Night time Bassin? 2024

eyedabassman reply :

I fish at night from Spring to late Fall other than fishing Tournaments. And I guide at night also. I have done two articles for waters & Woods Magazine on night time bass fishing and many seminars at BPS,Gander, Sportsma's Warehouse!I have been working with lure Companys for many years. Now I am not ringing my own bell but I have found out some real cool stuff about night fish and boating a bass of your life time! If you want a toad, then try night bassin. Last year was my best ever and there are alot of reasons for that. So if I can help anyone just ask! The main reason I posted this is I just would like to know how many of you are in love with night bassin?

.dsaavedra. reply :

night fishing is awesome! ive caught some real nice ones. only things i dont like is that you cant see your fish when you catch em unless you use lights and i dont like to use lights. also, the pictures come out pretty nasty (for me at least) how do you take good night pictures?

thanks man!

Jake. reply :

I night fish alot in the summer. It's a great way to beat the summer heat and catch some nice bass at the same time. I usually use a 1/4 oz Black Cavitron Buzzbait. There's nothing like topwater at night time.

BiggerWorm reply :

I do a fair amount of night fishing. I usually throw a texas rigged worm, but will occasionaly throw a dark spinner bait. If fishing shoreline I will hang a light over the boat, which helps quite a bit. If on open water I keep the lights off, not into the bugs!!

Jig Man reply :

I night fish 6 months out of the year and have for a long time. I catch more fish at night but I have caught more large bass during the day time than at night.

Tin reply :

Love night fishing. Buzzbaits and jitterbugs

Tokyo Tony reply :

Night fishing is awesome ;D

I do it a lot when it's warm out, and during the week, because I have to work during the day. The most productive lure for me this past year for night fishing was a black/blue chatterbait. Deadly. Topwaters and big spinnerbaits are good too.

A couple things that really help me are:

1. Headlamp - without a headlamp you'll have a much tougher time night fishing, whether it's trying to tie a knot or releasing a fish without hurting it.

2. Camera with a flash - the pictures still aren't that good, but at least you'll have pictures.

Can't wait until it's warm enough to be able to night fish for bass! I've been night fishing for trout a couple times this winter, but it sucks, mostly because it's freakin' cold.

Daniel My Brother reply :

I night fish from Memorial Day to Labor Day (roughly). I wonder what you all consider night fishing...For me it starts around sunset, and goes 'til about 10 or 11, sometimes later, but seldom all night.

How bout you?

FlyRod reply :

I very much enjoy night bassin' and have done a lot of it over the years.

I prefer to do so on moonlit nights, believing the bass to be more active on "bright" nights.

My primary arsenal consists of a 5" Tiki Stik in Black/Blue Swirl, T-rigged and unweighted, with #20 braid and a fluoro leader on a medium spinning rod; A 6" ZOOM U-tail worm, Black Sapphire, with a free sliding 1/8 oz tungsten weight and a glass bead pegged at the eye of the hook on a MH casting rig w/#30 braid and a fluoro leader; A Strike King Midnight Special in Black/Blue, 7/16 oz, on a MH casting with #30 braid, no leader.

I will also throw a topwater, either the large JohnnyRattler in Black, Black JitterBug, or whatever strikes my fancy...to include a black buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzbait.

I use a Nucli-Eye with both the UV and blue light turned on and use yellow braid, soaked in Spike-It Chartreuse DYE (NOT TAIL DIP!!!!! Beware TAIL DIP!!!) so I can see the line (and the target) when fishing the Tiki, Worm, and in any other slow presentation. Line visibility is very critical, except for Topwater or Spinnerbait.

Safety measures are absolutely critical when night fishing, especially on lakes where gas engines are in use. Your anchor light MUST be on, though it will drive your backseat guy nuts re night vision AND attract every bug within five miles. You should wear your PFD at ALL times!

If you sense, see, or hear an approaching boat, you should repeatedly signal with a series of flashes from a flashlight in it's direction, in case your anchor light does not alert him to your presence...it happens, believe me.

