Where to fish summer nights

[jeff25]

What kinds if places do you target when fishing summer nights? Main lake channels, points, ledges, brush piles. Or do you follow the creeks back in the coves and fish points, brush piles ect?

[Catt]

Same places I fish during the day

[HawkeyeSmallie]

I'm NO expert but I like to fish nights when it's hot and sunny. My thinking is that the bass are deeper away from the heat and sun. But when night comes they start feeding in more shallower water.

 

That's MY NON-EXPERT thinking. Someone chime in please if I'm way off, slightly off, etc.

[Choporoz]

43 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

I'm NO expert but I like to fish nights when it's hot and sunny.

I"m no expert, either.  But, I can't help liking that sentence.

[HawkeyeSmallie]

24 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

I"m no expert, either.  But, I can't help liking that sentence.

 

HAHA, you know what I mean!!!!!!!!

[Catt]

Shallow vs deep: I've not noticed a distinct advantage one way or the other. I will normally fish both thoroughly staying with the one that produces the best.

[lo n slo]

lit up docks are pretty common around here. they draw in plenty of forage and provide good cover, both shallow and deep. i try to keep close to areas i am familiar with and avoid high traffic. some poor guy lost his life out here on lake norman monday night. i'll edit in the link later.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/charlotteobserver.relaymedia.com/amp/news/local/article150731027.html

[davecon]

I'm in Florida so "deep" to me is anything over 8 feet. I always fished the same areas that I normally fish during the day. Perhaps a little shallower but not much. Always preferred Musky Jitterbug and 12 inch worms. Both in black. Didn't catch quantities but the quality was usually there. Sure beats the heat of the day in sunny Florida !

[scaleface]

I fish the same spots as day but my best places have been shallow on extended points . 

[jeff25]

I was just curious because I had read an article talking about the daily shad migrations from the main river/creek channel to the backs of the creeks every evenings and then moving back out to the main lake the next morning.

[Choporoz]

I've been doing more and more night fishing, but I'm no expert, by any means.  But, that shad and minnow movement you referred to doesn't affect the bass bite much past dark, from what I've seen.  All waters are different, but I think that what they are referring to is what happens (very roughly) from around an hour before sunset to maybe an hour after.  Many evenings, depending on weather, winds, current, tides, etc....there will be a crazy feeding frenzy in sheltered creeks, coves, bays, etc.  I don't know all the mechanics of it, but like most big feeding movements, I'm sure it starts with the smallest of minnows.   The shad follow the minnows in, the perch, crappie, bluegill and bass all follow.  Some nights, you can get a blow up every other cast...sometimes, it seems there's so much natural food, you can't buy a bite.  But, back to your question...I think that period being described doesn't last well into the night very often...not into the periods that we're describing as 'night fishing'....at least not that I've seen.

[Bassun]

I've always had the best luck at night on flats near drop offs.  Generally I would start around the drop with a shad rap, or other deeper diving crank and work my way more shallow.  I try to upsize both in size and noise at night, and if I go to the surface I either fish black or something really highly reflective, especially around lit docks.  Not surprisingly, I've had the better luck on the surface not right "on" the doc, but around the perimeter of the light range.  I'd generally cast towards the doc and get bit way off, or if perpendicular I'd cast well past the doc and light, setting my retrieve to be about 20 or 30 feet off the front of the docks as it came by.  

 

I had an ugly ugly ugly torpedo looking thing, with reflective paint on it akin to what you see on a safety vest.  Never caught a fish off it during the daylight, but along the edge of the light at night, it worked wonders.  Lost it to what I am sure was a record breaking bass... although it could have been a striper or cat or beaver, I have no idea lol.  All i know it hit like a monster and I set the hook into something as solid as a sunken log.  That was the end of my ugly lure.  I hate losing a fish, but I hate not knowing what I lost worse...

[WRB]

For about a decade I have been promoting bass anglers to look over their shoulder, not all bass live near the bank. Today we see more and more bass anglers thinking about outside structure and the pro's are fishing outside structure more often. 

With that said, night fishing bass anglers nearly always fish the bank, it's rare to find anglers fishing deeper structure at night. Bass don't move long distances when the sun goes down, they will move up and tend to roam more. 

