m | Buy now | |
| 7 | Pink / white Fluorescent finish | 89 | 2.5 m | Buy now | |
| 8 | Clown | 89 | 2.5 m | Buy now | |
| 9 | Yellow | 89 | 2.4 m | Buy now | |
| 10 | Sexy shad | 87 | 2.5 m | Buy now | |
| Stands out least | |||||
| Black / blue | 0 | 83 cm | |||
| Black | 0 | 83 cm | |||
| Purple / black | 0 | 83 cm | |||
| Purple | 0 | 76 cm | |||
Contrast quoted at 1.0 m viewing distance. · Light that survives best here: 580 nm
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Get these colours
The three that came out on top, searched on your own Amazon. The ranking above is worked out from the water and the fish, before any of these links exist.
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Gear this page implies
- A lure kit with a spread of colours See on Amazon
The point of knowing which colour wins is having it in the box.
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What this water lets through
A touch of colour in the water. The most common lake condition there is.
Water types
Target species
Questions people actually ask
Can a Walleye see colour?
Yes, but only just. It has 2 cone types, peaking at 533 nm, 605 nm, so it has a single dimension of hue where a human has 2.
Where does this data come from?
Direct microspectrophotometry, ERG or behavioural spectral sensitivity for this species.
Sources
- Ali, M.A. & Anctil, M. (1976). Retinas of Fishes: An Atlas. Springer — tapetum lucidum.
- Ali, M.A., Ryder, R.A. & Anctil, M. (1977). J. Fish. Res. Board Can. 34, 1475–1480.