Night Fishing Techniques

Through the years, I have observed a few things about night fishing, and I am curious if others agree with me. When night fishing, it seems water temperatures between 55 and 75 degrees is a range big bass are most active. This range of temperature will ditate at what time of the night to fish. For example, in the spring and fall from dark to midnight may be the best, and in the summer from midnight to 4 a.m. may be the best because the water has time to cool to the acceptable range. I have also observed no matter the moon phase, shaddows are most important. In other words, one should make note of the shaddow paterns upon your favorite fishing spots during any particular moon phase. And if you add the optimal temperature range to the equation, you will most likely be fishing during optimal times big bass become most active. Big bass use shaddows to hide and ambush their prey. Another observaion big bass stay in deeper water suspended in 10 to 25 feet of water over humps, rock piles, and along ledges, especially those that have logs and stumps, and they don't come to the banks unless it is dark, stormy, cloudy and/or windy. In the fall when water temperatures reach 55 to 65 degrees, big bass may become most acitve. Bigger baits that move and vibrate lots of water are best. This may include 10 inch ribbed worms and grubs, wid fat crankbaits and spinnerbaits with lots of vibration...all in darker collors.

Great post. We need to get this back on the first page of the board.

I don't know why, but I'd never really thought about night fishing in terms of water temp before. I knew that 90% of our really good fish in the dead of summer came between say, 2 and 5 a.m., but I never connected that with water temp.

Great post!

you know most of the info that you put up i had noticed over the years the same as you with the exception of one. the deal with the shadows. that was a great piece of information i think. i never put that together. i'm going to green tonight with a friend and with the clear water and somewhat of a moon i believe that piece of information will come in quite handy.

dpage70 - How'd you do on Green? Did you the try the shadows?

green was ROUGH saturday night. i threw the whole boat at them and didnt get a thing. tried every piece of cover and structure we could find and nothing. 1st time this year i've goose egged. talked to a few other people out there and no one getting anything. everything i saw on the fish finder was suppended.

Fished Dale this weekend and my best fishing was from 2 am to 4 am in the shaddows in water temps of 76 degrees. Four fish 4+ at 15 ft on ledges on black and blue jigs with black craws.

Earlier this year on Cumberland it seemed that most if not all fish were being caught between 2am to sunrise including SM, Striper, and Walleye.