Finally, and I know I may be wasting my time with this one...NO BEER, BOOZE, or POT in the boat. These are bad enough in the daytime but exponentially more dangerous in the dark, especially when underway or if wave/wake action is rocking the boat as you fish.

I too am looking forward to the nightfishing season!

FlyRod

Bass XL reply :

This past year, I have done great night fishing. I placed 2nd in one of my night tourneys. Overall I have done great with a blk/blu Colorado spinnerbait (big blade) throwing parallel to the bank. Most of those spinnerbait fish come when fishing chunk rock banks. I have also come to find that blk/blu chatterbaits work well near boat docks at night. In fact this past july on Lake of the Ozarks, I lost an 10+ pounder (my buddy had a flash light, and we got a couple real good looks at it) on the chatterbait. But the lure that constantly produced for me is a berkley power craw (3" black w/ chart. pinchers) on a shakey head. When fishing the shakeyhead, I ALWAYS cought fish on "nothing" banks, when my boat was in 17' of water and about 30 feet from the shore. This rig actually helped me place 2nd in my tourney this year....Another that should never be forgotten is a Black Grape power worm. I just swim it by brush piles...I have a few night tourneys (7pm-7am) this year, and I hope to do as good if not better then what I did this past year.

Catt reply :

The night time is the right time; of the 9 DD's I caught on the Bend last year 7 were caught at night.

.dsaavedra. reply :

regarding lights:

if youre night fishing, stay away from white lights!!!! they actract bugs like all get out, and they will quickly destroy your natural night vision. Cones in your eyes adjust to color very fast, about a minute, where as the rods, which adjust to darker things adjust much slower. it takes about 45 minutes to develop good night vision. if you are going to use a light, make sure it is red or green, as these colors have shorter wavelengths and will not attract bugs or destroy your natural night vision.

another science lesson from Professor Saavedra

eyedabassman reply :

I have kept logs of my night trips for about 8 years.I don't anymore but I found that 80% of toads came from 11pm to sunup with the best times from 1am to 5 am.and in water not less than 10 ft. I don't pound banks up here, I fish from 10ft. 30 ft.deep. I took two guys out last Aug. we had 17 fish in the boat and 15 of them where 3lbs to 61/2 lbs. now that is a very good night,that does not happen every night.

Tucson reply :

I love the idea of night fishing and here in AZ it's the only way to fish from mid-May thru mid-Sept. but I only go out when there's a good bright moon because I've noticed that at night it gets real dark and when it gets real dark it gets real hard to see your line/lure, the shoreline, and anything else. So I consider it a love/hate relationship. The ideas on this posting are inspiring me to get some UV line and light and how does that Nucle-eye(sp) work out for you guys?

Another big plus is that you have the lake pretty much to yourself. Drawback is you've gotta sleep during the day, stay awake at night and the transition is difficult. But I'm old. sorta kinda.

Branuss04 reply :

Here in cali, summer days get hot, so night time is the way to go. I like it because you beat the heat and the crowds. It's always makes it better when you fish with someone fun as well, because when the fishing sucks, it gets BORING!!!

Jig Man reply :

Quote
I night fish from Memorial Day to Labor Day (roughly). I wonder what you all consider night fishing...For me it starts around sunset, and goes 'til about 10 or 11, sometimes later, but seldom all night.
How bout you?

I like to be on the water an hour or two before dark. Lots of time there is a real good bite around dark. If I am camped and get to fish several nights in a row I fish till the bite quits. If I have to drive home and stay awake, I am gone by 2 am or so.

Branuss04 reply :

Quote
I night fish from Memorial Day to Labor Day (roughly). I wonder what you all consider night fishing...For me it starts around sunset, and goes 'til about 10 or 11, sometimes later, but seldom all night.
How bout you?

I like to be out on the water 3 hours before sunset and i'll stay out till I can't stay awake. My first night fishing trip we were out on the water from 7 p.m. till 9 a.m. the next day. It really depends on how the bite is doing, obviously if the bite is red hot, your going to stay out all night long.

