What’s night fishing like?

[Mobasser]

I've night fished a good amount in years past. Some of my most memorable trips were from the bank, before I ever had a boat.                                   Walking the shoreline at night and casting a dark spinnerbait/ pork chunk combo caught lots of bass. Black 5/8 oz Jitterbug drew hard strikes right at the shoreline. Had a big deer walk to within five ft of where I was standing one night. We looked at each other for three or four seconds, then with one leap he was gone into the darkness. An old half rotted sunken dock was a hotspot. There was a light above that had bats circling on some nights. Round ABU reels, pistol grip rod and 14 lb Stren mono. Very good memories. This summer, my grandson and I will go together  in my boat on a small quiet lake near home. I'm looking forward to it.

I've night fished a good amount in years past. Some of my most memorable trips were from the bank, before I ever had a boat.                                   Walking the shoreline at night and casting a dark spinnerbait/ pork chunk combo caught lots of bass. Black 5/8 oz Jitterbug drew hard strikes right at the shoreline. Had a big deer walk to within five ft of where I was standing one night. We looked at each other for three or four seconds, then with one leap he was gone into the darkness. An old half rotted sunken dock was a hotspot. There was a light above that had bats circling on some nights. Round ABU reels, pistol grip rod and 14 lb Stren mono. Very good memories. This summer, my grandson and I will go together  in my boat on a small quiet lake near home. I'm looking forward to it.

[A-Jay]

4 hours ago, GreenPig said:

Night fishing great. Have a headlight with fresh batteries as it'll always be pointed where you're looking. I only turn my headlight on when netting a fish. Go slow and always assume nobody can see you from their boats. Fish bigger baits on beefier gear because the big girls feed in the dark.

 

 

 

Nice Bass ~

And such a Proper Hold with that pinky finger extended  . . . 

A-Jay

 

[Mobasser]

I've night fished a good amount in years past. Some of my most memorable trips were from the bank, before I ever had a boat.                                   Walking the shoreline at night and casting a dark spinnerbait/ pork chunk combo caught lots of bass. Black 5/8 oz Jitterbug drew hard strikes right at the shoreline. Had a big deer walk to within five ft of where I was standing one night. We looked at each other for three or four seconds, then with one leap he was gone into the darkness. An old half rotted sunken dock was a hotspot. There was a light above that had bats circling on some nights. Round ABU reels, pistol grip rod and 14 lb Stren mono. Very good memories. This summer, my grandson and I will go together  in my boat on a small quiet lake near home. I'm looking forward to it.

[GreenPig]

2 hours ago, Koz said:

When I'm out in my kayak at night, the water is dead calm, and there's not another soul on the lake it's creepy AF.  There's really no other way to put it.

 

Here's another tip - wear a gaiter. It's no fun when you run into a swarm of bugs over the lake. Well, unless you enjoy picking them out of your nose and teeth.

 

Were those bats or were those swallows?

 

The first time I went out at night I had my electronics shut off and pedaled out of my narrow cove towards a reference point in the distance. Surprised the heck out of myself when I suddenly found myself very close to the shoreline and a lot further from my launch point than I thought I was. I now run the split screen with GPS when I'm moving locations.

 

Check the regulations in your state regarding kayak fishing at night. I run a YakAttack VisiPole II which also acts as my safety flag during the day. Do I keep the light on all the time? No. But if there any boats moving into my vicinity that light goes on. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01KMH9I5I/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

I wear one variable intensity headlamp with both red and white lights and keep a spare in my crate. They also strobe if I need to try and signal someone.  That was another Amazon purchase.

 

Whether it's day or night, I always fish with a life vest that has a whistle attached.

 

I frequently use VMC Touch Loc Snaps and these really come in handy at night for switching lures, but I tie on my soft plastics. During the day I have 4 rods on my kayak, but at night I cut down to three. Next time I'll probably cut down to 2, and I think I'll also leave my big crate at home and just bring a small, open crate, 2 planos, and a few soft plastics. 

 

It's going to be 98+ (before the heat index!) for the next two weeks so if I get out there at all it's going to be at night.

 

With all that being said, I enjoy fishing at night. But I have a ridiculously busy work schedule, I get very few days off this time of year, and I'm already not getting enough sleep as it is. I had a day off this weekend, woke up at 4 am to go to the lake, but didn't have the motivation and went back to sleep. I fished in the afternoon and got heat stroke pulling my kayak up the big hill back to my hotel at the end of the day. Now I think I'll sacrifice some sleep instead of go through that again.

 

 

I could survive with a medium spinning rod and a Shakey Head around docks on your lake.

[GreenPig]

4 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Nice Bass ~

And such a Proper Hold with that pinky finger extended  . . . 

A-Jay

 

Keep on poking fun at my pinky finger Menderchuck Man and I'll dig out my old Winnie the Pooh speedo and you'll be sorry.?

[schplurg]

I've only night fished off the dock really but I can say one thing about it....it's a trip.

 

It's sometimes creepy standing there in almost pitch black quiet, then suddenly feeling something alive tugging on your line. It's just a different experience to me.

 

Your senses are heightened, you can feel and picture every plant and every rock as you retrieve.

 

And have fun casting! Just relax and cast normally. I tried to "aim" or steer my cast at night at first. One cast went 90 degrees left onto the roof of the neighbors dock. It may still be there. I was staring toward the water waiting for the splash and my left ear caught it. Ya that was cool.

 

Have everything you need at the ready - a light, multi-tool whatever, camera if you want, because finding it in the dark is not fun with a fish flopping around.

