Night fishermen...help

[BD]

With the new moon, my brother and I Saturday night, are going to try out night fishing.

We are going to use a lantern for snakes and for casting really, but I have some questions about lures.

The lake spec's. Gets pretty deep from the bank, and is LOADED with smallies. It's very rocky, so anything weedless will be used.

I have noticed fishing it several times now, that only 5-7am is good from the bank, then the smallies run deep and stay deep. I thought night fishing would bring them back shallow again and at night, no sunburn, 77 temps, no people etc.

I have read about using black baits and how they silhouette from the moon. Would a white jig NOT be better??? I am still kind of confused on the whole night fishing thing, and I guess bass must have very very keen eyes to see lures?

Recommend me some lures to use please, and if you would like to say why, that would be even more helpful.

Thanks again!

[riverrat007]

In all my years of night fishing I've learned one thing..........color doesn't matter it's all in the sound and vibration your bait makes.

I don't care if my bait is pink with yellow stripes long as it puts out good vibes.

But in full moon situations color can make a difference. just my two cents

[BD]

So no plastic worms then?

How about a jig since mine have rattles?

[Phishn_Phool]

Those smallies will love a topwater Jitterbug in black.  A word of warning tho, DO NOT set the hook a first sound, be sure to feel the fish first.  My favorite night-time bait is a single spin with a #11 Uncle Josh pork frog.  I like black with a frog colored pork frog

                               CPR ;D

[albiechaser]

they will come back in,  thats where the food is.

color doesnt matter to much, as long as they see it.  if your fishing near the top i would go with the dark stuff, they can see it better from below looking up.  things come alive at night, you can vary your retrive,  from a dead drop to a fleeing minnow.  thats what makes it so rewarding you never really know.  change is good, the better fisherman you are the faster you can change up.

i have a petzl minners light, and a thermacell mosquito repellent. they do work, i never have to use any bag spray on me, just dont have a ton of light out there. a lantern might be an over kill.  i have a little 6v lamp that puts out plenty of light. your eyes will adjust.

stay safe and good luck its awesome at night.

 ps im heading out again tonight to falls lake here in nc.

we got into em last week with dark worms fished to the bank. no weight

[BD]

Using a topwater makes sense now that I think about it.

I have some 10" black worms I can use, tons of senkos, craws, tubes, flukes, (honestly everything out lol)

Yeah I am thinking we'll turn the lantern WAY down, since the moon will help alot. My eyes adjust very well to dark, I use to sneak out.......uh I mean be out on the back patio in the dark

So what else guys? Anyone use scents to help, spinnerbaits are probably a no go since it's ROCKY for real. Possibly a buzzbait right around 9:30pm?

[bigbass]

I was fishing a lake that sounds very similar to the place you are going to. This lake is some of the clearest water you have ever seen. As a matter of fact you will see a lot of scuba divers there. Day time fishing is tough to say the least.

Last week I was fishing for smallies in the shallows and ended up getting into largemouth with a watermelon colored Senko. That's the only color I had, but it did not matter I'm sure. They clobbered that Senko. I had no luck with a jitterbug nor a black colored spinnerbait w/ large Colorado blades.

They wanted the Senko and I fed it to them.

Good luck and stay safe out there....... ;D

[KU_Bassmaster.]

I am going out tonight for the first time so I posed about the same question you asked:

http://bassresource.com/cgi-bin/bass_fish/YaBB.pl?board=gen_bass;action=display;num=1121738138

I post the results once as soonm as I get back.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

Good luck to both of you, I'll be out there till the wee hours tonight myself.

[albiechaser]

just got home, caught 6, all on gulp baits,  on top with no weight, 3 in close, before light, 1 was caught out in the middle, we had some shad surface near us and first cast to the breaking fish i hooked up, the other 2 were caught @ around 6:30 in around 15 foot of water near some brush,  got a big cat fish too on top, on a glup.  all fish went back to fight another day,  you gotta use big hooks for them gulps,  or you'll never get a good hook set.

have a great day

steve

[BD]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I think I know which lures I'll use I only have one more question.

