Black baits.

[Pat Brown]

27 minutes ago, king fisher said:

Black single Colorado spinnerbait, night or day, deep or shallow, muddy or clear.

 

I think people forget to throw black reaction baits and they don't get fished very often.  Great for pressured fisheries where sexy shad and bream and orange get tossed non stop.

[Catt]

12 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

 

I think people forget to throw black reaction baits and they don't get fished very often.  Great for pressured fisheries where sexy shad and bream and orange get tossed non stop.

 

Yes sir ? 

 

Try a black squarebill 

[Alex from GA]

I throw a black frog when I'm in FL.

[SC53]

Black with some blue, whether a worm or jig, is my go to color down here.

 

[PourMyOwn]

Black is a great color, it just doesn't get the internet and youtuber love that green pumpkin does. 

[GetFishorDieTryin]

If I could only have 1 color it would be black.  Its just as or even more effective in clear water then it is dirty water, especially in the winter.  

[bowhunter63]

Green pumpkin is still my number 1. I really a black hellgramite 

[crypt]

black spinnerbait with gold blades is  my favorite color 

[Mobasser]

Two ways I've done well on black plastic worms: fish as a traditional t rig in clear water, and, use a large (10" or 12") black plastic worm as a surface lure, slowly reeled over moss, pads, etc.

[Timpson]

A black trick worm has been my best bait this year

[WRB]

When pork rind was popular the 2 colors most used was black or white. Uncle Josh made a 9” black Widow Eel for the striper market that a excellent jig trailer for LMB. I used Widow as a trailer on my black vinyl twin spins calling it The Thing because it looked it came from out space. Need to get out The Thing this winter  and give it=a try.

Poe had a black 300 series deep diver with a narrow orange belly that was my go to plug for years.

Black Power worms are go to lure for night bass fishing.

Tom

[RRocket]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

When pork rind was popular the 2 colors most used was black or white. 

IIRC, in the book "Knowing Bass: The Scientific Approach to Catching More Fish" the most bit baits were Black and White

[Kirtley Howe]

We are spoiled by color choices these days. I am old enough to remember when the color choices in stores was pretty much limited to black, white, yellow, chartreuse, and green....and sometimes purple. I suppose that if you were lucky enough to live near a Bass Pro shop, or had access to their catalog, your choices were broader. I remember being amazed to see a pre-rigged Cream brand plastic worm that was black with (gasp!) white spots.     And back then, there was no internet to order things from. Yes, I am "that" old.  

[you]

Perspective from fishing FL lakes and gulf inshore:

-Nearly all of my freshwater baits are dark (and usually purple)

-Nearly all of my saltwater baits are white (or off-white)

 

Black (and dark) baits work great on bass, but does anyone prefer white baits for bass, even beyond 'match-the-hatch' baitfish scenarios?

 

I've tried dark baits for reds and trout in the gulf without much success. And for bass, a white speedworm or trick worm just seems silly to me. Does it all come down to confidence?

 

 

[Log Catcher]

When I use black soft plastics I catch SMB. I can't remember ever catching a LMB on black. Black/Blue won't even get a bite for me. I have one crank bait in black. It is the 6th Sense 50X in Black Magic. I haven't used it a lot but so far it hasn't caught anything.

[MassBass]

All around good color for most baits in most conditions. Problem is the pattern isn't flashy and doesn't catch fishermen as much as the more gaudy patterns. I believe in black topwaters at night, black spinnerbaits in muddy water and night, anything imitating a bug or craw in black, float and fly black fly, black chatterbaits, and black spinners when conditions are clear and bright. Basically black patterns stand out in low visibility, but look natural in good visibility.

[Mike L]

11 hours ago, you said:

 

 

Black (and dark) baits work great on bass, but does anyone prefer white baits for bass, even beyond 'match-the-hatch' baitfish scenarios?

 

 Does it all come down to confidence?

 

 

I use white exclusively for sight fishing bedding LM. 
 

 

To some degree sure, what you have confidence in is half the battle. 
But a complete color change or variation sometimes can and will make all the difference. 
 

 

 

 

Mike

[Pat Brown]

@you there is a pond I fish where I always have a white swim jig tied on.  They feed on golden shiners, white Nile tilapia, threadfin shad, black crappie, sunfish, baby bass, baby catfish, baby carp, frogs, baby ducks..... basically lots of flashy white things.  White seems to get bit 5 to 1 over other jig colors regardless of time of year or conditions.  I have done very well on the bigger lakes when bass are ambushing / corraling/ busting shad by targeting them with white swim jigs.  They'll try to snatch the rod out of your hands and choke the jig way down their throats.

[Catt]

12 hours ago, you said:

I've tried dark baits for reds and trout in the gulf without much success

 

Dark colors especially black are deadly on both Specks & Reds. 

 

I've had great success on white Ultravibe Speed Worms & Craws for a couple years now.

[Mobasser]

I think it's also a misconception that black baits are only good in off colored or murky water. They can work well in clear water also.                                                    My brother and I caught a lot of bass on black Creme Scoundrel worms from a clear water pond when I first started bass fishing. The black Creme worms were all that was available to us at the time. I've done well on solid black Zoom Trick worms and Zoom.finesse worms on a clear water lake I fish weekly. I think it's a good idea to have some with you. It's kind of a universal color. Black could work anywhere.

[Darth-Baiter]

i have some Black Dolive Beavers coming, that i think will get chewed!!  

[Bluebasser86]

A black brush hog is a consistent big fish bait for me in the summer. I always carry solid black jigs and a few solid black spinnerbaits and buzzbaits, and not just for night fishing. 

[LonnieP]

I’ve had good luck with a black buzz bait as well as Zoom South African Special UV speed worm

[Zcoker]

Black has always been a hyped up night bait and is what I used when I first started night fishing the glades. Works well, no doubt. But I can get just as many hits on other colors, white being one of them. I recently caught a 7lb'er on a chartreuse spinner bait with flashy gold willow blades normally used in the daytime. In fact, most all colors work at night which goes against what most hear, that black or dark colors are needed for the silhouette factor. Perhaps there's something to that, maybe so. But I'm starting to see little difference in color and more a difference with sound when it comes to night fishing. 

[PaulVE64]

GP

White

Black