SPIKE-IT OUTDOORS, INC.
P.O. BOX 147
BROOKLET, GA 30415
To see our complete line of Spike-It products, please
visit our website:
www.ispikeit.com
Congratulations on your purchase of the COLOR-C-
LECTOR
®
! This revolutionary fishing instrument will allow
you to select the right lure color or combinations of colors to
match every fishing condition in freshwater or saltwater and
for all species of gamefish.
The COLOR-C-LECTOR
®
tells you which colors fish
can see best so you can select the right lure color the first
time, with confidence!
HOW COLOR AFFECTS FISH
Color vision is extremely important to the life of a fish. Fish
rely on color vision for food selection, for signals on mating
behavior, for shelter and self-defense. Scientific research
has proven that fish have excellent color vision. They can
distinguish all colors in the electro-magnetic spectrum, i.e.,
violet to red. They can also readily distinguish between
closely related colors and even between shades of the same
color.
The major functions of a fish’s eye are to receive,
resolve, and respond to light and transmit that information to
the brain. The fish’s eyes detect movement, form and color
and sight is their dominant sense for seeking food.
The photo sensory cells in a fish’s retina are
composed of cones (for color vision) and rods (for black,
white, and shades of grey.) Because of their anatomy, a
fish’s eye can receive five times more light than the human
eye, thus allowing the fish to distinguish shapes,
movements, sizes and colors that the human eye cannot.
Fish can do this under varying water clarity and lighting
conditions.
ASSEMBLING YOUR COLOR-C-LECTOR
®
Using a tape measure, peel and wrap number decals on the
probe cable at one-foot increments for the first five feet, and
five-foot increments for the remaining portion, indicating the
number of feet to the probe from that point. The cable coils
on a spool that is part of the meter assembly, and the probe
itself is stored in the slot on the back of the instrument.
BATTERY INSTALLATION
Remove the probe from the storage slot of the unit. Using a
Phillips head screwdriver, remove the six crews, along the
edge of the unit. Gently separate the top and bottom parts
of the unit. If the wire harness detaches from the unit,
simply put it back in the slot before reassembly. Place the 4
(AA) batteries in the battery compartment as indicated and
reassemble the unit. Avoid over tightening the screws.
DETERMINING WHICH COLOR BAND TO USE
The key to successful use of the COLOR-C-LECTOR
®
is
determining which of the three major color bands to read.
The process is easy and is determined by the probe. Lower
the probe slowly into the water, observing the depth by the
foot marker line at the water’s surface. If you lose sight of
the probe within the first two feet, read the muddy water
band, if you can see the probe beyond two feet down to four
feet, read the stained water band. If you can see the probe
at greater than four feet deep, read the clear water band.
NOTE: Under certain environmental conditions, the water
clarity may change with depth. For example, you may find
that the water is stained from the surface to 20 feet, but
becomes muddy at depths greater than 20 feet. In certain
large bodies of water the water may be clear down to 40 feet,
but becomes stained at depths greater than 40 feet. At certain
times of the year, especially the spring, rivers or streams
draining into lakes often carry sediment that is either stained
or muddy. Because of the suspended sediments, the water is
heavier or denser and will settle or entrain across the bottom
or deeper sections of the lake. This situation can be detected
by a sudden drop in the number on the COLOR-C-LECTOR
®
as a result of the lack of light penetration. When this
phenomenon is detected, read the next lower color band and
determine the colors most visible to the fish. For example, if
the number indicated fluorescent orange (V) in clear water and
suddenly drops to (Y) you have probably entered into a zone
of stained water. Observe the number indicated on the
stained band and change to yellow-orange (U).
USING YOUR COLOR-C- LECTOR
®
Once you have determined which of the three major color
bands to read, lower the probe to the depth you believe is
being used by active fish and read the color number. For
example, if you plan to use a jig-and-pig or soft plastic bait
along a tree or brush line in water six feet deep, drop the
probe to six feet and read the color or combinations of colors
on the appropriate color band. If you are throwing a crank bait
that will dive to eight feet, lower the probe to that depth and
match the colors. When trolling, select the depth (if using
downriggers) and drop the probe of the COLOR-C-LECTOR
®
to the same depth to obtain the most visible colors. If you are
fishing a lure on the surface (top water bait) or more shallow
than three feet (example, spinner bait) use the colors indicated
at three feet deep on the correct color band, i.e., clear,
stained, or muddy. However, if the water is less than three
feet deep, drop the probe to the bottom and read the colors.
NOTE: When placing the probe on the bottom, do not allow
the probe to rest on its side, rather, lift up the cable slightly so
that only the tip of the probe touches the bottom.
SELECTING LURE COLORS
Once you have determined which color band to read at which
depth, allow the number to stabilize. Remember, that on each
major color band there are 26 colors, 20 basic or non-
fluorescent colors and directly to the left are six fluorescent
colors. It is very important to understand that the COLOR-C-
LECTOR
®
will tell you which non-fluorescent and which
fluorescent colors are most visible to the fish at that particular
water depth, water clarity and time of day. In fact view the
COLOR-C-LECTOR
®
as an instrument that will provide you
with information for both non-fluorescent or fluorescent colors!
Once the number stabilizes, you can select either the basic
non-fluorescent color or the fluorescent color- both color types
will be highly visible to the fish at that particular time and set of
environmental conditions.
NON-FLUORESCENT COLOR SELECTION
To select the proper non-fluorescent color(s), observe where
the number stabilizes at a specific water depth on the
appropriate color band (clear, stained, or muddy). The color
that the number matches on the proper major color band will
be the most visible non-fluorescent color to the fish under
those specific fishing conditions. However, the colors on one
color block on either side of the number will also be highly