New to night fishing can you guys help please?

[Sir fishalot]

Just started doing a little night fishing last year and didn’t have a lot of success, I’m looking for a little advice. Cause I’m planning on doing a lot more night fishing this year.
The Lake I’m fishing is mainly a small mouth lake in East Tennessee , clear to slightly stained in some areas, deep lake with a lot of rocky point with some large humps off shore. Day time water temp is at 82 degrees. Most of the baits I’m having success with in the day time are under spins with 3 to four 4 inch swim baits, and small 4 inch shaky head worm catching most of my fish in 15 to 20 feet of water.
If you were going to fish this lake at night what would you do to change up you technique to better suit the night time.

thank you

[rbreedi1]

5/8 oz black/blue, black/blue/chartreuse, or purple spinnerbait with a large #5 single Colorado blade and Zoom Fat Albert tomato grub as trailer

[VAsmallies]

I'd look for areas where the shad are spawning and throw top water in the shallows. Nothing like a top water blow up in the dark! Have a follow up bait rigged up too

[DrewFlu33]

5/8 oz black/blue, black/blue/chartreuse, or purple spinnerbait with a large #5 single Colorado blade and Zoom Fat Albert tomato grub as trailer

This. Smallmouth are sight feeders first and foremost, so catching them at night becomes a completely different animal. By far the best success I've had is with big, hard thumping spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. Dark colors usually are the ticket at night.

I'd look for areas where the shad are spawning and throw top water in the shallows. Nothing like a top water blow up in the dark! Have a follow up bait rigged up too

And this would be my second go-to technique for getting them at night. I've found that using something that makes a big racket is usually the ticket. Think Shower Blow instead of Spook, Whopper Plopper instead of Buzzbait, or a large popper instead of a Pop-R.

[Sir fishalot]

sounds like a plan.. I'll give it try.. i put LED black lights on the boat last year. whats your thought on using the Florescent mono at night?

This. Smallmouth are sight feeders first and foremost, so catching them at night becomes a completely different animal. By far the best success I've had is with big, hard thumping spinnerbaits and chatterbaits. Dark colors usually are the ticket at night.






And this would be my second go-to technique for getting them at night. I've found that using something that makes a big racket is usually the ticket. Think Shower Blow instead of Spook, Whopper Plopper instead of Buzzbait, or a large popper instead of a Pop-R.

[DrewFlu33]

sounds like a plan.. I'll give it try.. i put LED black lights on the boat last year. whats your thought on using the Florescent mono at night?

I *personally* sort of hate it, but I know many think it's the only way to go. I'm no night fishing expert, so I'm definitely not the best person to be commenting on it.

That said, because I can't resist injecting my two cents (), I've got several reasons for not liking it. By and large I think it's because the fluorescent options - or maybe more accurately, the options for line that shows up under black light - are really limited. I do believe this is changing as I think even some superlines are starting to be formulated to show under black light. Going with the idea that options are still limited, however, this means that you have to pick a line that you'd probably never pick otherwise just because it shows up under a black light. Add to this that I rarely have the opportunity to commit to night fishing for a period of time that's long enough to warrant replacing line that I like for daytime fishing (whether that's due to the line being overly visible, just not being very good in general, or what have you).

Additionally, I really don't see a lot of benefit in line showing up under a black light unless you're using a technique like drop shotting, working a fluke or senko, flipping, etc. where line watching becomes beneficial. For smallmouth especially, I'm not sure that's the best way to approach it except in rare circumstances. I think they're much more prone to roam at night, or otherwise maybe just don't find slow moving baits the same way they find something putting off a big thump or that's otherwise obnoxious. Largemouth are a different story as it seems they very often like to be up next to something at night time. This sometimes requires fishing slow to get bites. Accurately finding and hitting specific targets next to cover becomes an entirely new obstacle then, and it's one I've certainly never really overcome! I end up seeking out docks with lights or other cover with lighting nearby usually in those cases. I tell myself it's because it attracts things at the bottom of the food chain which eventually attracts the bass. While I think that's true to some extent, it's probably mostly driven by not wanting to have to try and fish blind in close quarters.

That said, if you have some extra equipment that you can dedicate only to night fishing for at least the part of the year where you're doing it, won't be doing much daytime fishing during some period of time, find some line that shows up at night that you really like in general, tend to use mono a lot and/or change your line very often anyhow, or something along those lines, I think it's a great way to go. Especially if you find yourself using techniques where line watching is beneficial.

