# Best Hull Color?



## Capnredfish (Feb 1, 2012)

I do not see it on the list. Those seem like a list being offered by a boat manufacturer. Who is it?


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## westsidefly (Aug 15, 2014)

Capnredfish said:


> I do not see it on the list. Those seem like a list being offered by a boat manufacturer. Who is it?


Looks like HB to me.


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## ifsteve (Jul 1, 2010)

The best color is the color the boat owner likes. Nothing else matters, really. And I am pretty sure the fish don't care.


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## bryson (Jun 22, 2015)

I think it's a confidence thing -- if you feel good about your boat, you'll fish better out of it. For example, I seem to fish better in a clean boat -- I don't get discouraged as easily when something goes wrong. I think that color probably matters to an extent, but far less than noise (hull slap, loud steps on the deck, closing hatches, push pole scraping, etc). Then again, the waters I fish are very rarely clear (SC Lowcountry), so my opinion is probably pretty different than those of you that fish super clear water.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

I have caught fish in skinny water in almost every color of boat so I'm not sure how much the hull color plays into success. In my younger days I caught tons of snook in SW FL fishing from a bright red kayak, fish didnt seem to care. If you think it color plays into success then I would imagine a neutral color that blends with the sky would be the best. I think hull slap and the other noise mentioned above are a bigger factor.


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## MariettaMike (Jun 14, 2012)

westsidefly said:


> Looks like HB to me.


It's HB and Maverick for the most part, and are mostly standard Awlgrip colors.

http://www.awlgrip.com/support-and-advice/color-cards.aspx#

HB will make your hull any color without an upcharge. While Maverick charges extra for going with one of their optional colors other than Matterhorn White, And double/triple extra for going with a special color/dark color.

Seems like Dead Grass Green was the stealth color back in the day for fishing dark bottoms, and guide green for light bottoms. I tend to agree the color isn't so important, as the fish hearing something creak, squeak, or clank, seeing something move, or the worst is feeling the pressure wave of your casting.

What really gets fish going is when you stand up real quick while they're chill'n in the shade of your boat. And having tarpon follow your fly all the way to the boat until your leader hits the rod tip is another indicator that how you fish is more important than boat color.

Its still early, but seeing "Ice Blue" take the lead is no surprise.


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## Net 30 (Mar 24, 2012)

I would think it might make a _small_ difference on an offshore boat where the fish has the ability to look up from directly underneath...probably not.

I have friends that used to paint fish on the bottom of their offshore hulls to attract fish...waste of $.


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## Barbs_deep (Jul 4, 2010)

I prefer a light color. Not so much because of fish being able to see it, but because lighter colors don't show scratches like a dark hull. Mine is ice blue and it hides scratches quite well.


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## el9surf (Dec 23, 2008)

My old whip hull was ice blue with matching non skid, loved that color combo. The colored deck cuts down on glare and as mentioned it hides scratches really well.


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## JappyFish (Mar 1, 2014)

GUIDE GREEN.

Next question.


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## T Bone (Jul 24, 2014)

What blends in with the sky more then "sky blue"?


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

I dig ice blue with off white or cream nonskid decks. Going with that for my next project.


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## BayStYat (Sep 12, 2012)

I never new fish cared about hull colors.
Thats prolly why I never catch anything.....


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## jonny (May 1, 2007)

My vote is a write in for doo-doo brown. That way you don't have to clean it or worry about stains. All you have to do is fish. So there for it will make you catch more fish. So there for it is the best color


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## westsidefly (Aug 15, 2014)

I think hull color catches more fisherman then fish. Old saying but I think it applies. 

What about hull repair? Are there issues matching a color?


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## mtoddsolomon (Mar 25, 2015)

Clear, just plain see through. I hear that's the best approach. I know a redfish, his name is Ralph, and he always says the best boat is a boat he can't see.


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## Capnredfish (Feb 1, 2012)

I think color has more to do with confidence than anything else. Live mullet are always the same color, but the number of colors for mullet imatations is amazing.


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## jonny (May 1, 2007)

Yep no matter what color you see. To the fish it's a big black object blocking out the sun. But it's so skinny where I fish. I rarely catch anything under my boat any how.


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## ceejkay (May 7, 2016)

im a fan of blue. but im sure the fish dont care what color your hull is.


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## JappyFish (Mar 1, 2014)

So, a little off topic, but have yall seen the guys who paint schools of fish on the bottom?

Desperate times call for desperate measures....


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## firecat1981 (Nov 27, 2007)

Looks like we have a clear leader, lol.


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## jonny (May 1, 2007)

Haha! Yeah maybe I will wrap my boat below the water line with schools of menhaden. To lure the sook outta the woods at high tide.


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## WSK (May 15, 2015)

The best color is the color of the skiff your fishing from.


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## Blue Zone (Oct 22, 2011)

A white hull casts the same shadow as a black hull. A fish looking up theoretically should be able to see white versus black, but I haven't seen any evidence that fish actually see in color. I sense they may have some superhuman capability to see detail and contrast way beyond what we can imagine in terms of our own eyesight. That's my learnings based on both fresh and salt water...

Mike, I'd go for the least popular color which you like; go against the flow.


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## permitchaser (Aug 26, 2013)

I just like ice blue
I don't think it matters what color the boat is to the fish. When I fished bass tournaments I had a metal flake gold boat. Still caught fish and have the trophies to prove it


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## Limp Shrimp (Aug 23, 2015)

I like the sky blue or the Bahama blue..


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## sjrobin (Jul 13, 2015)

Any color that is soothing to your eyes in bright sun, not white and not too dark.


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## paint it black (Nov 3, 2007)

I've caught more fish out of a black skiff than any other color skiff. But that's because I owned two black skiffs for two and a half years each. 
Currently have a seafoam green, marsh green, and whisper gray hulls. I am going back to black on my next, solely because of preference.


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## Backwater (Dec 14, 2014)

I assuming the "Dead Grass Green" is the typical Jon boat color. If so, than that's it for the list. Otherwise, olive works great too. You have no ideah how many snook and reds, as well as other inshore fish I've caught in hulls painted or gel coated in Dead Grass Green, Olive and Forest Green. 

Take a look at underwater pics of inshore fish like snook and reds up on the grass flats in the mangroves, etc, Look at the background colors and what do you see. Dead Grass Greenish color or olive. In my experience, darker hull colors blend in better inshore and lighter colors Offshore. Because the fish see horizontally inshore but look up from the bottom offshore with the sky in the background.








































































The white boat shows up like a sore thumb.



For near shore, clear water beach and pass fishing, again, blend in with your surroundings like camouflage. Colors like teal, sea foam green Ice Blue, Guide Green, light gray, sky blue, etc.






































White still shows up on a sideways profile view.


Offshore, Light colors and white work best to blend in.

















It's obvious when a dark hull is above!
















Ted


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