How many of you like night fishing?

[Douglasdzaster]

You, my friend, must have never gone, or at least not when it was good!

I have a place, where you catch nothing in the daytime, but at night, all the stripers are over 30" long, many over 40".

But even on the local lake, a submersible green light brings this:


The problem is not catching, it's keeping the smaller ones from grabbing your bait first.

I fish Lake Somerville here in Texas. I read a blog that said the lights attract everything but Stripers. It said they like feeding in the dark.
Ive been waiting for the opportunity to ask a fellow fisherman. Sounds like you’re catching stripers with the light? Using the big green led lights is new to me. The reason I’m excited is I haven’t been night fishing in a boat in years. Then I didn’t know what a led was. I had a small light that was a little bigger than a flashlight that I’d put in the water. And within about 30 minutes here come the white bass and crappie. Didn’t have stripers in that lake though.

 

[Fishingman48]

Enjoyed going for catfish at night for many years, but at 72 I fish mostly by myself, so going out at night is probably not a good idea. Sure wish I could though....

Don't know where you live, heck I wish i could find someone who would like to go I have everything all the gear two to three guys would need a great boat & bodies of water? well let's just say no problem 1 all the guy's around here??? I don't get it, I live by Trout USA, Roscoe, NY / Delaware & Finger lakes not too far off. Heck even the fishing on Hudson has died down?? Channel cats in Hudson, "Bullheads in lakes," Northern NY I remember going with family at times would fill a wash tub/ no lie between like ten of us fires on shoreline fish until 2,3 AM / Get home & start skinning. Late spring in side pool's of river feeding into one of the big lakes up north the side pools would be black with clouds of ""bullheads & yellow Pearch spawning". One could sit at one hole & catch a stringer full in less than two hrs./& that's with choice pickin size you wanted to keep & throwing back the females // that was some fishin & some really, really good times!!!!! Know how you feel about going alone at 65 i am a bit skiddish when i go as i have handicap walkin so have to watch where i walk but i get out as much as i can boat wise ?? not so much .

 

[thill]

Doug,
In the Chesapeake Bay, around the CBBT, we catch them right under the lights, but the really big ones often prefer to sit just outside the circle of light. You will see them grabbing bait around the edges of the shadows, and you often catch bigger by casting your lure and letting it drift into the shadows.

In the lake. You catch bass, crappie and catfish right under the boat, but the stripers are always out on the edges of the light. Light draws the stripers, but you catch them outside the light or on the edges.

 

[thill]

45" and 47", at night, caught on the dark side. You could catch all the 20-30" fish you wanted directly under the lights. Slower fishing but worth the wait. Nowadays, there are so many boats out there that it's hard to find many big ones. You have to hide from the crowds.

 

[thill]

Of course, sometimes you catch them in the middle of the day. This was my last trip out for striper - 49" caught on a jig and a bass Assassin on a spinning rod, right around noon time. Beautiful fish, released to fight again:




Stripers like to feed at night, especially the big ones, but sometimes they don't follow the rules. Still, I've caught WAY more big fish in the dark than in the light. It's a totally different world.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

45" and 47", at night, caught on the dark side. You could catch all the 20-30" fish you wanted directly under the lights. Slower fishing but worth the wait. Nowadays, there are so many boats out there that it's hard to find many big ones. You have to hide from the crowds.

View attachment 113926

That’s where I take advantage of being retired and go during the week. I’ve yet to see it crowded. It may have boats all over on the weekends though. All in all I don’t think it’s had to much pressure from fishermen. I’m going to find out though.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

Of course, sometimes you catch them in the middle of the day. This was my last trip out for striper - 49" caught on a jig and a bass Assassin on a spinning rod, right around noon time. Beautiful fish, released to fight again:

View attachment 113927


Stripers like to feed at night, especially the big ones, but sometimes they don't follow the rules. Still, I've caught WAY more big fish in the dark than in the light. It's a totally different world.

Man that’s a nice fish! I bet it was a blast landing that one.
Im hoping for a blue cat that I have to hold over my shoulder for it’s picture but that would make me just as happy. Just now thinking if I’m alone most of the time I’m going to have to set up something for taking pictures. Lol
Hope I’m not jinxing myself.

