If you’re a hunter or have ever spent time in the military, you’ve probably heard that phrase before and even if you haven’t you’ve probably made use of it. To hide from your prey, or your adversary your choice of color, ability to minimize your contrast to your background and hide your movement will make or break your attempt at camouflage. Conversely, you will be looking for certain colors, mismatches in the background and movement in order to detect your quarry. In fishing, it is easy to forget that our success will often hinge on maximizing our lures’ color, contrast and movement. While it is true that one of your ‘go-to’ lures will get you a strike on almost any given day, a little thought about “CC M” may surprise you. First, think of color- how visible will your choice be when looking up at the sky through the water? Is the water stained? If so, get a contrast through appropriate color choices; if the water is looking green, will you expect much from a green lure? Then we come to movement. Each lure has a movement that it was designed for, and you need to make sure you work it right; the difference can make, well, all the difference! Recently, a client was cranking a Long-A with minimal results. When I showed him how to slash it through the water, the fish were suddenly biting like crazy! Think “CC M” and success is more likely.
Darin Gillenwater (author) is the owner of Greasy Creek Outfiiters. Greasy Creek (a wild trout stream) flows through upland pastures in Floyd, Va. Legend has it that hunter’s once skinned so many bear along its banks that the creek filled with grease. www.greasycreekoutfitters.com
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