Rick Patrick
reporter3.riverbendnews@gmail.com
While there’s never a really bad time to go fishing, the summer months can provide an opportune time to try your luck at catching the big one at night. Night fishing may seem intimidating, but it can be rather simple and very productive, especially when bass fishing. Well-known angler Jerry Audet and the folks at The Farmer’s Almanac have some good advice for anyone wanting to try their luck at hooking a hog at night.
One advantage to fishing at night is you often have the waters to yourself. Also, because of the warm waters, fish are often sluggish and less skittish and more likely to take your bait. It may be surprising to learn that bass never really stop feeding if the water temperatures are sufficient for their metabolism.
Bass have very good senses that go far beyond their sense of sight. In fact, the nighttime gives them an advantage when looking to ambush prey. Bass rely on their ability to detect vibrations and sounds to pin-point their prey and only rely on sight at the end of the hunt. This makes them excellent nocturnal hunters because they don’t have to see in order to chase down their prey.
Before you put your lure into the water, keep in mind safety is most important. This is especially true if you are in a boat or kayak. Be sure you are outfitted with working running lights on your boat. Have a loud horn or air can in case of an emergency and have a bright light handy in case you need to flash another boater who may not be attentive. Only fish in waters with which you are very familiar in order to avoid getting lost (Save your exploring for the daytime hours). If you’re a little nervous about going out on the water at night, try fishing off a dock or on the shore.
You really don’t need much in terms of special gear when night fishing. A good headlamp is useful, but only use it when you need to change a lure, tie a knot, etc. Try to keep your light from shining directly on the water, as it can spook fish. Using a red headlight can help avoid this, plus it can help preserve your night vision since white lights can be blinding at night.
Some anglers think you need a glowing lure at night so the bass can see it. This just isn’t true and can actually be detrimental since a “glowing” lure can look unnatural. Remember, bass find their prey mainly by sound and vibrations, so color doesn’t matter as much at night. Fish will often see a dark colored lure at night because the contrast with dark water or sky is easier to detect. As a rule of thumb, the deeper in the water you are fishing, the darker your lure should be. On the flip side of that coin, to more shallow you are fishing, the lighter your lure should be, especially on the belly as this more closely simulates nature. If you’re just starting out, using a light colored or even a white lure close to the surface can yield good results. Using a “Hula Popper” can yield some great, fun results. However, chances are good that your favorite daytime lure can give good results in the evening hours as well.
Just remember, you won’t catch many fish with your bait out of the water.