 

[thill]

Depends on where you are fishing. Certain power plants and warm water discharges in the winter are crowded every day. The CBBT can be really crowded at night, especially on the weekends. Like you, I tend to go on weekdays.

Lake Anna, where I live, is crazy on weekends between memorial and labor days. But weekdays aren't too bad. October is a favorite month, as the weather is still pretty good, but the crowds are gone.

 

[thill]

Guys catch some huge catfish around here, especially in the James River. I've never chased them but it looks pretty fun. Catfish are STRONG for their size.

 

[LaqueRatt]

Some of my best fishing memories were with my grandfather and dad fishing at night. Fresh water and salt. Mostly off docks. Night fishing on a bay off the Gulf we never knew what the heck we were going to catch. It was almost magical with the old Coleman blazing. Hoping you didn't catch another dang eel.

Good catfishing at night in the little lake where I live, but my boat is not set up for it. I may have to do something about that.

 

[Crazyboat]

I've gone out a few times over the years, first time as a kid after seeing JAWS. Me my brother and a friends went shark fishing, what a great night, my brother just came along as it gave him a chance to drink kept yelling "CUT THE LINE, CUT THE LINE" every time we hooked up. Didn't matter if it was a shark or a cat fish. I have to admit, pulling in that first shark was intimidating. After that stripper fishing during the fall run and a few other times just to be alone with my thoughts.

 

[ChrisL2700]

I love night fishing.
Maybe not til sun up, but staying out late.
When it's halfway decent, and wimd is calm, I'm either out drifting around with a jig or 3 way, or anchored at the well known Hotspot.
If nothing is hitting, I'll use that time to long line a Fat Rap, or a bottom bouncer with a Lindy Rig, and scout with my graph, marking new structure and terrain.

the only downsides for me.....
I Can't see where I'm casting, and after about 2,3 am, the dew gets so thick, your soaked and uncomfortable.
Then once sunrise gets closer, you regret staying up all night.

I can't say I've done great at night, but if your patient enough, you can get some bigger fish, or get lucky and find a school in shallow water.
Worst case, you know the location better.
It's rare that I stay out all night.

From about 2am til 5am, it usually gets so damp, you have to wear a rain suit, and keep all your gear covered. Honestly, I've never caught much during those hours. Not impossible, just improbable. I use that to sleep, so I'm up at 430, 5am.

Maybe it's different down south, but around Central WI, the overnight bite is rough.
If conditions are right, it's fun, and you can be successful, but that's rare.
Your better off sleeping, so you can enjoy the rest of the day and evening bite.
I enjoy staying up all night, and being on the water in complete silence, but conditions have to be perfect. Plus, I have to force myself to go in and sleep, before hitting the morning bite, or the day becomes a nightmare.

2 more weeks and I'm puta here, 1st trip of the year. Can't wait to pull covers off boat and start preparing, once this rain stops.
Feels like this cold and rain will never end.

Have fun, and please, be courteous to other fisherman and boaters, give them space.
No one person owns the water..
There is more than 1 place to find fish.
They do move around.
Just be happy we can all be out here.
Take care of our waters, and stay safe.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

Depends on where you are fishing. Certain power plants and warm water discharges in the winter are crowded every day. The CBBT can be really crowded at night, especially on the weekends. Like you, I tend to go on weekdays.

Lake Anna, where I live, is crazy on weekends between memorial and labor days. But weekdays aren't too bad. October is a favorite month, as the weather is still pretty good, but the crowds are gone.

I live between 2 power plant lakes. Both pretty close. Both are known for the bass though. Lake Bastrop you’ll catch a lot but seldom bigger than 2-3 lbs. Fayette county is another story and it has catfish as well. But it’s small and full of big bass boats that I found out they get aggravated if I anchor at the end of the jetty at the warm water outlet in January. The boat ramps there are a little steep which I can put in easier. Problem is they stay covered with algae and if there’s been some one ahead of you and the ramp is wet it gets scary and don’t dare back to close to the water or you’re done for. It’s claimed a few trucks. I bought another truck last year that allows me to put it in positive traction and manually taking off in a higher gear so as not to spin. It’s worked great I just haven’t tried it out on Fayette yet. I wasn’t going to buy a 4x4 just for that lake.

