Night bass fishing please help

[tncowb0y69]

Hello everyone im new to the forum and in need of some help catching bass at night we have thrown everything at them for the last few months and may have put 10 fish in the boat and they are just legal to keep any help would be greatly appreciated we are fishing center hill which is deep and clear

[jr231]

I love fishing top water at night. I'd try a walking bait.  A popper. And a buzz bait. 

Also becoming good at a Texas rigged worm will be very effective for you. I've caught fish on a t rigged worm dusk til dawn. 

My favorite way to fish is with crank/jerk baits. I'd try an rapala original floater . In the silver or gold. 

Also try some swimbaits. I like the hollow bodied ones with a screw lock keel weighted hook. 

Jig. If you like using a jig.. they are just as effective if not more at night time. Ive been on the rage craw/chunk lately. I think the added action in the claws would really help at night also . 

I wouldn't over look spinner baits either.. 

 

[tncowb0y69]

Thanks for the reply i havent tried the rapala just yet but i am willing to try anything i have been using jigs lately with a swimbait as a trailer for the jig havent even got a bite with that i also have tried the spinnerbaits fishing them slow and no bites on that either but i will sure give your suggestions a try i have also given the floating fly a try with no luck just to get another line in the water

[davecon]

Have posted this before but here goes again -

I'm in central Florida and used to fish a LOT at night due to work schedule.

Only need two lures, black Musky Jitterbug and a black 12 inch worm fished with as light a sinker as possible fished so slow you can't hardly stand it. A retrieve with the worm should take a full 2 to 3 minutes. Any faster - might as well stay home. On the Jitterbug vary the cadence but usually a straight retrieve is all you need.

[jr231]

I'd try the jig and craw... and the swimbait separate. And I second the jitterbug ! 

There's a reason the rapala floater is the number one selling lure of all time. It catches fish all over the world. I like a slow retrieve with small twitches. I also get a size big enough to come with three trebles. But remove the middle one because I like to catch and release . 

[tncowb0y69]

Im gonna try the jitterbug some more i tried it late spring with no luck but it sure doesnt hurt anything to try again i know worms catch fish but i think depth hurts me centerhill is very deep so you pull the worm down two ledges then the worm goes to the abyss

[davecon]

Yeajay231,

Never tried a Rapala at night as I did so well with the Jitterbug that there was absolutely no need to try anything else.

I do agree with you on the Rapala's though ! In my humble opinion hands down the best hard bait ever ! Have been using them for 50 years plus and must have 25 of various sizes and colors in my box. And that's just the "original". Have dozens of shad raps, flat raps, DTs, etc.

Loading the boat after snook/bass fishing one day a guy was standing at the ramp and commented "you must like Rapala's ". Hadn't thought about it but after his comment I looked at my rods and realized that of 6 rod/reel combos 5 of them had different Rapala's (the other rod had a soft plastic).

In some situations there may be a better choice but overall the greatest lures ever !

[jr231]

@daveconI feel your pain ha-ha can't stop buying em. I have enough to last me a life time. Original, jointed, countown, fat rap, shad rap, jointed shad rap. Xrap (and all its versions like shallow shad and xrap countdown) husky jerk, Dt series, a couple scatter rap and shadow rap series, skitter pop/walk/prop . I have a problem. But honestly have caught fish on all them. Some more than others...

[A-Jay]

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~

As the seasons change, often times so does the basses locations.

If you're not where they are at, your bait's not the problem.

I like a spinner bait quite a bit at night.

A-Jay

 

[tncowb0y69]

I have pulled a spinnerbait so much im suprised the blades havent fell off the ones i use i kept one tied on all summer and used it at every location i go

Im beginning to wonder if dynamite would even work LOL

[jr231]

Are you catching them to eat?

[tncowb0y69]

Just catching for fun we release everything we catch and we pop the swim bladders if they belly up

[davecon]

Yeajray231,

Perhaps a support group for Rapala addicts is in order.  " Hi I'm Joe Shmoe and I'm addicted to Rapala's "

[jr231]

@davecon. See ya there bud. ? Haha

And I agree with A-Jay as well. Maybe it's the spot. If you know they are there.. then don't give up.. 

I know most people frown upon live bait..  but what are you there for ? To catch fish. It's a good way to confirm size and quantity. If you did go that route. I would opt for bluegill around the 4inch size, shiners or creek chubs. And craw dads. I Seine the creeks around me twice a year to feed my pond. And always have a blast fishing with the big ones we get. 

[Bluebasser86]

A dark colored bladed jig or a dark colored jig are pretty much the only 2 baits I fish at night. Sometimes, they'll eat a spinnerbait and not touch a bladed jig though. 

[timsford]

Center hill is a little north of where I live, but I've fished it and Percy priest a few times. I've fished tims ford my whole life though and for bass heavily since I was about 9 or 10. Most of the time when it's hot, nighttime is the only time I go to the lake. We just had the first real cold front of the year so the bite will get better from here. Fish are usually shallower during the night than during the day. The fish will come up into coves and Creek arms after the cold snap and I usually don't do as well on the main lake. Try fishing flats, points, and drop offs with black jigs, black spinner baits with a single Colorado slow rolled, black chatterbaits, black 7-10 worms with either ribbon or paddle tails, black buzzbaits, and black jitterbugs. If you want to catch some walleye, stripers, and hybrids as well as bass then try fishing jerkbaits at night. I only use albino white or black(or purple, as long as it's dark). If it's a bait like an f11 floating rapala that doesn't have those colors, I use something shad colored. Try reeling in steadily with floating bombers, rapalas, rogues as well as twitching them. I use rattles with everything at night. Seems to help the fish find it. I catch twice as many on worms or jigs with rattles. As the water cools more and it gets into fall all the shad will come back into the backs of Creek arms and the game fish all follow.

[tncowb0y69]

I tried the back of creeks last weekend with no sucess but its also pretty hot outside water temp is still mid 80s according to fish finder i was marking fish between 15-25 ft i got plenty of time this weekend so im gonna use all of the suggestions i greatly appreciate everyones help

[scaleface]

I have only fished at night in clear water a couple of times . In murky water I have done it a bunch . My best areas by far are main lake points. The same places that produce during the day with the same lures .