Catt reply :

Y'all call that night fishing?

6 o'clock pm till 9 o'clock am; nonstop Rock & Roll

guest reply :

don't do it much.

Yeah it's good, but I really like watching the birds, and critters.

I'll night fish in the summer, but I actually would rather fish during the day in the rain than at night.

It also can be frustrating. My home lake often has alot of loose grass floating around. There's nothing worse than hearing your multi treble hooked topwater thud into a mat of floating grass.

I gotta say though....a big black colorado bladed spinner bait will catch me lotsa bass in the dark.

justbassintime reply :

i have fished night time bass for many many years, on my local lake when fishing tournaments the pressure is so bad that you can forget about bank fishing form june this sept. so i fish off shore humps and main lake points. i live and love the chomper super sinker 5" in black blue flake on a carlina rig. the bait has so much smell that my dad can tell when im useing one in the back of the boat. o yea got to love the black jitterbug.... nothing like blurp....... blurp......... blurp.........BAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ILL_BASS reply :

Love night time bassin!!

My number 1 bait the last few years has been a baby paca craw with a tube rattle in it.

Bassin_Fin@tic reply :

Quote
Love night time bassin!!
My number 1 bait the last few years has been a baby paca craw with a tube rattle in it.

x2 just started using that this past summer at night,its a killer! I also do a brass and glass with these and a tube rattle,or a rattlin florida rig weight with an additional tube rattle.

ba7ss3in reply :

early in the morning before daylight produced some big bass through out the summer last year for me. Black frogs and buzzbaits

Popeye reply :

I too love to fish at night during the hotter summer months. I particularly like being out pre-dawn when the morning mist is coming off a lake/pond and there are critters in the water eager to destroy a Hula Popper or JitterBug:o)

Dean reply :

I do it occasionally. Never had great success, but I have caught a couple nice smallies on a texas rigged Mann's Jelly Worm.

stevetkd80 reply :

I work at the sportsman's warehouse in Oklahoma you should do a seminar. We get a lot of bass fishers in the store. 8-)

ventureboat reply :

I've never tried it, always wanted too, but needed the advice I found here to get me started. Thanks guys

Joel W reply :

I wish I could fish at night during the summer, but my work schedule just doesn't allow it. So I've had to learn how to fish from sunrise till just before the heat of the day. Naturally, cloudly rainy days are days to be out on the water.

fourbizz reply :

If you guys aren't night fishing, you are missing a major opportunity to catch the fish of your life.

No crowds, perfectly quiet, unsuspecting fish, big fish up shallow and aggressive, it is something you should do if you want a giant fish!

Out of my top 4 fish, 3 were caught in the dark. Giant worms, big jigs, swimbaits, and a black buzzbait. Perfect!

Bass XL reply :

Quote
If you guys aren't night fishing, you are missing a major opportunity to catch the fish of your life.
No crowds, perfectly quiet, unsuspecting fish, big fish up shallow and aggressive, it is something you should do if you want a giant fish!

amen brother!

HOIST-N-HAWGS reply :

There's nothing that compares to the quite (NO FRIGGIN JET SKI"S) sirene evening kickin back relaxing shedding all troubles away................... than when you leats expect it...........

"BLAAAAHM" that seems to echo and reverb across the lake getting the rod ripped from you hands wondering whats on the other end ! The are only two baits I've used at night for the last 2 years with outstanding results. The old jointed version of Jerry rego's rat and my fav the Black Deps buzzjet. 2007 season Landed over 30 bass (LM & SM) Lake Cobbassee contee ME for thee nights straight and other outings in mA and RI 7 LM over 5+ lbs, 4 over 6lbs. 8 SM over 4lbs. If you want a unequalled night of fishing you owe it to yourself to give the Black buzzjet a whirl. 1st pic not the biggest but definetely way to much time in the sun ;D 2 pic just came out really cool and wanted to share. Don't hessitate to try it during the day either 4th pic 6+ 5th pic 4.11lbs. Not bad for up here!