[Bluebasser86]

Some of the lakes I night fish are in the middle of nowhere and get pitch black at night. I hate night fishing during the full moon so it's dark, dark when I'm out. Just got to leave that light off and let your eyes adjust. Single hooked baits help, they don't snag nearly as much on errant cast. Keep items to a minimum. I only need 3-4 rods and a handful of baits at night. When it gets hot and the "Lake Life", people get out, I'd much rather night fish. 

[T-Billy]

3 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

only need 3-4 rods and a handful of baits at night.

Roger that. I could get by quite happily with a Trig, a toad, and a chatterbait at night.

[A-Jay]

5 hours ago, GreenPig said:

Keep on poking fun at my pinky finger Menderchuck Man and I'll dig out my old Winnie the Pooh speedo and you'll be sorry.?

 

Not poking fun, impressed with your fish holding etiquette. 

A-Jay

[soflabasser]

Night fishing is fun and it is a good way to catch big bass in a highly pressured body of water. It teaches you how to be a better fisherman since you will have to rely on your sense of touch and hearing more than your vision. Daytime fishing becomes much easier once you become good at night fishing.

13 hours ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Maybe I’ll night fish once or twice this summer. I have done it a little more than several times before. It has been alright. Definitely a challenge but also a very cool experience. 

 

Fishin' In The Dark is one of my favorite County music songs.

[Catt]

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

[Deleted account]

19 hours ago, gimruis said:

Dang.  That is hard core graveyard shift night fishing @Zcoker.

Forget the gators, I've seen anacondas eat things way bigger than a person.

[Deleted account]

17 hours ago, Catt said:

I don't worry about white lights affecting my night vision, I'm trying a lure on, not flying an F22 Raptor.

LOL. When we stood the aft lookout on the fantail (stern) of destroyers, you stood (or sat) in pitch dark some nights, and invariably some Sailor wouldn't want to walk all the way forward to the smoke break, so they would sneak out there to catch a smoke. They would open the door, and clearly they couldn't see a thing, as they used their hands along the bulkhead to guide themselves out. Being out there for a while, you could clearly see them well enough to see who it was. If you waited for them to light their smoke, it wasn't that hard to sneak up on them to where you were standing right beside them, and they never knew it. If they weren't standing near the rail, sometimes I'd kneel down and poke them on the calf.

[Deleted account]

12 hours ago, A-Jay said:

Nice Bass ~

And such a Proper Hold with that pinky finger extended  . . . 

A-Jay

 

He's muting the E string...

[SC53]

I used to do it a lot but don’t do it much anymore. Age and bad night vision. 
That being said a lot of great info here. 
Single hook lures, no trebles. 
Black buzz bait, dark toads or frogs, dark worms and dark spinnerbait was always the ticket. 
That is until a gator destroys your buzz bait. 

[Deleted account]

8 hours ago, GreenPig said:

Keep on poking fun at my pinky finger Menderchuck Man and I'll dig out my old Winnie the Pooh speedo and you'll be sorry.?

Father O'Donnell says hi...

[LrgmouthShad]

7 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

Father O'Donnell says hi...

Oh my goodness ??. 
 

Sir, this is a Wendy’s

[ironbjorn]

15 hours ago, PhishLI said:

and that's exactly why I love it. I'm already peaked, then it's a rocket ride when a big one smashes a bait. Night bite hits on bigger baits are sometimes violent kill shots, and when you feel that particular strain in your forearm from a fish with some really nice weight, the rush gets cranked up a notch. I'm getting the shakes just writing about it. Where's my defibrillator?

 

 

[LrgmouthShad]

Buzzbait bites at night are pretty sweet. 

 

https://gon.com/fishing/1113-giant-bass-and-counting

 

[MickD]

I didn't get a fish, or even a bite, on my most memorable night fishing outing.  A friend and I decided to go out about midnight on a Canadian lake in August to try for walleyes.  We ended up getting disoriented and were on the wrong side of an island when we realized where we were, at an area unlikely to produce.  While deciding what to do next,  the northern lights started.  We just sat in the boat for about an hour watching the most impressive light show I have ever seen.  I don't think we even wet a line.

[Choporoz]

Another pro tip, this one a carry-over from hunting trips beginning or ending in the dark: Never, ever set anything down between the car and the boat.

[Zcoker]

12 hours ago, schplurg said:

 

 

Your senses are heightened, you can feel and picture every plant and every rock as you retrieve.

 

 

 

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!  

[Zcoker]

 

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

 

 

 

[uglyasheck]

I know a guy that fishes the full moon in the winter time and catches huge bass. Who would have thunk it. He was actually new to bass fishing when he started doing this not knowing any better. It just goes to show you we don't know everything. I always fished nights in the summer cause thats what I was told was best.

[PhishLI]

3 hours ago, uglyasheck said:

I know a guy that fishes the full moon

A full moon at night is bad news in my super shallow lakes unless there's ripple. I had about an hour and a half to play last night, and only went up because 7-9 mph winds and light cloud cover were in the forecast. At 10:30 there were no clouds and zero wind. It was chilly enough that my breath hung in the air, so flying insects were nowhere to be found. A giant moon directly overhead was so bright I could've read a book by it. Baitfish along the shoreline were locked down on the bottom. It's safe to assume the bass were too. I didn't see a single break at the surface anywhere, like it was void of life. Fish at this lake are harassed by a mob of Ospreys, Hawks, and other fishing birds during the day, and it might as well have been noon last night. They simply will not chase during a high sun or moon. I fished the shadows where I could find them. Two piddling bite and spits, and I was lucky I got those. Thankfully I needed to leave otherwise I would've gone into a trance and slugged it out in a no win scenario for god knows how long. .