Throwing a light on the end of your dock to attract fish is no new trick and folks have been doing it since the invention of the lantern. But, there are fish lights, and then there are Superfishlights.

Hearing stories of unrealistic amounts of fish gathering under a new type and color of dock light. This new "green" light is said to attract fish on a whole new level. It's understood that regular "white" light provides visibility for predatory fish to hunt through the otherwise black of night. Fish will hold just beyond the reaches of the light's rays and wait for their prey to swim along into clear view. It's a successful tactic and many lit docks can boast better than average fishing after the sun goes down. Of course, the plan is to have your lure mistaken for their prey. And it definitely happens.

Apparently, it doesn't happen enough for Chuck Heath though. As an obsessive angler and an electrician by trade, he felt fishing only under white lights--because they were the only color on the water--left too much potential for improvement. Don't deep-sea fishermen use different colored lights to increase their hookups? Yes, he observed. So, why not take that desire Recently, I'd been hearing stories of unrealistic amounts of fish gathering under a new type and color of dock light. This new "green" light is said to attract fish on a whole new level. It's understood that regular "white" light provides visibility for predatory fish to hunt through the otherwise black of night. Fish will hold just beyond the reaches of the light's rays and wait for their prey to swim along into clear view. It's a successful tactic and many lit docks can boast better than average fishing after the sun goes down. Of course, the plan is to have your lure mistaken for their prey. And it definitely happens. Apparently, it doesn't happen enough for Chuck Heath though. As an obsessive angler and an electrician by trade, he felt fishing only under white lights--because they were the only color on the water--left too much potential for improvement. Don't deep-sea fishermen use different colored lights to increase their hookups? Yes, he observed. So, why not take that desire to try new colors to the dock. Chuck's curiosity forced him to experiment with a variety of colored lamps before discovering the nearly comical effect the green bulbs have on fish. Now his easy-to-install "green" dock lights are patented under the name Superfishlights.

Chuck's ongoing studies are beginning to shed some light on the reason for their amazing success. It appears that green lighting attracts life forms at the very bottom of the food chain. As these tiny organisms accumulate, the next larger critters arrive to dine, and so on and so on, until the largest predatory fish in the area are hanging around for the easy pickings. Chuck's new green lights don't just light the way, they ring the dinner bell--and everything is invited. With so many exciting stories circulating about the action under these lights, I figured I'd better check it out firsthand.

I met up with a happy and humble, Chuck Heath in Stuart, Florida just before dark, after a comfortable stay at the beautiful Pirate's Cove Resort and Marina. He arranged to have Captain Greg Snyder take us out on his ETEC-powered Action Craft to do some night fishing around the area's "green" docks. The evening was cool and blowy, but not a concern for the type of fishing we would be doing.

The locations we would be fishing soon became evident as Captain Greg pulled the boat away from the landing. Out in the distance, the shore was lined with lights. Most were house lights, many were dock lights, but nearly all were white lights. Yet, if you looked carefully, you could detect the unmistakable green glow of the Superfishlights from up to a half-mile away that sporadically dotted the horizon in the night.

It's important to note, most Superfishlight owners are understandably protective of their newly acquired pets. Many have changed their evening routines to include a stroll down to their docks to watch big bruiser fish lounge around in plain sight. These fish have an unexplainable new sense of security. They don't wait just outside the reaches of the light--they bask in it. Superfishlight owners know their scaly visitors are sitting ducks to the stealthy anglers who hunt at night. Therefore, fishermen must be extremely quiet, or ask permission out of respect. On second thought, you better get permission, 'cause there ain't no way you and your buddies are gonna stay quiet when a twenty-five pound snook slams your bait.

Chuck removed the need to sneak during my visit by calling ahead to several of his customers in the immediate area. All were glad we'd be stopping by and several came out to talk as we drifted up. Captain Greg quietly anchored parallel to the first of many "green" docks as Chuck and I stood ready with our live shrimp staring at the spooky, radioactive glow before us.

"Cool, isn't it?" Came a voice from a bench in the shadows. "Holy cow... you made me squish my shrimp! And yes, yes it is amazing," I said, while watching the murky water give off hints of bodies swimming below the surface. "How are you Mr. Salie?" Chuck piped in. Mr. Salie was one of Chuck's first customers and the recipient of a recent upgrade since hurricane Wilma just ripped out his original lights. He went on to describe how some mornings when he comes down to the dock after leaving the lights on all night, there are actually bait fish lying around on the dock that landed there trying to escape the feeding frenzy three feet below.

Captain Greg, Chuck and I, spent the next two hours or so pitching live shrimp and an assortment of D.O.A. TerrorEys, to six different docks fitted with Superfishlights. Most of the hits came on the first or second cast, and the ensuing battles seemed to put a damper on the action immediately following. There's no doubt in my mind, though, if we had the time to practice patience, they'd roll back in and we'd knock 'em down again. We caught plenty of snook, it just wasn't the freak show Chuck was hoping to hit me with. Water clarity and the lack of time we had to work with had something to do with it, I'm sure. In fact, others reported it was just one of those days when nothing is biting.

But I'm not making excuses. We just wrestled a dozen snook on a night when no one else could buy a strike! The difference these lights make is undeniable. It would probably be a wise move to get in touch with Chuck soon, before someone makes a case to have his lights outlawed. I wish I had a dock... and a waterfront home. To learn more, go to www.superfishlights.com.