The Color Black & The Three-Eyed Raven

The Color Black

The other day, I spent some at the fly tying vice and played around some some double barrel popper bodies.  I haven't had any experience using these on the water yet, but hopefully I'm going to right that wrong today.  Anywho, all I really did was use some marabou for a tail, some webby hackle between the bou and the body, and some rubber legs where I whip finished.  I also went with an all black construction because I am starting to have a belief about topwater fishing for bass.  Before we go down this rabbit hole, let me just say that I would love to hear what people have to say on this topic.  Am I crazy?  Does this make sense?  Are you of the same belief?  Do you have information that disputes my belief?  I would love to hear what others think about this topic as I am certainly not an expert here...just a guy with a vice and a computer.  Feel free to leave a comment below or on the Facebook page.

So here's my thought: I might not ever fish a topwater lure for bass again (when the water is stained) that is any color but black.  Here's my reasoning.  Most fish, frogs, snakes, mice, etc. have what's called countershading.  If you don't know what that is, that's alright.  I had never heard the term until about a year ago.  It is something that we have probably all noticed but maybe never known what it is called.  It basically means that some animals are darker colored on their backs and sides so they are harder to see from above because they blend in to their surroundings really well.  It also means that their bellies or undersides are lighter and sometimes white because if a predator is looking up at them, then they will blend into the sky and/or sunlight.  It's the reason why a great white shark has a dark blue-gray colored back and a white belly.  It blends into the water and rocks when you look at it from above and with sunlight if you are below it and looking up.  It makes sense why critters do this and is an excellent example of science, nature, and evolution.  

Now let me ask you this, why would we as fishermen ever use a lure with a white belly or any other light color for that matter?  If we are using light colored lures, aren't we using a lure that blends in to its surroundings and is hard to see?  Sure, I get that sometimes we try to "match the hatch" and make things look realistic, but it would seem that we are working against ourselves and making things harder.  Shouldn't we use a color that stands out and gets the fish's attention?  Wouldn't black stand out against a light colored sky as well as provide a visible profile in stained water?  It seems like a black silhouette would be an ideal target for fish to zero in on.  I swear that this isn't some "let's only fish black topwater" pep rally.  I'm just thinking out loud here and trying to think through this but the logic seems to make sense in my convoluted mind.

The Three Eyed Raven

I am certain that this is not an original creation, but I felt inclined to give my creation a name.  Now if you are a follower of Game of Thrones, you are probably familiar with the phenomenon of the Three Eyed Raven.  I don't want to spoil anything so I will stop with my description for those just getting into the show and getting caught up.  That's why after my musing on the color black, topwater, and a little GoT reflection, I decided to name this puppy the Three Eyed Raven.  I even put a third eye on top for good measure.  The fish will never see this but I will laugh every time I use it and laugh harder if I catch a fish on it.