Zcoker

When I go fishing, the last thing on my mind is where the moon is at. I mean, I know it’s up there somewhere and not going anywhere lol Comes in handy when casting at night, or navigating in general. To be honest, the bass in the Everglades are slamming my lures regardless of what the moon is doing.

Gator grabbed a lure, so I reeled it in and got my lure back lol. And, yes, the bass can get big in the glades!

Everglades Thunder Life in the Everglades. It's a marshy world out there filled with wildlife and BIG bass. All are released as quickly as possible with the least drama. Most all fish are caught on topwater. Rarely do I use anything else. I find it most exciting and super rewarding when the big bomb goes off on top! lol

I especially like wind at night. We don't have much wind at night during the summer months down here in south Florida but during the other months with the weekly fronts, the wind certainly perks things up. Full moon is so so....but I do enjoy watching a big moon peel over the night sky and set red on the horizon. Every night under ANY condition can produce nice fish; just a matter of moving around and working that water just like during the daytime.

I guess so, I called and checked up on things. Seems everything is still there, meaning the building, the office, stuff like that, so it looks open for any passerby. I haven't been inside in a while, just Bass Pro next to it.

This is the place I’m talking about next to Bass Pro the IGFA Hall of Fame, loaded with world record fish. As far as I know it’s still there.

Did they now? that’s strange because I was down there not too long ago and it was still there, they also list the same Dania address on their homepage as their headquarters. Maybe they just haven’t gotten around to changing things lol

That thing looks amazing! Never knew it even existed. Although not a pyramid, they have a big one here in south Florida in Dania, right smack next to the IGFA headquarters. One or the other, makes for a great day....and bring plenty of cash or an open credit card lol because always seem to buy, buy, buy, haha

Yeah, no kidding. Adjustment period fish below lol Goes to show that there is no adjustment period, or, if there is, it's fish specific, or area specific....point is, just go fishin and forget about it!

I have know idea where this adjustment notion came from either. It has always puzzled me because I’ve caught more fish during this so called adjustment time. Any one know where this came from or what science backs it up?

Sometimes. They’re usually big bowfins or garfish and rarely a catfish, which I hooked not so long ago on a chatterbait. Not to mention alligators. Those things gotta watch out for with bait presentations. But any one of those other fish can give ya a big rush because it feels like a record bass! That is, until it revels itself lol

Yep, know them well, mostly active dusk or dawn. No issues with neither. Maybe I’m just immune to bugs lol Or it’s just a state mind…

Interesting. I fish the Everglades all night down here in South Florida just about every weekend, from about 9pm to about 9am next day and never have any bug issues. I don't roadside fish, either, but drive many miles out on the levees and then motor another 2-5 miles out in my powered kayak through and around the thickest marsh imaginable, so I'm way out there lol. I have zero issues with bugs and hardly have I had to use bug spray, maybe once or twice during the day!! I wear long sleeve sports shirt, rain pants with NRS boots, gloves, and a hat with a buff...about it. Go figure. Launching into the abyss with the last light of day

Yes indeed, I mentioned the same thing to the OP earlier up about knowing who owns the property and what can and cannot be done on it….don’t need no guns going off or arrest being made!

Like I said, it all depends on how far you want to go to gain access. It also depends on who owns the property and what you can do with it. Here in South Florida a lot of these places have pretty tight restrictions so you might want to look into that to see what your options are.

I've seen many places like this here in south Florida with walls of tall grass lining the whole pond with very few openings to fish. You have a few choices. You can fish like you've been doing and try to keep the bass up high to get them over the grass but that may be futile on any good sized fish and you'll only end up doing them more harm than good. Or you can find an area that has the easiest excess and cut away as much brush as you can to facilitate even better fishing. Or you can scoot out over the mess with a kayak. Or, lastly, you can cut your losses and move on to another location. All depends on how much time and effort you want to commit. Always a way, a will, a way.

