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Re: Night Fishing for Bass
[Re: TBassYates]
#13567006
05/22/20 01:45 AM
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,514
meP2too
TFF Team Angler
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TFF Team Angler
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,514 |
Spent many nights on sunken boat point at night, back in the late 80’s and 90’s. Had one summer stretch where we caught a fish over 10 on 6 consecutive Friday nights. Pension was another good area before houses were built. My arsenal consisted of a spinnerbait, buzzbait and a jawtec craw. Now I spend all my night trips on the east side of the lake. If the wife gives me a pass I’ll be at Fork, Mill Creek or Athens one night this weekend. Or nay head west to Hubbard Creek.
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Re: Night Fishing for Bass
[Re: texasAUtiger]
#13567063
05/22/20 02:25 AM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,597
kcb
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 1,597 |
Good stories!
I am planning to night fish for the first time this season. I must admit it is creepy---especially alone. I thought I'd use red flashlights to help with night vision. Thought I'd throw a spinnerbait, top water, worm, or jig.
Any other pointers? Be careful going it alone. Be sure you know the lake area you’re in really well. Wear your life jacket for sure when running. I would pick no more than 3-4 spots and don’t plan to move a lot. Forget the advice that fishes eyes have to adjust to the dark and wait 30 or minutes after dark to start. I’ve caught them right at dark or just after. Fish will sometimes bite in spurts at night. You can go without a bite and then they can turn on. No need for finesse baits. Go with an 8” or bigger worm. Don’t know if I was worn out or the fish but used to have the best luck up until 3:30-4 and then it drops off till daylight. Good Luck. .
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Re: Night Fishing for Bass
[Re: TBassYates]
#13567124
05/22/20 03:30 AM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 548
1442
Pro Angler
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Pro Angler
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 548 |
I like how at night the bites and fights seem to be way more aggressive than they do in daylight when you can see everything for miles. I caught my biggest bass just before daylight on a spinnerbait at Fork one night but had no scales to weigh her. Top water fishing at night is my favorite when a big fish blows up on your bait it just seems so loud and dramatic, I get pretty excited.
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Re: Night Fishing for Bass
[Re: TBassYates]
#13567178
05/22/20 05:33 AM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,334
SoCal Tom
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 11,334 |
Tommy, you're a better man than I. I've fished a few times at night and I just don't like it. I'm dangerous enough to myself and others when I can see what I'm doing AND see where I'm casting. And the bugs are ridiculous. See you night owls at sunrise.
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Re: Night Fishing for Bass
[Re: kcb]
#13567214
05/22/20 10:27 AM
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,596
Ken A.
Groovy
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Groovy
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,596 |
Good stories!
I am planning to night fish for the first time this season. I must admit it is creepy---especially alone. I thought I'd use red flashlights to help with night vision. Thought I'd throw a spinnerbait, top water, worm, or jig.
Any other pointers? Be careful going it alone. Be sure you know the lake area you’re in really well. Wear your life jacket for sure when running. I would pick no more than 3-4 spots and don’t plan to move a lot. Forget the advice that fishes eyes have to adjust to the dark and wait 30 or minutes after dark to start. I’ve caught them right at dark or just after. Fish will sometimes bite in spurts at night. You can go without a bite and then they can turn on. No need for finesse baits. Go with an 8” or bigger worm. Don’t know if I was worn out or the fish but used to have the best luck up until 3:30-4 and then it drops off till daylight. Good Luck. . You & I have had a few good night trips over the years. More than a couple were in Dec or Jan at Monty back in the late-80's. Never will forget netting Ronnie's 12 that night on Fork with you. Good times!
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Re: Night Fishing for Bass
[Re: texasAUtiger]
#13567231
05/22/20 10:56 AM
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Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,596
Ken A.
Groovy
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Groovy
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 13,596 |
Do you guys wear head mounted red lights? Or something else? Or nothing?
Do you run around the lake or mostly stay put? If you have a full moon you can almost read a newspaper with no light. You could see the grassline, stumps, shoreline if the moon was bright. It is always best if you know the areas you are fishing before you go out at night. Get a small head mounted LED light to use for tying knots & rigging up or landing fish but that's about the only time you need a light. We never fished lighted docks at night because back then there just wasn't many of them on Fork. We fished main lake humps, pond dams, & grass points mostly with big plastic worms & jigs & single big bladed spinnerbaits. I've used a super bright spot light for running down the lake at 25-30 mph but when you turn it on & back off it takes a few mins for your eyes to readjust to the difference. I knew the lake well enough that I stopped using the spotlight and just ran slowly on plane from spot to spot. If you don't know the lake well I would suggest you do not run above idle speed at night. The advice above about bug repellent is very good. The skeeters are horrible for the first hour after dark then they are only bad. Also we would set our ball cap over the back Nav light when fishing so it didn't glare back at you. The darker your boat, the better you can see out onto the water. State law requires you must have your back light on at night when sitting. Front & back have to be on when running even at idle. On busy weekends the GW would be on the water checking. I would highly suggest your wear a PFD while moving down the lake. Be quiet while you move around in the boat. Don't slam box lids and try to use the TM as little as possible. It is better if you can anchor (I know some of you guys with Power Poles & Ultrex have never owned an anchor). Your sense of feel & sound is heightened at night & I believe the bass' are too so be quiet as you move around in the boat. Keep the floor of the boat tidy so when you hook a big fish you can move around without stumbling over everything. Keep the net out with the handle extended & ready. Use big hooks & heavy line! You now know everything I know about night fishing.
