Deep bass at night??

[Deepbass88]

Ok so I have a question about summer bass fishing. I fish a clear very deep lake that usually has a thermocline set up in the summer around 25ft. I was wondering when u hear about all these guys out on the ledges catching bass during the day, will those same fish be on the ledge in deep water at night. If any one has had any success doing this please let me know.

 

thanks

[WRB]

Most of the lakes you see or read about with early to late summer ledge fishing are power generation reserviors with current during generation cycles. Current mixes water layers along the channels were it flows breaking up thermoclines. 

If there is a population of deep water bait for bass they will be there day or night.

I know Table Rock lake has good deep night fishing and the deep clear structure lakes out west have a good deep water night bite and shallower water night bite, the bass don't move far during darkness and can't physically change depth upwards more then 25' or so and swallow prey.

Tom

[Catt]

I start night fishing in late April & continue until early October. My best months for big bass are July, August, & September or the Dog Days of Summer. This time of year I'm fishing deep (15-30') offshore structure. 

[Deepbass88]

14 hours ago, WRB said:

Most of the lakes you see or read about with early to late summer ledge fishing are power generation reserviors with current during generation cycles. Current mixes water layers along the channels were it flows breaking up thermoclines. 

If there is a population of deep water bait for bass they will be there day or night.

I know Table Rock lake has good deep night fishing and the deep clear structure lakes out west have a good deep water night bite and shallower water night bite, the bass don't move far during darkness and can't physically change depth upwards more then 25' or so and swallow prey.

Tom

I fish on lake Cumberland. Not sure if u are familiar with it, but the dam is usually generating power 6am to 10 pm during the summer. However, it always forms a thermocline during summer. We have threadfin and gizzard shad and crawfish. We also have alewife herring. I’m assuming with the availability of the alewife that would make the deep bite work all night. 

[WRB]

Thermocline in creek arms the main lake river channel may have multiple thermal layers with good DO levels deeper. 

Threadfin shad are phytoplankton eaters, when the sun goes down so does the plankton and Threadfin move into cover. Gizzard shad are zoo plankton eaters and more pelagic like herring so they may stay along the ledges and so will the bass.

Tom

[papajoe222]

My experience is fishing natural lakes at night. These are the same lakes I fish deep structure during daylight hours. I begin just prior to sunset targeting that deep structure and work my way shallower along the structure as the night progresses and the bass move toward the shallows.  There are nights, however, when I never move of the deep spots, like under cold front conditions, because the bass don't move. 

[TOXIC]

Interesting discussion.  Conventional wisdom has always been that night, or low light (dusk and dawn) fishing is more productive because the bigger fish that are normally deep, move up shallow to feed and when daylight presents itself, they move back deep.  That's been my experience but I have not targeted the deeper depths at low light either.  

[BassNJake]

It's just not as consistent at night as it is during the day for me.

I think it has to do more with lure presentation though.

I can catch a couple here and there but have never just smashed them like I have during the day.

Most times during the day there is a sweet spot on the ledge that takes a specific cast to trigger them.

Once you have found them you back off and bomb casts at the sweet spot

At night I have a harder time with the boat position so my casts are not as accurate and my success is not as good

 

 

 

[scaleface]

I have been unsuccessful fishing deep at night , I dont understand why . One thing I notice is my depth-finder shows all kinds clutter , it doesnt look the same as in daylight hours .. Really weird . Can anyone explain that ?

[Black Hawk Basser]

1 hour ago, scaleface said:

I have been unsuccessful fishing deep at night , I dont understand why . One thing I notice is my depth-finder shows all kinds clutter , it doesnt look the same as in daylight hours .. Really weird . Can anyone explain that ?

Perhaps that is clouds of plankton.  When night fishing through the ice, sometimes the flasher screen gets so full of clutter that it is rendered unusable.  That's what I've always been told.

[Brew City Bass]

Dragging jigs on ledges is one of my tried and true nighttime methods. 

[Catt]

From late April through early June night is better here because there's less traffic. Pre-spawn starts in late January with the spawn close on it's heels & last through April & can last until early May.

 

During this time the bass have been hammered relentlessly from daylight until dark. Big females in post spawn will move deeper & wait until the quietness of night to hunt.

 

[NHBull]

At night I keep 3 rods on deck.

2 top waters and 1 jig.

Top water bring better than average size and more numbers.  Bottom brings the moms

[scaleface]

My nightime lures are plastic worms , spinnerbaits,  buzzbaits and crankbaits the same lures I use most of the time in sunlight . I have a big old wooden black Musky Jitterbug for night fishing but never caught a fish on it . 

[j bab]

20 hours ago, Catt said:

From late April through early June night is better here because there's less traffic. Pre-spawn starts in late January with the spawn close on it's heels & last through April & can last until early May.

 

During this time the bass have been hammered relentlessly from daylight until dark. Big females in post spawn will move deeper & wait until the quietness of night to hunt.

 

This fish would agree with that assessment. Caught on a deep ledge at night in May  

 

[Catt]

2 hours ago, j bab said:

This fish would agree with that assessment. Caught on a deep ledge at night in May  

 

 

Nadine!  ?