As it been your experiences that snakes are worse and night or less? I am going regardless, I just want to see how it's been for you all who do it often (or have been many times).

I would think it would be worse now especially since the day is to hot for anything. I plan on wearing some boots, having the lantern, and just watch for each other.

Is off really necessary at 11:30pm?

[BD]

KU seems you and I think alike?

Thanks for the link to your post.

Good luck to you all as well going at night.

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

I got forced off the water by lightning.  The bite was on too, of course.  In 45 mins, I had 4 and my partner had 3.

What a bad day all around (hit smeones dog w/ my truck at work).  I should have just stayed home.  Hope you guys had a better full moon than me!

[Gatorbassman]

BD,

You can use worms. Just put a rattle in them. And use one with a ribbon tail for added vibration.

[albiechaser]

mmmmmmmmmmm rattle,  im getting them without a rattle,  but was wondering what type of rattle you would recomend.

anyone else having good action on rattles in worms at night?  sounds like it might work. but i like the drop a weightless worm gives.  they cant resist a dead dropped worm near em.

so how fast do you fish the rigged rattle worm. and whats the setup?

thanks and have a great day

steve

[Gatorbassman]

I use glass rattles like this.

To put them in the the worm and get them to stay better I use a small brass tube that has one end sharpened. I push into the worm about an inch or so and then twist a little. BPS sell them but I can't find one on there site.

[albiechaser]

thanks for the info,  I have seen those but never thought they would work to good, ever get any big boys over 5lbs with them?   do you fish it deep or shallow.

lots of that stuff is all a sales pitch, how does the hook go in the worm if that piece of pipe is sticking in there.    its funny if you look at most of the colors of lures today, they are so beautiful with nice fish profiles on them, but the old ones with just 2  stripes or a solid section of color will out produce them everytime.  find the color they like and get that presention down and big mama will come out of the deep.  

take care and thanks again.

steve

[Gatorbassman]

You use the tube to cut a cavity for the rattle to fit into. Sorry I should have been more spacific.

You're rite about lure sales. More lures catch fishermen than catch fish.

I fish them in brush piles. Deep or shallow. I hit a branch and twitch my rod tip up and down to make it rattle.

[SBM-RL]

I would say go with a crawfish colored lure or something that resembles a crawfish

Crawfish have red eyes that smallies look for at night so drag a lure with red eyes in and u should have some sucess

[fish-fighting-illini]

I'm fairly new to fishing but I have found that about 10mins after the sun sets ( not completely out of view but still giving some light) for about the next 45mins is prime fishing time. I am a bank fisherman but that seems to be when the fish come in very shallow. I cast sideways from the bank not out more than 6 or 7 feet. The lures very, buzz baits have worked, spinnerbaits, cranks and plastic worms expecialy the standard purple worm. The lakes I fish tend to close at 10 or 11pm but they seem to taper off around that time anyway. I have fished around 6am and never have as much luck then although that is probably late for morning fishing. I've only been fishing for less than a year so take it for what it is worth.

[fish-fighting-illini]

sorry that was my first post

sun is out of view but still giving off some light.

Cast out from bank 6 or 7 feet but sideways however far you have room for

[BD]

Well we went and it stunk. 1st my brother is annoying me in my left ear from the back seat about how to drive, and I slid right into some previous big ruts, get high centered. 20 minutes go by and I got us out.

When we finally got close enough to the bank to see it, the water (I fished at a reservoir that uses the water for power) and it's 6' down. I should have called the automated # before leaving, because the water being that slow is never good for anytime fishing.

Next night trip I will either call before we go there, or go to another lake that's always the same levels.

KU, I hope you did good.

[KU_Bassmaster.]

I had a great night. ;D

http://bassresource.com/cgi-bin/bass_fish/YaBB.pl?board=Outing_ID;action=display;num=1122215254;start=0#0

[BD]

Yeah if we boated out I would have caught fish, we were bank fishing.

I will have to wait till the water is up, or go somewhere else.

Nice fish man, good job!