Why Maine fishermen are dyeing bait different colors (2024)

Bait shops and fishermen and women have been brining fish for a long time to get the longest possible use out of them, but the introduction of color is relatively new in Maine. Although dyed bait is used more widely in other parts of the country, there is a big debate about its effectiveness.

“I swear by them,” said Jake Dumais of Backcountry Baits in Waterville. “Different fish like different colors.”

Commercial saltwater fishermen began dying bait blue in the 1970s to cut down on the number of seabirds caught while swordfishing. The blue made the bait fish blend into the water from a bird’s eye perspective.

Fish can see colors, although what they can process may differ between species, according to the Cornell Center for Materials Research.

Dumais, who primarily serves fishermen and women in the Belgrade Lakes area, said the blue baits catch brown trout in Great Pond and the pink ones catch splake and pike in Messalonskee Lake. He also has developed green, red, chartreuse and orange dye mixes. He’s working on purple.

Dumais saw a 9-pound brown trout caught on a blue bait fish, and he pulled in a 4.5-pound rainbow trout himself on a pink one.

Not many shops in Maine offer dyed bait. Dumais knew of one other, which was Friends Bait Shop in West Enfield. Other bait shop owners pointed to Friends as well on Tuesday.

Friends owner Michael Brasslett said he uses a pickling preservation dye process that takes from 48 to 72 hours to complete. He does not only smelts, but also shiners, redfins and suckers, plus worms and glow-in-the-dark night crawlers.

He is thinking about expanding his inventory, and his reach. He is negotiating with a product distribution company to take his baits to shops in other parts of Maine.

Brasslett’s color palette is huge. He has approximately 30 different colors he uses, with electric blue his customers’ favorite. He is about to add turquoise and cherry bomb red. The surprising thing is that he is partially colorblind and can only see certain shades.

Brasslett has been doing this for 9 years. The only other shop he knows that does dyed bait is Dumais’.

“I started doing this because I was tired of selling lures,” he said.

Both bait shop owners charge about $8 for a package of 6 fish. Smaller fish are $6, Brasslett said.

Dumais has his own recipe for brine and dye. He has worked with the proportions of salt to water and just the right amount of dye to achieve a bait fish that can hold up to more than one fish strike. You can dye live bait too, he said.

Manufacturers claim that the dye does not hurt live fish or the environment. A state fish biologist could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

Some smelt dippers brine and dye their own. Brined and dyed fish can be refrigerated or frozen to store them, Dumais said.

Dumais has been doing his own brining for three or four years and just started getting into dying fish and selling bait within the last year.

The trick is to get the fish into the brine as soon as possible so they don’t lose their natural dark colors before they are dyed. The food-grade dye is sold under multiple brand names and can be purchased online. It’s a more concentrated form of the food coloring found in the baking aisle of the grocery store, Dumais said.

There are also brining and dying recipes and instructions available online.

Some other shops buy Dumais’ dyed bait, but mostly he has a few regular customers.

“They’re in high demand. They go fast when I have them available,” he said.

More articles from the BDN