Painting Boat Bottom White? Is this a problem with fish?

Painting Boat Bottom White? I have heard more than one opinion on this.. Does it scare the fish or is it more the boat's shadow that can?

I would not think it would be a big deal since so many fishing rigs are a combo of full white hull and other colored tops.

I picked up a 1975 SmokerCraft 14ft. it has sort of a almost tri-V hull.. hard to explain. But i need to redo the paint job and fill in some scratches in the metal. I was thinking going the G3 look and painting the hull bottom a silver or white and the upper sides and transom black or midnight blue.

Any opinions?

I personally don't think it matters at all... if you ever watch Hook-N-Look, they show underwater video where they idle a 250HP motor 3' over them and they don't even budge. If the motor doesn't scare them, I doubt the color of your boat will... I mean think about how many bass boats out there are all white

Fish are color blind. It'll just look like a grey log to them.

GrumMan said:

Fish are color blind. It'll just look like a grey log to them.

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Then why are lures different colors?

Ouachita said:

GrumMan said:

Fish are color blind. It'll just look like a grey log to them.

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Then why are lures different colors?

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Good question.... Looks like we have ourselves one of them-thar' age old questions.

different shades of gray??? :lol:

but I know this past weekend they were tearing up a GreenPumpkin/Watermelon Seed Laminate Senko.. and when I ran out, I put on Green Pumkin and they wouldn't touch it.

pjb153 said:

Ouachita said:

GrumMan said:

Fish are color blind. It'll just look like a grey log to them.

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Then why are lures different colors?

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Good question.... Looks like we have ourselves one of them-thar' age old questions.

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:lol: Touche! Good point. Just what I was told by an old fisherman. No expert myself, get skunked fishing more often than not. Tis said that fish are color blind. The bright color's on lures still show up as shades of light and dark. Back in the "Old Day's," color's were just primarily red, black and white. Caught just as many fish then as we do now. The different color's give different variation's of perception to the fish. Why only a chartruese will hit when a white will not. The main reason for all the fancy color's is cuz people like bright and flashy thing's. Makes you think "Wow! that's cool! Fish will definately nail that purty bright thing! I'm gonna buy it!" It's to get your money, and it work's! You don't really think those pro fisherman are really ecstatic about them lures they talk about on the fishing show's do you? It's the sponsor's requirement. It's how they get paid! We're mostly useing the same lure's they used 50-60-70 year's ago. Just more fancy for human eye appeal. Multi billion dollar business. I fall for it all the time. Have a hundred pretty lures. Seem to only use a few of'em LOL.

At least that's what I've heard LOL

Fishing lures have always, caught more fisherman, than actual fish. Just a simple rule of the game! Scott

I forget where I saw it but a fish scientist painted his boat blue and white to look like the sky and the fish were more apt to stay where they were than to be scared off even with the motor running. I don't know what he did when it was overcast, maybe he had another boat painted for that. I for one don't fish directly under my boat.

Not all fish are color blind,some can see more colors even ultravoilet colors.
"Most predatory fish have cones that allow them to distinguish colors. Some even have four to five different cones. Incredibly, this means they can see colors we cannot even imagine. Reasons for this increased ability to see a whole new range of colors is still an issue for marine biologists and scientists."
At night(dark)all fish are color blind,just like us.Thats why dark lures at night makes sense,it's more of a visablity thing.

Well I think I decided on my boat color.. The hull at the water line and up will be a deep steel blue, almost the same as the blue behind the "preview" Submit" "save" and "cancel" buttons on this site.

The bottom will be a darker silver, not quite a charcoal.

The trailer will be the same deep steel blue.

With some vinyl lettering in white and maybe a pin stripe or two.. I think it will look great and the fish will probably come up to the boat because it will be so purty.

I know some offshore captains who paint squid or bait fish shapes on their boats. of course, some fish, like bill fish and tuna, are attracted to the commotion a boat makes on the troll.


Bait little frogs, crayfish and tadpoles on the bottom


oh yeah and a big

Captain Ahab said:

I know some offshore captains who paint squid or bait fish shapes on their boats.

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I'll not be putting my 10 footer in the ocean, it'll get eaten for sure....

Thats a fish catching machine...Andy

I sure hope you're right Zum... :wink:
I have yet to have it on the water.