Willy Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 Hey guys, I'm wondering if anyone can suggest a color/pearl or color/hilite mix to make the silvery look of an anchovy or sardine body? (ignore the attachment it's the same as this pic...) Thanks all Willy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 Judging from the picture, I would try LC Minnow Silver with a touch of blue-lite. That's what I used for the bottom of this bait and the bellies look very similar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockylinx Posted August 20, 2007 Report Share Posted August 20, 2007 Judging from the picture, I would try LC Minnow Silver with a touch of blue-lite. That's what I used for the bottom of this bait and the bellies look very similar. ALSWORM, How many drops of the silver to how many onces?? Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsworms Posted August 21, 2007 Report Share Posted August 21, 2007 2 drops per ounce should work fine. I would say use basic silver color, but hi-lite does not work well with silver. Same can be said for white and pearl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted August 21, 2007 Report Share Posted August 21, 2007 Hey guys,I'm wondering if anyone can suggest a color/pearl or color/hilite mix to make the silvery look of an anchovy or sardine body? Willy, The pic you have there isn't very true to the color of your average anchovy. It's way too blue. Although their color can change a bit (usually due to water color), nearshore anchovy are generally a light green or greenish-gray above, and silvery on the sides. The belly area is usually silvery, but sometimes pearly-white. As you go further offshore (like way out on the tuna grounds), their color changes to more blue or bluish-gray above, and still silvery on the sides and belly. You can use this guide as a solid general rule for ocean baitfish: -- Almost all nearshore schooling baitfish will be green or brown on top, and silvery on the sides. -- Almost all offshore, blue-water schooling baitfish will be blue or black above, and silvery on the sides. The pic you have is of anchovies that have been in an aquarium for a while (I'm pretty sure it's from the anchovy tank at the Monterey Bay Aquarium). That tank has filtered, crystal-clear water, and the anchovy take on the same color as if they were way off shore, in clear water. If you're fishing inshore, with greenish water, your baitfish imitations ahould all be green or brown above, and silvery below. The same color pattern are true for sardines, silversides, and smelt as well. Once anchovies are dead, or frozen, the back quickly changes to a dark charcoal gray or blue-black-- but that's not what you want. You want to duplicate the color of a live inshore chovy. If you live near a bait receiver, the best thing to do is to stop by with a six-pack of soda, and ask if they'll scoop out a few anchovies for you to look at. Bring a camera and take pics. As far as specific color mixes go, watermelon, green pumpkin, or light rootbeer above, and pearl (white pearl highlight powder all by itself, or with a touch of white coloring) below are great color patterns that will get bit very well. Also, plain ol' straight pearl-white works very well to imitate the flash of a baitfish, and produces well when there are squid around too. Hope this helps. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockylinx Posted August 22, 2007 Report Share Posted August 22, 2007 sagacious, I like your school of thought .I went to the Newport pier with my friend and used nothing but sabikies for a couple of hours this is what i found Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagacious Posted August 22, 2007 Report Share Posted August 22, 2007 Very nice work rockylinx. Looks like you got a haul of chovies, smelt, and sardines-- all great bait there. Nothing beats taking a close look at your local baitfish. Sometimes I'll drag out the castnet, and see what bait is present. Around here, the bait changes with the season. Knowing what's running, and how big it is, can be very helpful when you have to work for each fish. If you want to duplicate the coloration of the local bait in your lures, go out and catch that bait. Take good pics so you can re-create those color patterns. Your own pics of local bait will be much more helpful than any pics from a book. Below is a pic of a local reef silverside. You can see the green back, and silvery-pearly belly. A simple two-color pour of watermelon over pearl white highlite will replicate this color pattern very effectively. Good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Sock Posted August 22, 2007 Report Share Posted August 22, 2007 you can also achieve a similiar color with 4 ounces plastic some pearlescent (liquid) and a some straight silver mettalic flake. It's super nice, I add a small bit of blue neon hi lite and a few drops of transparent blue for good measure. It's an awesome color. I should have a picture somewhere or maybe even a fluke or two with that belly laying around, I'll see if I can scrounge it up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
halibaitor Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 I started on the same quest a year or so ago. The only way I could come close to what I wanted was to forget the coloring and just add a lot of plain silver glitter in the .008 size. Nothing else I tried could give me the flash I wanted... I'm using one tsp. glitter for 2 ounces of plastic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Senkosam Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 I started on the same quest a year or so ago. The only way I could come close to what I wanted was to forget the coloring and just add a lot of plain silver glitter in the .008 size. Nothing else I tried could give me the flash I wanted...I'm using one tsp. glitter for 2 ounces of plastic. Beat me to it! Silvery sided baitfish reflect the color of the water they are in as through filtered light. A high concentration of .008 silver flake in clear will give you the mirror effect of any silver sided prey fish. Pearl would mute the effect IMO as well as any tints of plastic. A pearl belly isn't worth the effort for fish looking up at the lure. Adding a bit of .008 silver hologram would complete the simulation because almost all fish scales have a pearlescent quality. Another effect would be to core shoot a concentrated silver flake plastic into clear or double dip a silver bait into clear plastic. The magnification effect of the core is unique and simulates a slime coat and the flash still comes through unmuted. I've done this with tubes and slim trickworms. I used silver in clear this spring for some jerk sticks and pike and bass clobbered them! They will come out again for some fall jerking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 We don't have anchovys here so I haven't seen one "in the flesh". Going by what I saw on the net and what you folks have said here I poured up a shad. I'll post a pic as soon as the sun shines and I can get a good photo. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockylinx Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 Another effect would be to core shoot SinkoSam,How do you core shoot?? Please explain how to do this Nova, I cant wait to see your shad (hey get your mind out of the gutter) . I could take some pictures of local bait fish if your interested Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 What Sam/ Frank is talking about is one color inside of another color. All of my shads on my site are cored. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 Couldn't wait for the sun. Let me know if it's close. The belly has string holi glitter in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassnG3 Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 Nova is your mold a 1 piece or 2 piece:drool: Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 Nova is your mold a 1 piece or 2 piece:drool:Scott It's a one piece. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Sock Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 nice baits nova, did you make that mold or buy it? Want to make something really nice with that? PM me, it might be something you have tried but then again maybe not Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 24, 2007 Report Share Posted August 24, 2007 The mold is my own design. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 25, 2007 Report Share Posted August 25, 2007 Rocky is that color anywhere near? www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockylinx Posted August 25, 2007 Report Share Posted August 25, 2007 Nova, Hammer on the head, You did it again. How did you come up with that combo?? Thanks for the insight Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nova Posted August 25, 2007 Report Share Posted August 25, 2007 Went to the net and read about them/looked at pics. www.novalures.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willy Posted August 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 Great posts Guys! I've been on vacation for a week and was really impressed with the responses here when I got back! Nova...or SenkoSam I'm really interested in how to coreshot. Nova...nice looking pours You'd kill it here in the littoral zones with that swim. Sagacious....Great knowledge on the colorations of the baitfish at diffferent depths. It was a random pic from the net I grabbed to show the silvery belly, but I get your point about the different color tops in different zones. Good stuff all, keep it coming! Willy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ssrmr2 Posted August 28, 2007 Report Share Posted August 28, 2007 ROCKY, hey when the chovies are "good/ CURED" they will have the green tint on the backs. similar to the plastic that i showed you. At least that i have seen them when i was working on the long range boats. i havent nailed the bottom down but it looks like NOVA king of all plastic colors might have hit it on the head. -steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
