How To Fish At Night?

Let me tell you I have spent a lot of nights out there fishing and it was truly a fun and wholesome experience. Also, at night fishing is on another level due to the solitude and quiet. However, as peaceful as it sounds the night comes with its dangers too. So how to fish at night in the right way?

If you do it the right way I personally prefer to go fishing at night. Fishing is at its best when dark out there because of low competition, your bait stands out and attracts the fish more efficiently.

When it comes to night fishing, what’s most important is to keep yourself focused and organized. When it’s pitch black dark out there, you can hardly see your own body, thereby you must be able to reach your safety kit and equipment quickly. You must be sitting on a chair or you can also stand in on spot, keep your headlight on, and in your boat try to take less but useful equipment only.

Fishing at night can be your next memorable fishing experience or it can turn into a total disaster as well if not done right. Being proactive and being prepared for any type of accident beforehand really help you to stay focused and organized while fishing.

How To Fish At Night?

Definitely, the trick lies here, that it is easy to fish at night at a place where you have fished before in the day. Why? The answer is obvious, it would be easier for you to locate and navigate at night if you already know the place.
As you are already aware of the venue and fishing spots there your chances of catching fish in low competition increase. It is important to know the place beforehand to get the fishing done in a proper manner.

You should always dig about “Are there any rocks at the bottom?” How deep is this place? Can there be any big vegetation in the river or lake which can hinder me? Because all such things are not in your vision during the night. I would never suggest you go fishing at night at such a place, where you’ve never been before.

Having the knowledge beforehand, you can familiarize yourself with the environment and venue. There are low to zero chances for you to trip over if there are any branches, stones, or roots.

Equipment and Gear:

Coming to the gear and tackle, on a night fishing voyage, you also carry the same gear and equipment as you do on a normal fishing trip. However, you may need to tone your equipment down a bit. To do this analyze what things you won’t need anymore like carrying an extra rod, a heavy carryall bag, other small boxes and hooks, shots, and sinkers. These all things are a pain when it comes to tackling them at night, and no one wants to go through all that in the dark.

Following is the list of equipment you must take with you on your night fishing journey:

1. Headlamp
2. Some thermals and warm clothes because it’s chilly at night.
3. Use bright and glowy-colored lures especially when you are spin fishing.
4. If you are using a bobber/float or a feeder road you must bring a glow stick or glowy isotopes.
5. Landing net
6. Food to have some at night
7. Camera or cell phone with features of night mode and flash or else you and your captured fish will be all dark in the photos.
8. A first aid kit
9. Some hot beverages must be packed in a thermos like coffee or tea.

How To Fish At Night With Light?

I have been fishing using underwater LED lights for years and now I have reached a conclusion that there are some obvious tips and tricks that help you to gain more success. I have acknowledged all types of people using light and throwing and pulling them repeatedly from the water as well as those people who use ten times bigger lures than the baits that swim around the light. Below I am going to mention my learned tips and tricks that will help you to make your LED fishing journey more successful:

1- Be patient: The chain reaction is going to take some time. Creatures like phytoplankton and other small baits will appear quickly around the light. However other fish that prey on these bait fishes may take some time to appear at the scene. If your light is placed in an area of minimal current you will observe that bait will swim around the light in a gorgeous circle.

That’s when your best nighttime fishing begins. As there is so much happening around the light, the predator fishes won’t hold too long and they will follow either the baitfish or the light itself.

2- Fishing on outer edges always produces more bites. Remember fishes are more active in the areas where there is no light aka shadows of light. Predator fishes always tend to take a peek from the outside of the light circle and dart in for an easy meal. Taking your bait too close to the light will spook several species of fish so make sure to maintain a casting distance.

Casting into the light and then retrieving your pole out from the shadows will make your lure or bait very attractive to the predator fishes.

3- Matching with the bait size and color will definitely produce more bites and strikes. The general rule states that the smaller the bait the better it will be. When you are night fishing with the lights your main goal should be “matching the hatch.” If you know what type of bait fishes are lurking around, their color, size, and shape, you will easily know what bait to go for. When you match your artificial bait with the live bait you can actually have the chance to fool the predator fish.

