Night Fishing

[Langer]

What are some lures to try for fishing after dark?  Lets say it was a tournament and the weigh in was in the morning, how would you approach the situation, where on the lake would you start?  As the time went on into the morning where would you move to and which lures would you use?  Just trying to get some different techniques for night fishing.   I have always been told a black spinnerbait is where its at, but what else works.
Thanks and Tight Lines
Brian

[Cheetam]

Big baits that give off a lot of vibration/feel.  Big spinnerbaits, 8-12 inch worms and/or a Black Jitterbug fished sloooowwwww....gurgle...gurgle...gurgle...SPLOOOSSHHHH!!!

[Duke]

Exactly what he said. The biggest thing I've found when night fishing is to fish THOROUGHLY. If you know fish are in that area: slow down! Don't leave that area until you've caught them all. Remember, those fish can see better than us, but its still harder to see at night than during the day. I prefer the spinnerbait, but I retrieve it only fast enough to tick the weeds. Topwaters can be great and so can large plastics. I suggest putting rattles in the soft plastics.

Good luck and let us know how you do.

Duke

[canvsbk]

Big baits that give off a lot of vibration/feel.? Big spinnerbaits, 8-12 inch worms and/or a Black Jitterbug fished sloooowwwww....gurgle...gurgle...gurgle...SPLOOOSSHHHH!!!

I really like the SPLOOOSSHHHH!!!!! part........

[McCarter]

Big Black Rattlin Jig with a Big Black Zoom Super Chunk.

If you dont have any of those, try to find the old BUDWEISER talking frog.  You know the one im talking about, it takes a small watch battery and when the sensor gets wet it says BUD----Weis---ERRRRR!  Just cast it out and let it sit.  And listen for the big splash.  We used to do well on those 'back in the day' on Duck Lake in Highland.  The only downside is the battery only lasts for about 10 minutes so bring extra.

Or just use hot dogs.  Im talking whole hot dogs.  walk it like a Zara Spook.  I have never actually tried this, but it sounds like it would work.  Let me know.

Big Black worms, jigs, suspending jerkbaits, topwaters, spinnerbaits. 

I seem to always catch a few on Kent Lake after dark throwing a green pumpkin hula grub on a football head.  I dont know what it is about that thing but it really turns them on after dark.

Good Luck!  Dont forget the hot dogs!

PB himself

[canvsbk]

 Do you recomend the bun size or those fat ball park franks? 6/0 EWG worm hook? Flippin stick?
We need the specifics here man!

[Langer]

Oscar Myer or Ball Park......

[bosshawg]

nothing beats a zara-spook afterr dark.....

[BassinGT]

Ok but let me ask this....

What kind of extra gear do you need to fish at night for bass. Obviously some sort of lighting, big lanterns?? Do you really need the blacklights?

There are some friday night tourneys that go from 8pm to 1am. It sounds like a blast but I don't know what else to bring other than what I have.

Thanks!
-Gary

[smbassman]

LED headlamp!  They are plenty bright enough but not blinding, last a long time and keep the light where you need it.  Not much else required other than skeeter spray.

[fishon1219]

The only time you will really need light is to retie your line or to take the fish off of the hook. Your eyes will adjust well to the darkness and you will actually be able to see a little bit. I used to fish at night a lot when I was younger and I remeber never really needing any light for anything other than those things listed. The worst thing that I can remember about night fishing was when the dew started to set in and everything would get soaked. You might want to bring extra clothes to put on after the dew sets.

[Langer]

I posted the results of my night Tourney in the Fishing Report forum, but just wanted to say thanks to you all for the advice.  The jitterbug is a fun bait to fish with, too bad I could keep the darn rock bass off of it. I only caught two keepers but it was enough to get 8th place. 

BassinGT
I used a headlamp, that worked very well.  I noticed on my uncles boat as he was pulling it out of the water that he had a "As seen on TV" Tap light on both the back and front decks, he says they work pretty good for seeing down by the deck, and there easy to turn on and off with your foot.  The only other gear I wish I would of brought was more clothes, it got cold and very damp.