My personal preference for fishing at night is mainly for the peace and tranquility that comes with it. There are no skiers, no wake boarders, no jet skis.
You might see an occasional other boat on the water with you. Less wind is a big plus for Night time fishing. The sounds of the nightime wildlife on the bank make a great
stereo while fishing. The sounds of a freight train in the distance...what's he hauling? Where's he going? The smells of the nightime air usually crisper, cleaner. The mist
that covers the water as the sky reclaims it to passoff in another location. Knowing your home body of water well enough so that you can traverse most of it without lights.
I fish the night, much like I do the day. I've tried the submersible lights in the past and keep a starfire in the boat. I rarely use it. I normally fish Lake Oologah, one of the
best Crappie Lakes here in the State of Oklahoma. In my opinion, Oologah is second only to Eufala. Both are known for a steady supply of above average size Crappie.
I have heard from the Pros, that "if you follow the baitfish, you will find the Crappie". Talala Creek is my favorite launching spot due to it's out of the wind location. Talala
Creek also has a forrest of standing timber, steep drop offs, mud flats, and of course, the Creek itself. I have a few hotspots that I have found to hold Crappie within the
timber, and if there are Crappie in the area, you can bet, there will be a couple come out of each spot. Summer time night fishing in the Talala Creek area has no
advantage of using lights, as the shad are circleing every inch of the nightime water. If you shine a spotlight out over any given area of the Creek, you will see shad jumping
from the light as far as it reaches. What good would a light do in this instance?
Less light allows me to be more sneaky. I prefer a good black light on the side of the boat. I use a clear blue flourescent monofilament for my line.
The black light illuminates the line so well, one can see the slightest
of bites. It's much easier to see the bite under a black light, than the light of day. I also use a flourescent bobber, which will show up at least 25' from my boat. The black
light is not enough to see inside the boat, so I keep an LED flashlight clipped on the brim of my cap to tie, and see around the boat. Some have said that a black light will
not attract bugs, but mine does. But it does keep the majority of them about 4' from me. The less light you have, equals less bugs.
One of my favorite nightime fishing tatics is to fish the shallows up the creeks. I have found that any bright light tends to spook the fish. You can actually see their wake
as they leave the area. A black light allows me to work a creek under stealth conditions. If there is no wind, the only sound there is besides the beaver swatting the water with
his tail, is the sound of the splashing as I pull another slab Crappie from it's spot. I will doodlesock every limb, stump, and twig. I have a couple of spots that are great for
anchoring and just using a minnow, no further than 8" below a bobber. I love it when a 15" or better Crappie takes their sweet time as they decide to dine on my
presentation. These spots are found by the amount of small twigs and branches that have gathered over the years. There might be a particular bank, that is slightly deeper
that is a right of passage for these monster fish to swim by as they work their way into the creek. These are really good spots to drop a couple of anchors and enjoy a peaceful
time. It can also become a non stop job of baiting and catching too. Over the last 35 years of fishing for Crappie, I prefer the night. It's just better for me. So if you want to
truly enjoy a fishing trip, try a night time trip up a Creek. There is not a better time of year to do it either in the South. You folks up North may have to wait a bit yet.