HOIST-N-HAWGS reply :

Another BuzzJet fish:o

HOIST-N-HAWGS reply :

yet another biggun on the BJ

HOIST-N-HAWGS reply :

last one sorry about the daytime pic's

HOIST-N-HAWGS reply :

No really last one just another pretty SM at night on the BJ

HookMaster reply :

I love night fish'n, I'm going right after work! Its about 40 degrees right now burrr! but thats not going to stop me or the fish LOL. ;D ;D ;D

fourbizz reply :

Hey look! That raccoon has got himself a smallmouth!

Very nice fish! The buzzjet is a great bait.

Low_Budget_Hooker reply :

t.com/albums/v311/rustyhooks/HTGRFJHR45.jpg

HOIST-N-HAWGS reply :

Sweet hawgs LBH, and on an oldies but goodies!

Oh no wait a second......what the heck you doin in the 14th pic? :-? :-X

Looks like your, noooooooooo could be could it? ;D

HOIST-N-HAWGS reply :

Quote
Hey look! That raccoon has got himself a smallmouth!
Very nice fish! The buzzjet is a great bait.

;D ;D ;D

HOIST-N-HAWGS reply :

Forgot this 5+ night buzzjet Hawg

Low_Budget_Hooker reply :

Geeesh,...ok,....I'll play,lol......I see your 5

and will raise you 1 1/4

HOIST-N-HAWGS reply :

Quote
Geeesh,...ok,....I'll play,lol......I see your 5

and will raise you 1 1/4

;D ;D You Bassturd you! > ;D ;D I fold!!!!!!!1

Low_Budget_Hooker reply :

Lots of dark pictures,....I think we're gonna be friends neighbor! ;D

fourbizz reply :

Alright fine. I'll see your 6.25 LBH and give you a 13-1, 11-4, and a 9-10

here are are some "little" ones

Waterwolves reply :

Last year I tried the night fishing thing and I had no luck. Not even a bite. I threw everything at them. black buzzbaits and spinnerbaits, black and blue jigs, senkos, frogs, and anything else i could think of. I am going to continue to try but I must not be doing something right?

I fished deeper water most of the time so maybe I need to go shallower? The problem with that is I can't see the bank so I have a hard time throwing close to the cover.

Any suggestions?

Signed those night fishing pictures are killing me. LOL

Joel W reply :

Quote
Last year I tried the night fishing thing and I had no luck. Not even a bite. I threw everything at them. black buzzbaits and spinnerbaits, black and blue jigs, senkos, frogs, and anything else i could think of. I am going to continue to try but I must not be doing something right?
I fished deeper water most of the time so maybe I need to go shallower? The problem with that is I can't see the bank so I have a hard time throwing close to the cover.

Any suggestions?

Signed those night fishing pictures are killing me. LOL

The few times I did get out and manage to night fish, I fished only sections of a reservoir that I knew extremely well. I concentrated on fishing shallow while keeping the boat out in 15 FOW.

Even though it's night time, there is still quite a bit of light to see by once your eyes get accustomed to the darkness. Don't use a white light or your eyes will never adjust.

HOIST-N-HAWGS reply :

Quote
Alright fine. I'll see your 6.25 LBH and give you a 13-1, 11-4, and a 9-10

here are are some "little" ones

> Cali fish No fair! I'm goin out to cal,i cali I'm goin out to Cali Hey we northeners need some sort of handicap ;D

Very sweeeeeet!

HOIST-N-HAWGS reply :

Quote
Lots of dark pictures,....I think we're gonna be friends neighbor! ;D

Agreed!

HOIST-N-HAWGS reply :

Quote
Last year I tried the night fishing thing and I had no luck. Not even a bite. I threw everything at them. black buzzbaits and spinnerbaits, black and blue jigs, senkos, frogs, and anything else i could think of. I am going to continue to try but I must not be doing something right?
I fished deeper water most of the time so maybe I need to go shallower? The problem with that is I can't see the bank so I have a hard time throwing close to the cover.

Any suggestions?

