Night Fishing for Trout & Bass - Part II
As stated in Part I of this series, very few anglers intentionally and consistently fish during the darkness of the nighttime hours. There are certainly many advantages and some real hazards to consider before one should take up this sport. We reviewed those in Part I.
As a review, never fish while moonlight is on the water. That is a basic “hard and fast” rule that anglers who fish after dark all agree with. I have never had even a bite while moonlight was on the water. I have intentionally fished during moonlight hours to prove that this theory is absolutely correct.
Since bass are a lot easier to fool at night than trout, let’s start with some basic and quite easy tips for fooling this quarry in ponds and some lakes. As nighttime slowly edges out the daylight, the larger bass and big crappies move toward the shallow waters of shore to feed on minnows, bugs, frogs and other creatures that inhabit the shorelines. Do not wade into the water if at all possible
As stated in Part I of this series, very few anglers intentionally and consistently fish during the darkness of the nighttime hours. There are certainly many advantages and some real hazards to consider before one should take up this sport. We reviewed those in Part I.
As a review, never fish while moonlight is on the water. That is a basic “hard and fast” rule that anglers who fish after dark all agree with. I have never had even a bite while moonlight was on the water. I have intentionally fished during moonlight hours to prove that this theory is absolutely correct.
Since bass are a lot easier to fool at night than trout, let’s start with some basic and quite easy tips for fooling this quarry in ponds and some lakes. As nighttime slowly edges out the daylight, the larger bass and big crappies move toward the shallow waters of shore to feed on minnows, bugs, frogs and other creatures that inhabit the shorelines. Do not wade into the water if at all possible
The first rule is stealth. One needs to be as quiet as possible as fish can easily detect sound. The second rule is to not use a flashlight directly on the water’s surface. If you do, the fish in that area may not bite again. While it is usually the case that you need a light to unhook a caught fish, keep the light away from the water. I simply position my back toward the water, moving away from shore, and gently unhook the fish. Most nighttime anglers keep very few fish; the goal is to simply catch them. Every fish released is a candidate to catch again in the future.
I use surface plugs to fish after dark in ponds and small lakes. A floating minnow of about 3 to 5 inches works well. Color seems mostly unimportant. Start your initial cast close to shore. Let the surface lure settle for up to a minute before any slow retrieve. Often you may get a hit as soon as the lure hits the water. If that happens, do not set the hook until you feel the fish on your lure. Often you will get a hit without hooking. If you are patient, you may be able to entice the fish to strike again.
Fishing surface plugs at night calls for a slow and jerky retrieve. Once you have fished along both sides of the shore, try casting a bit farther out until you have “covered the clock.” That means you have cast to every position possible. Slow is the key to night fishing. Perhaps that is why most anglers do not consistently try it.
Get outdoors and fully enjoy the many wonderful things in nature that God has given to us.
I use surface plugs to fish after dark in ponds and small lakes. A floating minnow of about 3 to 5 inches works well. Color seems mostly unimportant. Start your initial cast close to shore. Let the surface lure settle for up to a minute before any slow retrieve. Often you may get a hit as soon as the lure hits the water. If that happens, do not set the hook until you feel the fish on your lure. Often you will get a hit without hooking. If you are patient, you may be able to entice the fish to strike again.
Fishing surface plugs at night calls for a slow and jerky retrieve. Once you have fished along both sides of the shore, try casting a bit farther out until you have “covered the clock.” That means you have cast to every position possible. Slow is the key to night fishing. Perhaps that is why most anglers do not consistently try it.
Get outdoors and fully enjoy the many wonderful things in nature that God has given to us.