Black jigs

[Rusty Lee]

Went fishing Sunday, no bites in the morning or afternoon. It wasn't till almost dark I switched to a black curly tail and caught 7 in a row in about 4 feet of water. How do fish see a black jig in the dark?

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[Slowboat]

I'm no expert and have wondered the same.
I think that its common for crappie to move up close at dusk(mainly to feed?), plus the low light they rely less on sight and more on profile. Also the curly tail will send off vibrations the fish will sense.
I think you just got all the right combinations at the right time! Good job,,,that is how you fish....

[CrappiePappy]

There is some residual light above the water, so the black bait creates a more visible silhouette against the sky/water's surface. Fish looking upwards can see that silhouette. Even fish looking forward or downward can distinguish the black profile of the bait against the "not so black" bottom of the lake ... that same residual light will illuminate the lake bottom to a slight degree, but the black bait will not reflect any of that light, so it appears "darker" than the background (lake bottom).

"Slowboat" is also correct in that the curly tail will throw off vibrations (pressure waves) that can be detected by the lateral line of the fish.

It's also known that Crappie do tend to feed during the twilight times (first light & post sundown) and often do so in the shallows ... which is also where many of the baitfish minnows are at those times !!

[Kevin22]

There is some residual light above the water, so the black bait creates a more visible silhouette against the sky/water's surface. Fish looking upwards can see that silhouette. Even fish looking forward or downward can distinguish the black profile of the bait against the "not so black" bottom of the lake ... that same residual light will illuminate the lake bottom to a slight degree, but the black bait will not reflect any of that light, so it appears "darker" than the background (lake bottom).

"Slowboat" is also correct in that the curly tail will throw off vibrations (pressure waves) that can be detected by the lateral line of the fish.

It's also known that Crappie do tend to feed during the twilight times (first light & post sundown) and often do so in the shallows ... which is also where many of the baitfish minnows are at those times !!

Hit the nail on the head! That's why bass fishermen who fish at night use big black worms, black poppers, black buzzbaits, and black spinnerbaits with big black blades. See a pattern?

[Crestliner08]

I have a "special" bag of black curly tails that I go to if the bite gets tough, even in full daylight.

[Rusty Lee]

More luck with them during the day on bluegill

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[NIMROD]

Black works as some said as it just silhouettes against the light from above . Sometimes fish feed late better at dusk and dawn , even more so in clear water . White works too even in the dark .

[Lonnie84]

Another thing is fish do not see "in-color" like we do anyway they see various shades of gray, all of the colors that we see and have in our box are all shades of gray to them. There has been a lot of research done on this that you can google up.

[doggone]

Hey just go with it....you try enough stuff over the years you will see fish do the exact opposite of what you think they should do.You just file that in the ol memory banks and know it works sometimes.

Nobody really knows exactly how fish visually see things.Much less the other senses. It's hypothesis and speculation for the most part. Yes the science community has basis for their findings ....but I have also seen them make a new discovery that discounted everything they thought they knew previously. And every time they do extensive studies they find things that astound and amaze us and them. Things are generally operating on a higher and more complex level than we imagine. Never underestimate God's creations. God is operating on a level we won't understand fully as long as we are on this earth.

[Rusty Lee]

Another thing is fish do not see "in-color" like we do anyway they see various shades of gray, all of the colors that we see and have in our box are all shades of gray to them. There has been a lot of research done on this that you can google up.

Then why don't they just make monochrome jigs, every shade black to white?

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