Night Fishing: What Am I Doing Wrong?

[Zach Dunham]

Hello all.

My friend and I have been fishing at night a lot this summer and we cannot seem to get things going in a good direction. Once the fish go deeper in the mid-summer, we are not the best at catching them. The lake we fish isn't extremely clear but definitely not extremely stained, somewhere in the middle. We've tried fishing anywhere from right up on the bank down to 10-12 feet in tall weeds/grass, we've also pitched around docks where there is artificial light on the shore. We've thrown black buzzbaits, black spinnerbaits with a Colorado blade, 10" black worms, frogs, jigs, and various other small things. After trying all of these things we just cannot seem to catch any more than a few stragglers throughout the night. Should we try moving offshore?

Any and all ideas as to what we are doing wrong would be greatly appreciated.

[Zach Dunham]

Oh, and if it helps at all, the water temperatures were about even over most of the lake. The temperature was around 84 degrees give or take a degree or so.

[James Yalem]

Make sure that your lake has at least 4-5 feet visibility. I have fished Truman Lake in MO since 1981. Rarely is it clearer than 3 feet visibility. I have yet to catch one bass at night. Close to dark yes, but after full dark; not one. If your lake has sufficient visibility, then I recommend fishing deeper even at night.

[Waterford]

My wife and I fish a clear water lake. She catches double digit bass amounts everytime we fish. She only throws unweighted 5 inch Senkos. I throw everything else in the tackle box and I am lucky if I catch one. She mixes it up where she throws them she will start at the shoreline and if there is no bite she will toss it in 20fow.

[rowyourboat]

My wife and I fish a clear water lake. She catches double digit bass amounts everytime we fish. She only throws unweighted 5 inch Senkos. I throw everything else in the tackle box and I am lucky if I catch one. She mixes it up where she throws them she will start at the shoreline and if there is no bite she will toss it in 20fow.

senkos at night????????????????? what colors????

[Waterford]

She fishes with anything black. Her favorite is black with blue flake and then what she calls the Christmas colors dark green with green and red flake. Then black and red flake and black with green flake.

We just got in from fishing. She boated about 8 fish the biggest being 2.5 pounds. I only caught one on a Zoom Fluke. She wanted to stay out longer but we both have to work in the morning.

I will say this about topwater right now. It has shut down. Water is 84 degrees and nothing will even take a swipe at it. I see plenty of fish jumping out of the water at night but nothing is biting anything I throw and I have thrown it all.

[Zach Dunham]

There are definitely areas of the lake with visibility more than 5 feet, I can't say how far but definitely more than 5. I've heard of other people having success at night here with black spinnerbaits with a Colorado blade. Do you think changing to a bigger black spinnerbait and slowing it down and fishing it deeper will make a big difference? Fishing fast and a foot under the surface or less produces stragglers, so maybe if I slow it down and drop it deeper it will catch more?

[Waterford]

I would bring things to throw that work off of the bottom, middle and top of the water. When you find a pattern, stick with until it no longer produces.

If you see people there at night talk to them and try to find out what is working.

[ArkieHawg]

We fish some of the clearest, deepest lakes in the country here in Arkansas with Lake Ouachita, Degray Lake and Greers Ferry Lake. We fish them all at night during the summer, and the key to success is deep water, specifically open water humps with 50'+ water on all sides. Ledges also hold fish around 25'-30' at night.

We don't waste any time with spinnerbaits. You can catch good fish all night in these spots with just about any plastic in Junebug, lizards and brush hogs work best. A 1/2oz Finesse Jig in Junebug with a Junebug Rage Tail Craw catches more fish than anything for us.

Study your lakes contour map and locate some humps near the main river channel or a deep creek channel and post up on it for the night, they'll be close by you can bet!

[Glenn]

Perhaps of interest...

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/night_bass_fishing.html

[shootermcbob]

try a black jointed jitterbug with a slow, steady retrieve. Throw it along the bank, over any type of cover, and if you are lucky enough to have a shallow roadbed or ditch, say 8-12 feet, definitely throw it along the edges of that.

Not saying I fish over a shallow roadbed, but if I did, I would catch 2-3 fish on that jitterbug nearly every time out.