[TE 863]

1/2 to 3/4 oz. spinnerbait with a #6 Colorado blade gold or black emerald,or Sloan if there shallower than 10 ft throw a bladed jig especially if there’s no wind.As far as line I use some out of production stren flour carbon that’s fluorescent or you could throw fluorescent orange or yellow braid.

[Sir fishalot]

Wow thanks drewflu!!That was a awesome opinion and I appreciate it. And it makes very good sense to me. Thanks for taking the time to help.

I *personally* sort of hate it, but I know many think it's the only way to go. I'm no night fishing expert, so I'm definitely not the best person to be commenting on it.

That said, because I can't resist injecting my two cents (), I've got several reasons for not liking it. By and large I think it's because the fluorescent options - or maybe more accurately, the options for line that shows up under black light - are really limited. I do believe this is changing as I think even some superlines are starting to be formulated to show under black light. Going with the idea that options are still limited, however, this means that you have to pick a line that you'd probably never pick otherwise just because it shows up under a black light. Add to this that I rarely have the opportunity to commit to night fishing for a period of time that's long enough to warrant replacing line that I like for daytime fishing (whether that's due to the line being overly visible, just not being very good in general, or what have you).

Additionally, I really don't see a lot of benefit in line showing up under a black light unless you're using a technique like drop shotting, working a fluke or senko, flipping, etc. where line watching becomes beneficial. For smallmouth especially, I'm not sure that's the best way to approach it except in rare circumstances. I think they're much more prone to roam at night, or otherwise maybe just don't find slow moving baits the same way they find something putting off a big thump or that's otherwise obnoxious. Largemouth are a different story as it seems they very often like to be up next to something at night time. This sometimes requires fishing slow to get bites. Accurately finding and hitting specific targets next to cover becomes an entirely new obstacle then, and it's one I've certainly never really overcome! I end up seeking out docks with lights or other cover with lighting nearby usually in those cases. I tell myself it's because it attracts things at the bottom of the food chain which eventually attracts the bass. While I think that's true to some extent, it's probably mostly driven by not wanting to have to try and fish blind in close quarters.

That said, if you have some extra equipment that you can dedicate only to night fishing for at least the part of the year where you're doing it, won't be doing much daytime fishing during some period of time, find some line that shows up at night that you really like in general, tend to use mono a lot and/or change your line very often anyhow, or something along those lines, I think it's a great way to go. Especially if you find yourself using techniques where line watching is beneficial.

[rexran]

I put in some years fishing for largies on Clearlake in CA...no smallmouth experience gained there.

Can't say enough about big blades. Slowrolling them, bouncing them off cover...fairly weedless, which is a big help in the dark.. Polish your favorite rockpile with jigs. Brush hogs texas-rigged with a glass bead clacked along the bottom...People always say topwater, but I have more topwater action at twilight...

Always used flourescent line. Had LED blacklights built into the rubrail of my boat. a Blacklight caplight...I might not have needed to see my line in the water, but it always helped me orient myself and boat to the bait, and that helped presentation. Night fishing is great fun.

[okiebass]

i have caught more fish on crankbaits at night than any other bait

[Walkabout7781]

I've used two baits with success at night. A tube with a tube rattle in it, for a slow spiral fall. Or, a 1/2 oz white double WILLOW spinnerbait. Why? Weeds...double willow goes through emergent milfoil better. White, because I can see it better on a clear full moon night. I haven't night fished in quite a few years, but loved fishing for SM on a full moon...they get crazy. In those days it was copolymer line, but now would probably use braid, because I now use 40 lb. braid for spinnerbaits. A white light worked fine for us, but that particular lake has lots of dock lights, and the line I always had loaded up was never fluorescent. The poor launch parking security pretty much scared us off of night fishing.

[Bass AHolic]

I tried night fishing once, cannot see sunk or floating mud sharks.. and forget about using a white cane, no tap tap tap, just thunk thunk..splats... not my of Tea

[jatkins1981]

I night fish ky lake a lot in the summertime, I also use clear blue flouro line, stren makes it in flourocarbon, I catch a lot of smallmouth on shallow pea gravel flats and main lake points on a 1/2oz black jig with a chigger craw trailer mainly for the scent, black spinnerbait with a big Colorado blade but I will put a 10 inch black power worm for a trailer mainly for scent but they'll hammer that thing. Oh and I have better success when the nighttime low temperature is above 75 degrees.