The Colors of Night

CAN FISH DISTINGUISH colors at night? This is a question that has been argued back and forth for years with strong opinions on both sides, especially among nighttime spinnerbait aficionados. Some say just throw a dark bait with a black blade all the time, regardless of water color or amount of light. Under some circumstances, they are correct, but 50 years of night fishing say that I would love to fish against those with that mindset in a tournament under most water and light conditions. Skirt and blade color can make the difference between success at night and a wasted trip in many situations.

A couple of years ago, a younger angler and I were fishing a tournament together on the lower end of Wheeler Lake in north Alabama. The moon was to come up around 10 p.m., and the water had a visibility of a couple of feet. I asked my young friend what color spinnerbait he was going to throw. We had fished together on Alabama’s Lake Jordan many times, and he always fished