I live in the same area and know just about every nook and cranny here in West Palm -- might even know where the area posted is lol Anyhow, as it relates to bank fishing, it's not only about gators but also about other critters, especially snakes. To be honest, I'd be a bit more cognizant about snakes than I would gators. Gators tend to spook off easily, yet if they are fed often in these areas, they tend to cruise over, not so much to attack but to eat hand-outs. They can become conditioned, so to speak. They can also get aggressive during their mating season. As long as you look before you leap, check thoroughly the ground you are about to step onto or into, then all should be good to go. Developing a good, keen sense of your surroundings is vital when bank fishing the brush.

No one can say with absolute certainty how a bass sees at night, I'm quite sure of that. Black certainly works, I understand this perfectly well because I primarily fish at night. That's not to say that black is the end-all color at night. Silhouette or not, how a bass reacts to white or green or blue...could be a shade thing, as you suggested. In my experience, the bass have been reacting pretty darn good to the lighter colors, both on top as well as subsurface. In fact, the lighter color on top has been working out so much better that I have stopped using black altogether! I don't do much bottom fishing at night, so I can't comment about the vibration deal. My whole point was about trying out other colors when black doesn't seem to be producing anything.

I know black is the favored color that everyone likes to use at night and I've caught plenty of fish on black myself but I've had some great luck if not better luck using other colors. Heck, just the other night I switched over to green on top and white sub-surface and, boom, quality fish started nailing my baits. So give other colors a shot when black gets no whacks lol Might surprise ya!

I don't need to be retired to fish everyday, even if I wanted to fish every day. And needing to get out for those quiet, peaceful, and tranquil moments, I certainly don't need to be fishing for that. Sometimes, even, I find the exact opposite. I have more free time when I don't have the free time lol Kinda weird, I know, but space/time can be made for anything. A compact and fulfilled day, full of many, many things, fishing included, is a well rounded approach to life, my 2 pennies.

The bass at night are usually a good size. Can usually stick whole hand in their mouth to remove the lures lol.

This is such an important point with my take on night fishing, too, the senses kicking in with an acute awareness of all sounds and shapes, movements and forms. Glad you appreciate that! I see by shadows and shapes. Be surprised, actually, how lit up it can be with mere star light or a big moon. Heck, when the moon is big, it’s like daylight out there, no different from daytime, except for the heat!

I primarily fish at night in a Kayak deep in the Everglades. Been doing it for a while. My outings usually start around 10pm and end around 8am next day. It's best to have at least a general idea of what you are going to be up against during a nightly session, meaning the landscape layout, general vegetation, cover, things like that. Refined answers are not always going to be available for a any given situation, I can tell ya that, so it's very important to be prepared for ANYTHING at night. Not only casting into trees or logs but also for the totally unexpected. Night fishing requires a good cultivation of the senses, in my opinion, some more than others. Of course, safety is paramount. And allowing the senses to take over and lead the way can sometimes be a safe guide. If, for instance, some little voice says to get the heck otta there, or if you about to do something that doesn't "feel right", then it's most likely a good idea to take heed. Having all the right ingredients is also very important, things like good lighting, appropriate gear, etc. As long as you pack practical common sense and prepare for the outings the best way possible, then all should go without a hitch.

I took off once when all the world seemed so wide open and ripe. I was on the road for two years, camping out in a cheap pup tent, sleeping with my rifle next to me Lol. One day while working, the crazy thought just hit me! I sooner sold off everything, gave up everything, and split. Simple as that. I had this wild idea that I could pan for gold out in the Rockies and make enough money to keep on trucking lol. I never really got a good footing on the gold part of the deal but I sure did see a lot of this country, just about every state along with every nook and cranny. Although I wasn't fishing at the time, it sure was an eye opener. I mean, it was more a "just do it" moment. From then on, that slogan has sort of stuck with me and I can attribute it to a lot of things in my life. Yes, gas is to the moon, automobiles have many miles.....there's just a lotta junk hanging around! But sometimes chances have to be taken. Sometimes we just gotta figure things out and just DO IT! Simple as that.

We can easily look at something like fishing as a distraction, or as a hobby, or as a routine, etc. But when something becomes a way of life it suddenly becomes a vital part of our being. Then everything about it flows like a great river, clear and unobstructed, into a vast sea of opportunity.