Find where they bass and bait is located during the day light, the bass will be close to those  locations at night.

I like to explore and fish around marinas during the day and night.

Tom

[Catt]

45 yrs ago Leo Kissinger a guide on Toledo Bend told me for every bass you catch on the bank there are 5 behind you waiting to be caught!

 

I would be willing to bet 80% of the members here can not find or fish offshore structure!

 

I normally prefer fishing during the full moon vs. the new moon even though the gravitational pull is three times greater during the new moon. It is more difficult to fish a new moon because it is harder to keep your boat off of stumps. And it is harder for the bass & angler to connect. If I fish a new moon I will usually fish open water and avoid shoreline areas. The light from the full moon illuminates the bait against the surface for more contrast.

 

Night fishing areas: I normally fish the same areas fished during the day with one exception; night lighted areas. Lighted docks, lighted boat ramps, a row of camps with lights along the bank or a single camp with a light near the water. I know a killer spot on Toledo Bend where a road parallels the water's edge with several streetlights within 10 yards of the water. These lighted areas are also productive during a new moon and should be fished thoroughly.

 

Shallow verses deep water: I have not noticed a distinct advantage one way or the other. I will normally fish both areas thoroughly staying with the one that produces the best results. However shallow water does offer a greater opportunity to use different lures.

 

Darkness covers up an angler's presence and most of all his mistakes. 

[jbmaine]

When I was younger I knew an older gentleman who only fished at night. He would troll a jitterbug just off the shore line. I went with him a few times. We always caught bass.

                                                                       Jim

[Lures'n'Liberty]

I prefer fishing at the bottom of the river with cutbait or panfish on a big circle hook and 40 lb mono with about 2 oz of weight at night, although you're not going to catch many bass that way.

[huffman1988]

The lake I mainly fish they stay shallow along rock walls eating crawdads. 

[whitwolf]

On 5/18/2017 at 11:17 PM, Catt said:

45 yrs ago Leo Kissinger a guide on Toledo Bend told me for every bass you catch on the bank there are 5 behind you waiting to be caught!

 

I would be willing to bet 80% of the members here can not find or fish offshore structure!

 

I normally prefer fishing during the full moon vs. the new moon even though the gravitational pull is three times greater during the new moon. It is more difficult to fish a new moon because it is harder to keep your boat off of stumps. And it is harder for the bass & angler to connect. If I fish a new moon I will usually fish open water and avoid shoreline areas. The light from the full moon illuminates the bait against the surface for more contrast.

 

Night fishing areas: I normally fish the same areas fished during the day with one exception; night lighted areas. Lighted docks, lighted boat ramps, a row of camps with lights along the bank or a single camp with a light near the water. I know a killer spot on Toledo Bend where a road parallels the water's edge with several streetlights within 10 yards of the water. These lighted areas are also productive during a new moon and should be fished thoroughly.

 

Shallow verses deep water: I have not noticed a distinct advantage one way or the other. I will normally fish both areas thoroughly staying with the one that produces the best results. However shallow water does offer a greater opportunity to use different lures.

 

Darkness covers up an angler's presence and most of all his mistakes. 

 

Read this over and over. It's a good primer. I always add this to any night fishing thread; Be durn sure you know your water well as It's very different at night. Lastly, wear your PFD. If you take nothing else I say In any post please take this to heart. WEAR YOUR PFD, DAY OR NIGHT!

[Catt]

10 hours ago, whitwolf said:

 

Read this over and over. It's a good primer. I always add this to any night fishing thread; Be durn sure you know your water well as It's very different at night. Lastly, wear your PFD. If you take nothing else I say In any post please take this to heart. WEAR YOUR PFD, DAY OR NIGHT!

 

I've seen very knowledgeable boaters get turned around at night!

 

The only thing I add to my tackle is a Brinkman Maxamillon III Q-beam!

 

Y'all can play around with all the lights ya want but for navigation purposes none & I repeat none outperform a Brinkman!

[soflabasser]

I fish the same places at night that I fish during the day.

[XpressJeff]

I'm really believing I need to get a neck brace.

 

My head gets awful heavy hangin around this forum. Thanks ya'll