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Re: Night Fishing for Bass
[Re: texasAUtiger]
#13567325
05/22/20 12:33 PM
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Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 389
Hair Jig
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 389 |
I am planning to night fish for the first time this season. I must admit it is creepy---especially alone.
Don't do that. Night fishing isn't inherently dangerous, but accidents can and do happen more often. A hook in the hand, falling out of the boat (it happens), engine problems, sudden health issues ..... anything and everything that can happen in daylight is magnified greatly during darkness. Find a person who is willing to go with you. Even if they have never been before it will be better than being alone out there if (and when!) an issue comes up. Wear your PFD at all times. Tests have shown that when a person falls into the water in darkness, the body tries to float. Your self-preservation instincts try to combat that feeling and you will actually try to swim DEEPER. It's true. If there is some light this doesn't apply, but if it's dark you could easily drown yourself trying to "escape". I've probably made over 2,000 night trips (maybe even more) and I know what can happen. I won't go alone. FWIW ..... ![2cents 2cents](/forums/images/graemlins/default/2cents.gif)
Last edited by Hair Jig; 05/22/20 01:18 PM.
Healed by Grace and trying to stay that way
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Re: Night Fishing for Bass
[Re: TBassYates]
#13567505
05/22/20 02:45 PM
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Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 7,502
TBassYates
OP
TFF Celebrity
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OP
TFF Celebrity
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 7,502 |
A couple of interesting things that came about from back in my days when I kept written notes every time I went out fishing, yeah I know I was a fishing NERD, is that looking back on about a 10 year period I found that I had better results on Fork, Bob Sandlin and others during the No Moon phase as opposed to a Full Moon. And on other lakes that had a lot of docks like Cedar Creek, Tawakoni, Palestine, Tyler etc for some reason I tended to catch more fish on docks with No Lights on them than one's that had a lot of light even if they attracted a lot of bait fish. I ended up getting a lot more confident in unlit docks and had some great success on them over a lighted dock.
Tom - I guess I just did so much night fishing that it became my favorite way to fish during a lot of the year. I didn't run a lot at night and one of my favorite lakes was Bob Sandlin. I would put in at the old Cherokee Junction, I would make a decision if I wanted to go Left or Right and would just start heading down the bank for about 4 hours hitting everything in my path. Then I would turn around and start heading back.
Last edited by TBassYates; 05/22/20 02:57 PM.
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Re: Night Fishing for Bass
[Re: TBassYates]
#13567633
05/22/20 04:24 PM
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Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 4,354
Bobby Milam
TFF Team Angler
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TFF Team Angler
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 4,354 |
I fish at night fairly often. I usually fish solo just because it is hard to find people willing to stay up all night. My biggest fish have come at night. I fish it just like daylight and use the same colors that I do during the day. The bait fish don't change color at night and bass eat them just fine. The one thing that works better at night is larger baits. They put off more vibrations and must make them easier to locate. Most any night it is bright enough to see what you are doing or to idle your boat around without hitting things. On some lakes it is easy to run on pad around the lake. On lakes like Fork I tend to just stay in one of the creeks and idle when I move all night. Bugs are only a problem the first hour or two and if you have a good breeze then even then they aren't usually a problem. I fish to relax and night time is the most relaxing time you will find on a lake.
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Re: Night Fishing for Bass
[Re: TBassYates]
#13567735
05/22/20 05:57 PM
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 424
Basscat8263
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 424 |
I remember one night in Glade slaying 'em on that Hildebrant black/gold thumper spinnerbait. Good times!
Tony
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Re: Night Fishing for Bass
[Re: TBassYates]
#13567811
05/22/20 06:54 PM
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,514
meP2too
TFF Team Angler
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TFF Team Angler
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,514 |
Don't be to worried about fishing at night alone or with someone, stay alert. I started alone in a buster boat in the 80's. then fished with partners from mid 80s when we bought our first real boat. I go alone most of the time now, as my fishing partners and I have aged, they value sleep over fishing. Now, I usually get on the lake by 8pm and leave around 2am. Luckily, I have had only two events during 40 years of fishing at night. Pre cell phone, I hit a stump while trolling to fast in a busterboat and went right over the front end, and #2, idling in my first real boat a little quicker than I should have and I climbed a large bios arc tree stump. My motor to high to pull me off, so fished the rest of the night there. At sun up a boat came by and pull me off with a rope.
I would highly recommend you run the lake and all areas you want to fish during the day, if you have GPS make your trails, to and from all fishing areas. Place way points at starting and stopping points, Place way points if there are trees along your paths to keep them identified. Know how you are going to fish each area. Even with all your preparation be wary of the lake you are on, I have seen so many pleasure boats on Athens without navigational lights on and parked in the middle of the lake.
