Night Fishing

[BackLash625]

Was thinking about doing some night fishing now that temps are in the mid 90's but had some questions:

How do you all see where you are casting?.. I always seem to throw my bait and don't hear a splash which means I've found a tree...
Do you really catch more Bass at night or is it better to stick with the morning and evening bite?
What lures/colors do you generally use when fishing at night?
Do you find your night Bass shallow, on deep structure or roaming?
As far a safety goes, do you fish alone or make sure to have a partner?

[CRAWFW]

A lot of people will use black light to help see their lines when fishing bottom(worms, craws etc). It’ll help see the bank as well.
My eyes aren’t as good is one reason I haven’t went for years at night. I think you can catch more at night but it’s just like day fishing as far as being out at the right time and using the right bait.
I pretty much always used black at night. Maybe a little chartreuse mixed in. Or maybe a silver blade on black spinner if you’ve got some lights around or a bright moon.
I used to usually fish shallow but if they aren’t there then you’ll find them deeper for sure. No different than daylight really. Just much cooler and peaceful.
Definitely funner and safer with fishing partner but I used to go by myself mostly.
Try it from the bank as well. It’s quite fun.
Favorite bait is 1/2oz black spinnerbait with #6 or#7 colorado blade. Tipped with an uncle josh pork frog. Slow rolling from the bank to the boat. #2 bait was black/red yum crawl. Tons of hits will come on that.

[Hair Jig]

How do you all see where you are casting?.. I always seem to throw my bait and don't hear a splash which means I've found a tree...

YEP. It happens. I generally stay away from brush-lined banks. I much prefer points, rock piles, humps, etc. I also use a black light. Mandatory as far as I am concerned. Other lights that light up the bank aren't necessary. A good black light will show you enough of the shoreline to keep you out of the trees.

Do you really catch more Bass at night or is it better to stick with the morning and evening bite?

More? Maybe not. Bigger? You bet.

What lures/colors do you generally use when fishing at night?

Depends on what you're trying to accomplish. I almost always throw a crawfish pattern in variations of purple, red, green, brown, and a bit of chartreuse. How you fish the bait has a lot to do with it. Fluttering along the bottom imitates a crawfish. Steady reeling or slow rolling imitates a baitfish. Choose your colors accordingly.

Do you find your night Bass shallow, on deep structure or roaming?

Both. I love offshore structure in 12-15 feet of water. But I don't rule out shallow flats or points either. Different night ... different pattern. Just like daytime.

As far a safety goes, do you fish alone or make sure to have a partner?

I always take a partner. But I'm 66 years old and clumsy.

[okiebass]

I catch more on Crankbaits at night than any other lure

[Fish 4 Fun Txn]

okiebass,
What colors and size of CB's seems to work the best. I fish around a lot of docks.

[Hair Jig]

FWIW ..... I won't allow a treble hook lure in my boat after dark. Call it selfish, chicken, or whatever you want. Way too much chance of getting hooked.

You may be able to keep up with the depth the lure is running .... and you may not because it rides over a branch, etc. And setting the hook on "nothing" when the lure is 8 inches under the surface makes for an incoming missile just looking to hit you in the face.

I'm not telling anyone not to fish them. I'm just forwarding my personal feelings as "food for thought"

[Les Young]

I have 2 moonlite full moons. As far as baits go it's jigs, tubes, baby brush hog, super hog, 10" worm & a 3/4 ounce single colorado blade spinnerbait for me. Jigs get it done more than anything most times except when fishing the spinnerbasit in moonlight. Since i'm mainly catching smallmouth i throw a ned rig a lot & sometimes a shaky head after the fish start getting really funky here in about the next month. I haven't been on the lake in the daylight all year.

[Skeeterbait]

offshore structure marked on GPS navigation electronics is your friend for night fishing. Your charting tells you where you are and what direction to cast, not your eyes trying to see in the dark. Nothing to over cast into like bushes and trees, less biting insects and down here in the deep south, no curious cottonmouths when not near the banks.

[okiebass]

fish 4 fun i mostly throw squarebills ----best colors for me have been some type of shad and firetiger . Also crazy as it seems some of my best nites have been on a shad rap--silver /black one. As far as treble hooks at night---USE A NET . I have fished them for many years and knock on wood no issues yet. I would be more worried about swinging on a fish with a texas rig and getting hit with a 1/2 sinker that you never see coming ! Only thing i do different now as ive gotten older is i dont run all over the lake at night like i used too.

[Alumicraft145]

Great info. I got an old black light in the basement and with work so crazy i hope to do some night fishing this year. I guess I would try a 10" worm, night spinnerbait. Football jig. Walleye guys up here thrown jerkbaits a lot at night wading.
Chatterbait?? Carolina rig?? I remember reading a while back about big craw worms at night.

[Les Young]

Great info. I got an old black light in the basement and with work so crazy i hope to do some night fishing this year. I guess I would try a 10" worm, night spinnerbait. Football jig. Walleye guys up here thrown jerkbaits a lot at night wading.
Chatterbait?? Carolina rig?? I remember reading a while back about big craw worms at night.

craws definitely work day or night.

[Alumicraft145]

Lake i plan on fishing has giant craws that the bass feed on. Smallmouth and largemouth.
Weird nobody mentioned topwaters.

[bpicinc]

I have 6 ft of green LEDS mounted under my guardrail on both sides of boat that light the water up the about 30-40 ft out from boat that work great for fishing around docks and make precision casts to the right places. Use dark baits and 50 lb braid to get them out of brush piles.

[Les Young]

Lake i plan on fishing has giant craws that the bass feed on.

See what color they are & match it. Smallmouth love them.

[TE 863]

I use full moon black lights bait choices I use to live and die with a spinnerbait but over the past few years a bladed jig and topwater have come into play. Colors on full moon nights I use crawdad colors with a gold or black blade on dark nights I use purple/pink or black/ red with a silver blade. Buzzbaits, spro rats,and the jackal pompadour are my topwater choices after dark

[Hair Jig]

See what color they are & match it. Smallmouth love them.

YEP!

The 1st fish of the night goes into the livewell. We check every few minutes to see if anything is spit out. Generally, it will be crawfish pincers or other parts. THEN we know what color to throw.

I don't remember the cycle, but crawfish change colors frequently.