How To Fish For Walleye At Night?

At night walleye travel in shallow waters so you can easily fish for them near the shore, off a bank, or can cast or troll from the boat. According to some expert fishermen, night fishing for walleye is best when you do it from narrow entrances to harbors and bays. Also read What Attracts Fish The Most?

That’s where the hot fishing spots are. At night live bait is your best option to go for. Using a thick minnow plug or shallow-diver crankbait will increase your chances of catching fish.

While you are casting, use a slow retrieve, and before casting scope out the water. One can spot walleye in shallow waters because of their glowy reflective eyes at the night.

Fishing for walleye at night requires preparation and for that, you must know where to find minnows during the day. Because where minnows are in the day, the walleye would be there at the night. Also, walleyes are creatures of habit, they stick to their feeding schedules so if you figure out theirs in a specific water body you can easily strike every time.

While fishing at night do not go deeper than 15 feet because you will not find walleye there, ideally you should begin at dusk to figure out your trolling patterns because you can clearly see at that time. Also, remember that walleyes feed in the upward direction so you should not throw your lures deeper than 3 feet or one meter.

Is It Hard To Fish At Night?

At the night it is obvious that you are going to have vision issues and you may miss some chances. But it only happens when you do not prepare for it. To increase your chances of catching fish at the night you should react faster instead of watching what’s there.

For that purpose, you must switch to sensitive rods and lines that notify you about even a small nibble in the water which you may miss otherwise because of the dark. At the night, you cannot even see your line, which adds to the hardness while fishing at night.

What Is The Best Bait To Fish With At Night?

Most of the people go night fishing to beat the heat which makes it impossible to fish during the day and also due to less competition. However, you have to use the right bait accordingly in order to make this a success. Following are the baits you should use at night time fishing:

1- Buzzbaits: Boats from the topwater are always the ideal choice for baits at nighttime fishing. Frogs, poppers, spooks, and prop baits anything that creates a ripple will work. But buzzbaits come on the top when it comes to the bait of the nighttime. As most of the fishes can’t see well at night like bass, they rely on their hunting sense to feed themselves. So, a loud, clicking and noisy buzzbait will easily catch the attention. A bait with double buzz is even better.

2- Sim jigs (Bladed): Bladed jigs and chatterBaits also create a lot of vibration which also makes them a nice bait choice for night fishing. The blade present in the front of the jig creates a lot of disturbance in the water and provides bass with something to bite on and attack too.

3- Jigs: As bass do in the daytime they also change their strike zone at the night. Some of the time you will find them at the bottom, and for the bottom, there is no bait better than the big chunky jig. Anything that makes a prominent disruption in the bottom, will catch the attention. Therefore you should look for a jig with a good built-in rattle.

Is It Better To Fish At Night?

Yes! It’s better to fish at night for so many reasons and it is more likely that you will catch big fish during the night. Night Time fishing hours can be some of the most productive hours, especially in summers. Because most of the big predator fish hunt at night and there are also low fishermen and anglers during the night time so there will be more chances that fish will bite your bait due to low competition.

How Can I Attract Fish At Night?

One can attract fish at night using several things like colorful and glowy baits and using LED lights. This will cause a chain reaction to begin in which creatures will be drawn toward light. First the algae, and zooplankton then the baitfish will come to eat them and follow them to the bigger predator fishes. Using glowy isotopes and colored baits will draw fish’s attention more quickly in the dark. Similarly, for species that have poor vision like bass one can use baits with an extra built-in rattle.

Conclusion

Fishing at night is productive and fun and is a whole experience on its own. However, it also has some dangers associated with it if not done right. Therefore, one must go for the right equipment, strategies, and venue to begin night fishing. In this article, I have tried to color several aspects regarding night fishing. Hoping that I have answered all your ambiguities, you can now be sure about your night fishing.