Keep all unnecessary stuff off your front deck, keep flashlights near your bow, and at your console. Keep a q-beam light at your drivers seat, don't set the lens on your carpet or seat after operating.
Fish can be finicky at night, so be ready to rig up smaller baits, a 7 inch worm might be better than a 12 inch worm, same goes of spinnerbait blades, I will have blades with #4, #5 and #6 Colorado rigged up, same for buzzbaits some nights it is a triplewing strikeking some nights its a clackerbuzzbait.
have fun and good luck.
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Re: Night Fishing for Bass
[Re: TBassYates]
#13567914
05/22/20 08:05 PM
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Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 426
1bassdaddy
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 426 |
There's an abundance of quality information already posted but I'd like to add/re-enforce a couple of points. Other than avoiding crowds the biggest benefit for me fishing at has been being able to contact genuinely large bass that have become nocturnal feeders and virtually impossible to catch during the day. I'm sure J. Purdue will back me up on that point. The other issue is I have found that with a bright moon I can fish the exact same color baits I throw during the day. With a dark moon (and I prefer to fish dark moons) I use larger, darker baits the same as I would in heavily stained or muddy, dark water for the exact same reasons. The two best night fishermen I know have completely different perspectives on using lights. They both agree that light is not your friend and can alarm fish but one uses black lights strategically placed in his boat and the other refuses to uses any light at all. I sincerely believe that other than fishing pre-spawn and the spawn your odds of catching the largest fish in your lake improve dramatically when you fish at night. It's the only reason I fish at night.
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Re: Night Fishing for Bass
[Re: Ken A.]
#13567925
05/22/20 08:13 PM
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Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,806
basscaster46
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 2,806 |
Do you guys wear head mounted red lights? Or something else? Or nothing?
Do you run around the lake or mostly stay put? If you have a full moon you can almost read a newspaper with no light. You could see the grassline, stumps, shoreline if the moon was bright. It is always best if you know the areas you are fishing before you go out at night. Get a small head mounted LED light to use for tying knots & rigging up or landing fish but that's about the only time you need a light. We never fished lighted docks at night because back then there just wasn't many of them on Fork. We fished main lake humps, pond dams, & grass points mostly with big plastic worms & jigs & single big bladed spinnerbaits. I've used a super bright spot light for running down the lake at 25-30 mph but when you turn it on & back off it takes a few mins for your eyes to readjust to the difference. I knew the lake well enough that I stopped using the spotlight and just ran slowly on plane from spot to spot. If you don't know the lake well I would suggest you do not run above idle speed at night. The advice above about bug repellent is very good. The skeeters are horrible for the first hour after dark then they are only bad. Also we would set our ball cap over the back Nav light when fishing so it didn't glare back at you. The darker your boat, the better you can see out onto the water. State law requires you must have your back light on at night when sitting. Front & back have to be on when running even at idle. On busy weekends the GW would be on the water checking. I would highly suggest your wear a PFD while moving down the lake. Be quiet while you move around in the boat. Don't slam box lids and try to use the TM as little as possible. It is better if you can anchor (I know some of you guys with Power Poles & Ultrex have never owned an anchor). Your sense of feel & sound is heightened at night & I believe the bass' are too so be quiet as you move around in the boat. Keep the floor of the boat tidy so when you hook a big fish you can move around without stumbling over everything. Keep the net out with the handle extended & ready. Use big hooks & heavy line! You now know everything I know about night fishing. Good advice . Keep rods to a minimum really only need a spinnerbait, worm and topwater of your choice. Leave the rest in the rod box. J D
I got all day I’m retired
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Re: Night Fishing for Bass
[Re: TBassYates]
#13567980
05/22/20 08:53 PM
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Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 26,650
senko9S
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 26,650 |
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Re: Night Fishing for Bass
[Re: 1bassdaddy]
#13568001
05/22/20 09:08 PM
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Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 389
Hair Jig
Angler
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Angler
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 389 |
The other issue is I have found that with a bright moon I can fish the exact same color baits I throw during the day. With a dark moon (and I prefer to fish dark moons) I use larger, darker baits the same as I would in heavily stained or muddy, dark water for the exact same reasons. It depends on what bait your are throwing. If it is a crawfish imitation it can matter outside of the available light sources. Crawfish go through molting phases and can be shades of green, brown, or even red. We always put the first fish we caught in the livewell and checked from time to time to see if it spit out any crawfish parts so we could know what color to offer. It does make a difference at certain times. The two best night fishermen I know have completely different perspectives on using lights. They both agree that light is not your friend and can alarm fish but one uses black lights strategically placed in his boat and the other refuses to uses any light at all. I always use a black light. Never seen any evidence that it spooks fish. In my humble opinion it is a huge mistake not to use one. I've probably caught just as many fish by SEEING the strike when the line hops than I have by FEELING them. But to each their own.
Healed by Grace and trying to stay that way
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