text: why are fishing bobbers red and white in color?   in the old days, before the early 20th century, red was the brightest color of paint readily available --- aside from white (which, technically, is not a color but you art majors can handle this aspect). anyway, most paint was available in white, red, green or blue. other colors such as tan or orange were available but more expensive to produce. these were the days before large chemical firms, when small companies produced only a few colors of paint. if you wanted light blue walls in your study, you mixed white and blue --- you didn't buy light blue. red showed the best on water and was readily available. when undisturbed, the bobber's top is red. if you get a nibble, the fish typically turns the bobber over and you can see the white bottom. anyone who has ever tried to see a bobber against an evening sun knows how difficult it can be to see white in the sparkling water. the red helps, a bit. it's more tradition than anything that keeps bobbers red and white today. lime green or orange would be better, and i have seen these colors on bobbers. but there's something comforting about a red and white bobber. it's an historical link to the past.