Night Fishing

[ChrisCarter]

I've decided to give a try. Though most state recreation areas around here are closed after 10, i don't know what the enforcement is like. Plus there are a few locations that don't have a curfew posted.

In anycase, my questions are what colors or types of bait should i use for night time bass fishing? Should i use cranks, jigs, or poppers? What kind of colors should i use since it is night time?

[CrappiePappy]

Chris ... first & foremost - find out what the regulations are, and follow them !!

As far as bait color : I've used MANY different colors that worked at night. Plastic worms & craws in blues, greens, browns, black, etc. Also used crankbaits in red, green/white, brown/orange, etc.
Never was much of a jig fisherman (for Bass), nor have I used poppers/topwater baits or spinnerbaits to any degree (at night).

Standard train of thought is to use dark colors during the night hours, so the fish can see it contrast against the sky (cranks) and against the backdrop of the bottom (plastics). My last few night Bass fishing trips ... I've been successful using 4" plastic craws ... fished on bottom, Texas rigged w/rattle insert, with short hops between slow drags, in the first 5-15ft of water depth off the shoreline. If I'm catching nothing but slicks (<12" fish), and/or the water level has fallen some in the last couple of days, or is still slowly falling .... I've had success by casting deep diving crankbaits parallel to the bank, straight in front of the boat, while staying out in the 15ft depth range. Bass can detect falling water levels, and suspend out away from the bank when it's falling ... feeding on Shad or sunfish that venture out away from the shoreline. When they're on bottom/against the bank, generally they're looking for crawfish or small sunfish around the cover present ... so Texas rigged plastics &/or jigs will imitate those better.
I always use a 12v UV "blacklight", and a fluorescent line for night fishing. (12# test for cranks - 17# test for plastics) If there's much of a Moon up, I'll fish the shaded banks first ... but, have no qualms about moving over to a Moonlit bank, if I have little to no success on the dark ones.

If I were giving it a try "for the first time" ... I'd use whatever "bait" I was most familiar with using during the day. I'd also try & take or go along with someone that was familiar with fishing at night. And, if they suggested using some bait or technique that I wasn't too familiar with ... I'd try & imitate them, & follow their directions.

You'll quickly realize the importance of a clear floorspace, at night ... & taking your time getting yourself re-rigged, repositioned, and in a comfortable groove. A cluttered boat/floor is just a nuisance during the day, but a nightmare during the night ... which could result in broken equipment, getting a hook stuck in you, or taking a spill into the boat or water. Keep your PFD on !!

... cp

[ChrisCarter]

Thanks for the info, crappiepappy.

But my first task is finding a spot that i can night fish at without getting into trouble.

[G.Gordon]

I use black plastics. Lizards or Brush hogs, hook only, no weight. Cast close to the bank, let it sit for at least 15 seconds, then tap it two or three times, real in slack, tap again, reel a bit, tap again. Most of my bites are between the tap periods.

[Bronson]

A dark worm with as light a weight as you can get away with. A black spinnerbait w/#4 or 5 Colorado blades where you can really feel the thump, thump, thump as the baldes turn can be a real good one. One of my all time favorites, especially in shallow water is a black Jitterbug. Cast it out and reel it steadily back to the boat. It will make a bloop, bloop, bloop sound as it's coming in. Used to get a lot of strikes and caught some real good fish on it. Make sure to replace the hooks that come with it w/Gamakatzu's. Have another rod rigged w/a black worm to throw back at fish that hit and miss. A bass will sometimes hit at it a few times before she finally takes it. FUN!