Signed those night fishing pictures are killing me. LOL

;D yeah Black BUZZJET! 8-) or move to Cali either or

HOIST-N-HAWGS reply :

I do more night fishing in July and August more then any other. Not that the rest of the year won't produce but avoiding the jet skiers and and the humidity that you can cut with a knife is the objective here. Yes i'm a bit biast against the JS's >

Low_Budget_Hooker reply :

Quote
Last year I tried the night fishing thing and I had no luck. Not even a bite. I threw everything at them. black buzzbaits and spinnerbaits, black and blue jigs, senkos, frogs, and anything else i could think of. I am going to continue to try but I must not be doing something right?
I fished deeper water most of the time so maybe I need to go shallower? The problem with that is I can't see the bank so I have a hard time throwing close to the cover.

Any suggestions?

Signed those night fishing pictures are killing me. LOL

We aren't much for throwing at ther bank in any light but during the night, we especially concentrate on flats. 15-20 ft water with a flats that comes up to 8-10 ft or so.

Bizz- I KNEW that was coming,lmao

WRB reply :

Didn't take the time yet to read 6 pages of this long thread, so here is my thoughts on night fishing.

First prepare you tackle and boat for night fishing by having limited number of tackle choices and all the spare batteries, lighting, GPS, spot light, cell phone, extra cloths and someone who knows where you plan to fish. Water at night is unforgiving.

If you are not familar with night fishing, start by fishing the marina area and use a texas rigged Berkley Power worm. T-rigged black worms have caught more night bass than all the other lures combined.

I normally promote fishing outside structure areas during the day light period and move with the bass towards the shoreline at night. Target long sloping major points with cover, sandy beaches that are close to rocky areas, islands, dam rip rap and marinas.

Worms at night should have a ribbon or paddletail that produces vibration and rattles in the bullet weight are also a good sound attractor. Use black with either red or blue high flakes as highlights. This is the highest percentage color at night. The T-rigged worm is weedless, snagless and doesn't hang up even when you cast it onto the bank into trees or whatever.

Bass roam the shoreline and stop for short time periods at ambush sites like isolated brush, rocks, trees etc. Smallmouth will be out in deeper breaks, then the largemouths.

If the bass are active, try a deep running DD15 Norman blck/red crank bait or single spin 1/2 oz black spinner bait, Surface lures can be good around weed line breaks at time, but you will need a light to cast accurately. A steady pace is best at night with surface lures to allow the bass to time the strike.

If you are a good jig fisherman, a black 1/2 oz jig works well, however the plastic worm gives more time to get a hook set.

Try a underwater green light set just below the transom to luminate the water around the boat. The underwater light helps to see the bank well and to net hot fish. A clip on hat light is handy to see to tie knots and find stuff. Flash lights are a must.

Keep only one rod and reel outfit on the deck at one time, put everything else away. Keep the few lures you need in one area so you don't need to search for them. Use heavier line than in day light, 15 to 20 lb mono works well.

I did read the lead post and do not agree that deep structure bass are better at night. I'm a deep water structure fisherman and move towards the shallower breaks at night. If you stay outside then fish the major points and islands, that is where the vast majority of big night bass feed, near shore.

WRB

Bob Kavanaugh reply :

I caught my biggest bass at night last year. I live up the hill from Pickwick, so I'll go down and fish from 10 to midnight just for kicks. Here's a pic.

fourbizz reply :

Good read WRB, we night fish much the same way!

Catt reply :

Night fishing areas: I normally fish the same areas fished during the day with one exception; night lighted areas. Lighted docks, lighted boat ramps, a row of camps with lights along the bank or a single camp with a light near the water. I know a killer spot on Toledo Bend where a road parallels the water's edge with several streetlights within 10 yards of the water. These lighted areas are also productive during a new moon and should be fished thoroughly.

Shallow verses deep water: I have not noticed a distinct advantage one way or the other. I will normally fish both areas thoroughly staying with the one that produces the best results. However shallow water does offer a greater opportunity to use different baits.

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