I used to hate it– bugs, bugs, bugs, and the fact that everything changes after dark. Trying to cast a simple reel was a big challenge.
Night fishing is an acquired taste. If you fish in the south where hot, summer temperatures can soar during the day, you may want to give fishing after dark a try. Not to mention, the number of boats on the water is few and the water is usually calm.
The black light is a must, this makes your line visible as well as not drawing in so many bugs. Most night time fishing lights have small suction cups that allow you to position them right on the side of your boat, they have the black bulbs as well as a regular fluorescent bulb, that can be switched on for re-tying your line etc.
Since the invention of the “Therma Cell” bug repellent, the bug problem for me has diminished.
Especially after about ten p.m., this little inexpensive device is worth it’s weight in gold. There are a lot of “new” inventions out today that are marketed to just take your money so to speak, but this one is a gadget that every fisherman or hunter has to have.
Some people view night fishing as spooky, exasperating (casting that simple reel), and even dangerous, but with a little common sense it can also be extremely enjoyable. This is not to mention how very productive it can be.
The possibility of catching the bass of a lifetime on a warm, summer night is very real. Big bass will often move better at night than during the daylight hours. When they are moving, the chance of you catching them increases.
My night fishing season starts when the surface temperature of the water slides into the lower 80’s. Usually a night on the lake is a peaceful fishing experience, no pressure to catch the fish, no tournament weigh in time, just you and the fish.
Largemouth bass have excellent night vision. The fish’s eyes have much denser sets of light gathering rods than do human eyes. It would seem that nature has equipped bass properly to feed at night as well as during the day.
Do not think that because you can’t see at night that the bass can’t either. Their low-light vision is far superior to ours, plus they use other sensory organs such as their lateral line to locate and consume prey.
For night fishing I keep my tackle selection simple. A black jig and plastic trailer, -ounce black spinnerbait, and a 10-inch worm rigged Texas style will be about all I’ll use. Black is probably the best color choice. This is because in low light, the rods in a fish’s eye move to the front of the retina while the color receptors recede. This enhances the fish’s light gathering capabilities while color sensing diminishes. Since black is the most dense color, it shows up well, thus providing the best visual target against the light surface and night sky.
For night fishing I primarily fish shallow water. I concentrate on water 12 feet deep or less. Weed lines and structure in areas close to the main lake or on main-lake points will offer you the best opportunities for catching night bass.
Big bass choose their sanctuary areas for security and food sources. They move from one location to another with security in mind. If you hook a big fish it will immediately try to wrap the line around anything convenient like a tree limb, clump of weeds, or a boat prop. Large bass are like whitetail deer. They acquire survival instincts with age. This is why a slow presentation at night and covering water thoroughly is so important.
Most of the time when you find the fish feeding at night, during the day they won’t be to far away, so this is another tool to finding summer time bass for tournament day.
I’d like to stress while fishing at night be very careful and cautious. Know the water you’re on and slow down on the throttle. If possible, always take someone with you and make sure someone at home knows when you’re supposed to get there.