Black spoons spook fewer fish in bright light.

Black at night, white in the light.

That would just about sum up many anglers’ Golden Rule when it comes to selecting artificial lures and flies. I’m one to experiment, and I have with black or dark plugs, soft baits and spoons with good success. Define dark? Black, purple, dark brown, and combinations thereof qualify.

Evaluations of black lures provoke mixed opinions among anglers. Most agree they can be a useful part of one’s fishing arsenal, but there certainly is no consensus concerning when they are best, and on which species of fish. Some swear that they’re the only way to go in the shallows both at sunrise and sunset. Though many species will clobber topwater plugs throughout the day, even in bright sunlight, twilight time has been, and always will be, the classic time to toss them. And that is when an all-black or very dark plug stands out against the gray sky better than a plug with a white belly. At least to the human eye. But I think the fish agree. To see this for yourself, try this simple experiment: Go outside an hour before sunrise and hold up a dark-bellied plug and a light-bellied plug against the lightening sky. You’ll see that the dark one stands out against the sky much earlier than the light one.

Paint it Black Finding dark colors doesn’t seem to be much of a problem when it comes to flies or soft baits. Most fly fishermen either tie their flies or buy from a custom maker, allowing them to construct unlimited possibilities. Soft grubs, jigs and spoons are available in many dark colors. Much of this is due to their original use by freshwater anglers, but some is due to the ease of changing dye lots during manufacture.     Hard-bodied lures are a different story. Most are molded and color changes involve making huge quantities in each color. Even the largest manufacturers can’t produce every model in every color. So, what if you like Lure X, want it in solid black, and it’s only made in black with a yellow head? That’s where spray paint comes in. Do a quick cleaning to wipe away any salt residue and grease, tape the hooks, and spray away with glossy quick-drying black enamel. This is my solution, and sure, this Earl Scheib paint job may not last long, but I find that even the factory paint jobs on black Johnson spoons need to be touched up every trip or two. —TT

Shallow Water Angler editor Mike Conner reports that he routinely tests fly and lure actions in his swimming pool, and some time ago took this test a step further by lying in the shallow end at sunset with a purple floating MirrOlure (a favorite tarpon lure) and a white-bellied version overhead side by side. Though both were visible, the dark lure stood out much better. “For years I fished the purple plug, and black versions when I could find them, in Florida Bay for tarpon at first light, and also for tarpon, snook and seatrout in dense mullet muds. That plug was more visible from my vantage point, and I’m convinced the fish picked it up in milky water as well. In fact I exclusively fish black or brown skimmer jigs, black spoons and black Sea-Ducers and Muddler flies, and Black Death tarpon flies wherever the water is muddy, no matter the time of day. Other then that, some of my best cobia days were those when I cast black streamers. And you should see how a tripletail will scarf a purple, black or dark brown Clouser Minnow,” said Conner.

Fishing with a black spoon seems oxymoronic, but “not so” says Steinhatchee, Florida guide Sam LaNeve. LaNeve is a staunch proponent of the black spoon, and fishes one on Florida’s Big Bend flats on bright “bluebird” days for reds. I fished with him on just such a day, and stuck with a suspending plug (after all, the sun was straight overhead) and watched him land a beautiful keeper red on his first shot. In retrospect, Sam’s choice of the 1/8-ounce black spoon was perfect, given the shallow, muddy water and the spooky nature of the fish. I think that a gold or silver spoon would have spooked the reds that day. The black spoon had better contrast and triggered an impulse strike.

Even in super clear water, dark lures can get the bite when flashier stuff puts fish off. Flats redfish anglers have reported great results by switching from gold or silver to all-black spoons in bright sunlight. Reds can “flare off” those bright spoons, but then again, it could be that in hard-fished waters, the fish have simply seen too many of the gold lures.

Dark & deadly plugs.

Fishing buddies of mine fish black artificials around lighted docks at night and some hold them in reserve for muddy or stained waters only. Many fly fishermen throw only black patterns no matter the situation and I see lots of dark plugs successfully trolled for seatrout along creek channels in Florida’s Big Bend during the winter months.

If you’re a transplant from fresh to salt water, you likely know how effective dark lures are. Veteran freshwater angler and tackle-maker Lonnie Stanley isn’t at all surprised by the interest that redfish anglers have shown in his original Stanley Jig and its darker skirt colors. Say Stanley, “The spinnerbait, a longtime favorite of freshwater fishermen, is becoming a familiar sight in the tackle boxes of saltwater fishermen.” And, his Salty Boss lure was specially designed for salt water and is extremely popular in the black-and-chartreuse version.