 

[Douglasdzaster]

I love night fishing.
Maybe not til sun up, but staying out late.
When it's halfway decent, and wimd is calm, I'm either out drifting around with a jig or 3 way, or anchored at the well known Hotspot.
If nothing is hitting, I'll use that time to long line a Fat Rap, or a bottom bouncer with a Lindy Rig, and scout with my graph, marking new structure and terrain.

the only downsides for me.....
I Can't see where I'm casting, and after about 2,3 am, the dew gets so thick, your soaked and uncomfortable.
Then once sunrise gets closer, you regret staying up all night.

I can't say I've done great at night, but if your patient enough, you can get some bigger fish, or get lucky and find a school in shallow water.
Worst case, you know the location better.
It's rare that I stay out all night.

From about 2am til 5am, it usually gets so damp, you have to wear a rain suit, and keep all your gear covered. Honestly, I've never caught much during those hours. Not impossible, just improbable. I use that to sleep, so I'm up at 430, 5am.

Maybe it's different down south, but around Central WI, the overnight bite is rough.
If conditions are right, it's fun, and you can be successful, but that's rare.
Your better off sleeping, so you can enjoy the rest of the day and evening bite.
I enjoy staying up all night, and being on the water in complete silence, but conditions have to be perfect. Plus, I have to force myself to go in and sleep, before hitting the morning bite, or the day becomes a nightmare.

2 more weeks and I'm puta here, 1st trip of the year. Can't wait to pull covers off boat and start preparing, once this rain stops.
Feels like this cold and rain will never end.

Have fun, and please, be courteous to other fisherman and boaters, give them space.
No one person owns the water..
There is more than 1 place to find fish.
They do move around.
Just be happy we can all be out here.
Take care of our waters, and stay safe.

I enjoyed reading this. Especially your last words. I just finished leaving another reply and one of the lakes I mentioned is bad about people not being courteous towards someone trying to catfish. I can be anchored and they’ll come by close rocking the heck out of me when they had plenty of lake to stay away from me.
Thanks for your post.

 

[thill]

I almost forgot jetty fishing at night at places like IRI in Delaware, Ocean City, MD and at the Ditch in MA. AWESOME places to be! I could start another thread on that subject. StripersOnline forum is where I used to hang out when I did that. Lots of good guys used to be there, and they taught me a lot about night jetty fishing.

 

[teebeej]

Enjoyed going for catfish at night for many years, but at 72 I fish mostly by myself, so going out at night is probably not a good idea. Sure wish I could though....

Soon to be 76. Bass fisherman. In AZ, if you don’t fish at night year-round you are crazy. Aside from summer-fall thunderstorms, not much more risk involved if you use common sense. 99% of my non-tournament angling is solo. The quiet and the fish at night are well worth the bugs — usually. My only DD bass came at 0016 on a hot June night. Stitching a 15” worm on a marina ramp. Could never do that in daylight. I hope I have 4-5 good years left and I plan to enjoy them. But to each his or her own.

 

[jethro]

Through the ice we catch smelt at night and run cusk lines. Open water the only thing I target at night are stripers. In NH we have to stop fishing for trout and salmon 2 hours after sunset.

 

[jojo]

Night fishing is my favorite. Something about being out there in the calm darkness waiting for a flathead to hit. I fish on the Mississippi river. Wisconsin/Minnesota border area.

 

[Ron68]

Same here night fishing is main way I dp it these days.
No muderhornets flying around, very few people to wake me anchored up.
I use 1- 12" green light I built, set it up before sunset and wait.
I usually nap and let time do it's job and bring in the fish.
When I wake I check the bait around the light, not enough for my liking, I just nap some more.
Fishing crappie I fish the shadow lines and dark sides of cover (trees, pylons, etc).
Fishing catfish usually san tee rig on bottom.
The peace I enjoy at night cannot be found in the day by me.
Plus the variety.

 

[Ron68]

Like this suprise Bluecat, 34" 18#