the night bite is a good bite
I can tell you from personal experience that big bass feed at night . One of my earliest fishing memories is on the back of my dad ’ s aluminum boat on a summer night . The clear “ tick ” of that 7- pounder biting a black 10-inch Power Worm is as clear today as it was when it happened . I ’ ve been blessed to catch countless big fish since that time . My largest night fish are two 12-pounders . One bit a jig and the other a swimbait . I ’ ve also had the pleasure of netting a 13-pounder and two 14-pounders for friends . It ’ s truly remarkable the size of fish that feed at night .
The first aspect of night fishing you need to understand is that it ’ s easier than fishing in the day . Sure , you can ’ t really see what you ’ re aiming at , and you ’ ll occasionally put a bait in the trees , but once you learn to accept that annoyance , the actual fishing is easier . Bass tend to move shallower at night and they tend to be more aggressive . They ’ re also almost never line shy . You can target them with a big black-and-blue spinnerbait or a big black worm . You can also pitch around the same drop-shot or shaky head you had tied on in the daylight . Those will catch them , too .
Night fishing doesn ’ t require a whole new set of gear , and in most situations , it doesn ’ t even require stocking up on different colors . Most of the misconceptions of night fishing are really just generalizations that have been presented as rules . If you ’ re deep in the South , fishing in muddy water , a Colorado-bladed spinnerbait or a black jig will probably reign supreme . But if you ’ re fishing a clear-water reservoir , you ’ ll find that shaky heads , smaller plastics and even mid-sized crankbaits can be great options . The belief that you have to be throwing dark-colored lures to catch fish at night might be true in some muddywater areas of the country , but it ’ s not true everywhere .
As a general rule , the murkier the water , the more you want to follow the “ traditional ” approach to night fishing . Focus your attention on blacks , blues and junebug . The clearer the water , the more you can mix in traditional daytime colors like green pumpkin . Also , the phase of the moon will have a huge impact on your color selection . I ’ ve found that the brighter the moon , the more success I have with white and chartreuse reaction baits ( spinnerbait , crankbait , swim jig and the like ). The darker the moon , the more I rely on dull , natural colors or dark colors .
Another hard-earned secret is that water color has a huge impact on what part of the month you want to fish . The muddier the water , the more I focus my fishing around the full moon . The clearer the water , the more I find success around the new moon . My theory is that bass hunting at night in muddy water are helped by the moon ( increased visibility makes it easier to catch their prey ) while bass in clear water hunt more effectively in total darkness ( their prey is less likely to see the ambush coming ). Whatever the reason , this correlation between moon phase and water color has played out countless times as we ’ ve fished all over the country .
effectively working the night shift
Light is another major concern at night . This applies to both your lights while fishing and when navigating around the lake . While fishing , it ’ s obvious you need enough light to tie your knots , but how much light is too much ? Do you need to light your boat up with black lights until it looks like a UFO floating on the water ? While some anglers rely heavily on black lights to help them detect bites and to illuminate the shore , my biggest catches have all come in total darkness .
That said , I do recommend wearing a headlamp or cheap clip-on light to help with landing fish and dealing with lures when needed . Just be mindful that a little light goes a long way . Bass are conditioned to boats and the presence of anglers in the daylight but may be more leery of your presence at night . A stray head lamp flashed across the shallows can be all it takes to alert the biggest , wariest bass of your presence .
When you first start navigating the lake at night , it can be very intimidating . I recommend taking small steps in the beginning . Launch close to where you want to fish , turn on your navigation lights and idle to the spots you ’ re interested in fishing . Once you get comfortable in the dark , running on plane will begin to seem feasible . Many anglers rely on a handheld spotlight or light bar to aid in navigation , but I personally prefer to run without the added light . Once your eyes have adjusted to the darkness , seeing obstructions in the water is far easier than you ’ d imagine it to be . My trick for making longer runs is to use lights or skyline features on the opposing shoreline to keep track of my location , and of course I use GPS to ensure I ’ m on course .
As a final thought on the subject , my experience has shown little to no correlation between day fish and night fish behavior – meaning , just because you can ’ t catch fish along a bank in the daytime doesn ’ t mean you won ’ t catch them there at night . Conversely , it ’ s a grave mistake to think that because you can catch them on a certain spot or pattern at night that you should enter a daytime tournament and rely on that same area or pattern to produce . The sooner you learn to keep your day spots and night spots separate in your mind , the sooner you ’ ll be able to build successful patterns without any confusion .
Night fishing is a fun way to beat the heat . It ’ s also an excellent way to catch a monster bass in the summertime , far away from the crowds . It may be a little uncomfortable at first , but before long , you ’ ll be casting into the darkness with confidence and reeling in fish without a second thought . If the boat ramp chaos is more than you can handle , don ’ t hang it up for the summer – just turn to the dark for relief .
JUNE-JULY 2022 | MAJORLEAGUEFISHING . COM 31