Ive been night fishing in some form or fashion since I was 10 years old. My dad and step mom would drop me and my brothers off at the lake, set an alarm clock for 1am and come get us, only to have to get up for work the next morning. Thats some awesome parenting if you ask me, I know I wouldnt take the time out of my sleeping to accomodate some punk kids like my brothers and I so heres a big THANKS to my parents.
A partner or some balls- Its dark, scary, dangerous and lonely. Ive pulled plenty of all nighters by myself but its not the safest thing in the world to do. The lake is all to yourself but thats not always a good thing. If you mistep and take a spill overboard, nobody is even going to know it until the next day. At least if you have a partner, they will at a minimum be able to get help and hopefully pull you out of the water. Then theres the "scumbag" element that frequents public parks. If you have a concealed carry permit, make sure youve got your heat. Things as simple as loading and unloading in the middle of the night become a whole new obstacle when you thow in a few drunks in the parking lot. Just be safe, dont start any nonsense with strangers and mind your business.
Light- This seems like a given but its not used in a way that most would think. You simply need lights for safety purposes. Its the law, beyond that, any light you use is only used to re-tie, unhook some fish and look for tackle. You should try to limit your use of a light because it makes it harder to see when you turn the lights off. Your eyes will adjust and you will be able to see much better then you would expect so leave your flashlights off unless its completely necessary, it will make casting accuracy and boat navigation easier.
GPS- If you have one, use it and trust it. If you use the ole "triangulation" method to get on your spots, thats pretty much impossible at night. If you have your spots marked well then you no longer need to keep your boat in line with the bush on one bank and the point ahead of you.
There are a few things to take learn from fishing in the dark:
If you like topwater fishing but you think you can be better at it, night fishing will definetely sharpen your skills. Fishing at night removes the visual aspect of topwater fishing so sound and feel are everything. If you talk to anyone who knows anything about fishing topwater, the first rule is to wait till you feel the weight of the fish before you set the hook. Removing the visual aspect makes this tip a little easier and it conditions you to wait until you feel the fish rather then setting the hook upon seeing a fish blow up.
Night fishing also forces you to learn to fish offshore. Not necessarily because you are fishing offshore but because you are fishing without being able to see the shore. Part of being able to fish offshore is being able to have confidence in fishing something that you cannot visually see. You would be surprised at the number of fisherman that have a hard time with fishing something they cannot see. Whether its a laydown or a grass bed, if they cannot see it, they have zero confidence in it holding a fish. Night fishing helps with removing that security blanket and gives you an opportunity to expand your game. You are trusting your electronics rather then what you can see. You have to be able to visualize what you are fishing when you fishing at night, if you can do that, then you can visualize what you are fishing in open water as well during the day.
Sensitivity. Since you cant "line watch" at night you have to be able to feel what you are doing. Fishing at night will sharpen your sense of feel which can only help you at other times of the day. In the day, you can use all of your senses so honing just one of those senses is tough to do. At night, you are utilizing your sense of touch much more then any other sensory organ. This will give you a bigger advantage at feeling the bites during other times of the day.
Casting accuracy. This is a big one. It seems like it would be tough, and it can be but a few nights of doing it and you will see a difference. If you can place a bait on a target in the middle of the night then it becomes much easier during the middle of the day.
A few more tips... Lure color isnt as critical as you would think as long as your thinking "dark". Black, purple and red all give a great silhouette and thats the critical factor. The other critical factor is noise. The noisier, the better, whether its a buzzbait or a jitterbug. If its black and loud, it will prob catch some bass. Depth wise, bass tend to move towards the surface to feed. If your fishing deep water, think topwater action. If you dont want to fish topwater, then fish shallow with a black worm or jig. Riprap always seems to hold feeding bass at night, from the deepest slopes to the foot of water, if it was riprap, then Ive caught fish on it.
Finally, this time of year can be tough to catch fish consistently. The only way to keep getting better is to keep catching fish. Bass fishing at night can give you the opportunity to catch alot of fish and catching lots of fish is a great way to improve your skills.
Both of these smallies were caught at night on Alum
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