Black Lures and Brown Water With St. Patrick's Day falling in March, pubs across the country are serving thousands of `black and tans' on a daily basis. However, pints of Guinness and Bass aren't the only black and tan combinations that appeal to anglers this time of year. As spring winds and rain runoff turn bay waters a turbid tan, black lures begin producing at a tremendous clip. From topwater plugs to soft-plastic jigs, black is the go-to color when fishing murky water. Where Water Is Likely to Be Tan Although any portion of a bay can become dirty during March, some areas are more likely to turn tan than others. And, often times, the very conditions that cause these locations to 'dirty up' also draw in feeding fish. Open bay reefs: When the wind begins driving waves across the open bay, any obstruction or depth change will cause those waves to break. Often times, the obstruction the waves are breaking on are open bay reefs. Whether they reach the surface or rise just below it, if the reef is substantially shallower than the water around it, waves will be breaking over it. The rolling, breaking action will cause the water to be quite a bit dirtier around these reefs - especially on the windward side. Marsh drains: During times of extreme tide fluctuation, the sheer volume of water rushing out of marshes and back lakes can cause the water adjacent to marsh drains to become off-color. This can also happen during times of freshwater runoff. However, most often - especially if the flow is caused by tidal movement - fish will be stacked up outside these drains, waiting for an easy meal to wash down. River mouths: Heavy spring rains often result in a large amount of freshwater runoff. As this increased water volume reaches the open bay, the water adjacent to the river mouth will become dirty. Of course, if there is too much freshwater runoff, the nearby water may be too fresh to hold many fish. However, a moderate amount of freshwater runoff can kick start some great fishing action. Windward flats and shorelines: As is the case with open bay reefs, as move from the deeper open bay waters onto the shallower flats and shorelines, they begin breaking, churning up a good deal of sediment from the bay floor in the process. These windward flats and shorelines often concentrate baitfish and, thus, predator fish at the same time. Depending on how rough the water becomes over these flats, fishing from a boat may be uncomfortable. For this reason, many anglers who routinely choose to work windward flats and shoreline do some while wading. Best Black Baits to Throw MirrOlure 'Dogs': She Dogs, He Dogs, Top Dogs, Top Pups, Top Dog Jrs - although they vary in size and sound, they all come in some black color scheme. Whether its full black (NS), black with a chartreuse head (NSCH) or black with a red head (NSRH), each 'Dog' is available in at least one of the company's black color patterns. This means anglers can pick the size to match the predominate bait and the amount of sound (high or low frequency) needed based on conditions, while still tossing a black bait. Regardless of model, generally speaking, a 'sloppy' dog-walking retrieve is best in off-color water. Bomber SWG A-Salt Poppin' Minnow: Poppers and chuggers are always good choices in off-color water, as they are easy to use and can be utilized to either create a continuous wake or make a splashing, blurping noise with various intensity. Measuring 3 1/8 inches, the Bomber SWG A-Salt Poppin' Minnow is the right size to imitate most March bait items. At 5/16 ounce, its streamlined body casts like a bullet. And, it comes in a jet black color, which is perfect for working in tan, tannin or brown water. This is a great bait for inexperienced topwater fishermen. Bomber SWG Badonk-A-Donk: A relative newcomer, the Bomber SWG Badonk-A-Donk hit the market less than a year ago. However, it sports a deeper body than traditional dog-walking surface baits and sashays a bit different across the surface as well. It is offered with both high pitch (HP) and low pitch (LP) rattles, giving anglers the option of how much sound they want to transmit through the water. The HP version is usually the best suited for dirty water conditions, although the LP model seems to work better in shallow water, regardless of clarity. The black/chartreuse head color pattern is excellent for use in tan water conditions. Texas Tackle Factory Big Mino: Another recent introduction, the TTF Big Mino is a 5-inch, paddletail soft-plastic that is perfect for slow-rolling, waking across the surface and other productive spring time retrieves. The Morning Glory (black, red fleck, chartreuse tail) is an outstanding big trout bait during March. The Big Mino also features a slotted belly, which allows for easy weedless rigging. Slow rolling a weedless Big Mino through grass flats or over oyster beds is a an excellent way to target sow specks. Brown Devil Eyes: Although it is a straight-tail soft-plastic, the Devil Eyes has a different retrieve than a typical soft-plastic jerkbait. The Devil Eye tends to have an elliptical motion instead of the darting action of a standard jerkbait. However, it is deadly productive, particularly when fished on a light (1/16 ounce) jig head. In that instance, it can be fished more like a slow-sinking plug than a soft-plastic tail. When the water is tan, but with some clarity, a Black Cat Devil Eye can be extremely productive, particularly for specks and snook. DOA Shrimp: A great bait for freelining or using under a popping cork, the DOA Shrimp has been a go-to bait for Texas fishermen looking for specks, reds, flounder and snook for more than a decade. Rarely, though, do these fishermen consider throwing a Morning Glory DOA Shrimp in murky water. However, a Morning Glory DOA Shrimp in murky water can be every bit as effective as other colors of DOA Shrimp are in 'trout green' water. Both 3- and 4-inch shrimp are available in Morning Glory. Often times when the water is off-color, the 4-incher produces a bit better, especially in deeper water. TTF Killer Flats Minnow: This is the bait the Big Mino was based on. In essence, it is a smaller version of the Big Mino, sans the rigging slot in the belly. Effective retrieves include slow-rolling, surface waking and standard swimming and jigging. The Morning Glory Killer Flats Minnow is a good choice when fish are feeding on smaller baitfish. This is often the situation late in the month of March. Nemire Red Ripper Spoon: Most people only consider throwing spoons in clean water. Sure enough, the reflective properties of a chrome or gold spoon are rendered null in dirty water. However, a Nemire Red Ripper in black offers a substantial profile in off-color water. And, the wobble of the spoon combined with the Red Ripper's built-in rattle serve to 'call-in' fish. This is a great bait for covering wide open flats when the water clarity is sub-prime. On windy days, when a bit more commotion is necessary, try throwing a Nemire Spoon Buzzer, which is essentially a Red Ripper spoon with a buzzbait propeller attached to the front. Livingston Lures STK: It's almost impossible to find a hard plastic jerkbait in black. For years, anglers have modified various lipped divers with black spray paint. However, Livingston Lures' STK comes in a black color pattern that is perfect for slowly waking across the surface of a calm, dirty water flat. The 'high back' of the STK also causes it to displace more water when drug slowly across the surface. This is a good bait to use when fish are feeding on mullet rippling near the surface. Texas Tackle Factory Trout Killer: Though straight-tail plastics aren't typically thought of as choice lures for throwing in dirty water, they can be productive - particularly if there is some visibility and a bright sky to silhouette the bait against the surface as fish gaze upward. In this instance, a TTF Trout Killer in black/chartreuse is a good choice. The bait has an erratic, darting action which is often key to getting finicky fish to strike. Again, March is a month when high winds, freshwater runoff and other conditions combine to cause bay waters to turn tan. But, that's no reason to tuck away the artificial lures. Instead, try mixing a little black and tan - you'll soon find it's just as rewarding on the bay as in the pub.