another night fishing question

[FatBoy]

I know a lot of people on this board fish at night.  What makes fishing at night special?  Do bass feed more actively at night?  Are they in the same place?  Or do bass that are laying low in deep water during the day come up more shallow?  

Also, is there a time of night that is generally better?  Just after sundown?  Just before sunrise?  Dead middle of the night?  

[Guest bigtex]

Night fishing is no different than fishing in the day time.  Its just cooler at night.  I fish a lot at night and believe that the fish will move around different places like they do during the day light hours.  I still use the same tech. at night.  

You will have to still watch the weather and time of night (hours).  The bite varies at night just like it does in the day time.

[bocabasser]

here in florida, night fishing is way better than day fishing during the summer. our daytime water temps reach 90degrees, so bass are lethargic and don't eat during the day as heavily as they do at night. example i fished a spot 2 days ago from sun up until noon, and caught 20 fish. fished the same spot last night from 9 to 2  and caught over 50 fish. same stretch, same baits only black, and wacked them. i highly suggest night fishing.

[K_Mac]

FatBoy

Knowing your skills with the search feature, you can find much info there. There are also a few interesting articles in the library that will answer some of your questions.

Since I have time on my hands I'll give you my .02. Night fishing is special for a variety of reasons, but one of my favorites is the quiet and solitude it provides. A lake that is insanely loud and crowded during the day is much more peaceful at night. Another reason is on a very clear-water lake bass are more willing to bite in low light situations-in my experience. As for location at night, you will get a lot of opinions. My opinion is do what you would do during the day and let the fish decide. Time of night is another question that will get different answers. Go when you can and find out what works best. I have had great success early and late. Just go. Good luck.

[bass ackwards]

bocca ! you are talking about bream RIGHT?

[MinnesotaAngler]

The thing I love about summertime night fishing in shallower water is a lot of the time, but not all the time, I've found that the bass that normally hang on deep structure come into the shallower weedbeds. I was reading the June Bassmaster when I came across the same kind of statement- "Deeper bass maybe drawn to them (weedbeds) during low-light hours." Also, Kevin VanDam stated in his book, "I prefer night fishing during the hottest weather on the clearest lakes. Fish are more agressive than they are during the day. They tend to roam farther from cover, which means my casts don't have to be as precise." He goes on to say that his favorite technique is slow-rolling a spinnerbait on slow tapering points that drop into deep water. Hope that helps.

[FatBoy]

Thanks, MinnesotaAngler and all.  That's what I was hoping to hear.  Of course, it didn't work out that way for me last night.  I went out at 3:30am but didn't catch anything til after the sun came up (and even then it was only 3 dinks).  

[Low_Budget_Hooker]

fatboy-when you search, search in tournament with "dark side" as keywords

Techniques,baits and such are the same at night, main differences are that those deeper fish are in that specific deep water for a reason. Right now on my lake that reason is because there is grass at the depth and a prime flat aside it. They move out of that grass and roam the incline of the bank venturing up onto that flat to feed periodically throughout the night.

Find the right place,..the same places your bigger bass come from during your daytime trips and sit it out. The bite can come on like a feight train and stay till the sun comes over the trees or it can never seem to happen as in your case last night.  Find places you know the fish will come and build camp.  When it's feeding time, they will come to the restauraunt,...be ready to serve

Crazy facts

*I don't use black and only black, any color will do as long as it's any version of black, brown or green

*I don't go topwater crazy. I test for a topwater bite every hour or so and adapt from there.

*I don't own a jitterbug (no reason, they work fine but so does lots of stuff, there's no magic night lure. Again,..same baits I use during the day)

*I havn't thrown a spinnerbait in years but when I did, they worked just as well as the did during the day, but again, nothing magic.

*You bet,...senko style baits work just fine at night,6 and 7" are fine but not neccessary.

*I don't put huge rattles on everything. In fact, it's still clear waterI'm fishing, most rattles are removed.

*I use a small headlamp for connecting batts, knots and hook removal. Other than that, get to honing your night senses. As the sun rises,you'll be amazed at how tuned in you are.

Good luck, stay with it.

Catch 'em up!!!

[FatBoy]

Very cool info, LBH.  I'm going to take a stroll on the dark side again this weekend or early next week.  I'll report back if I have better luck.  

[bass ackwards]

i use all the same gear also. mostly a moccasin 7.5 by zoom and senkos. ive found that if there is fish jumping and rolling your still in the game but if things go quiet that might be the time for zzzzzzzzz's.there is NO set time for din din.just gotta be there.some key things for me is weedless tackle and be good with a bait caster. otherwise you be cursing all night. good luck!!!!