Help with Night Fishing

[fishincreek]

No lights of any kind. Find black shale banks where you hear bait moving and toss your favorite bait right ON the bank, then slowly work it back. Most strikes come on the first 3-4 cranks of the reel. Bite can be right after dark, or may not start till 3AM. The more you go, the more you'll get a better handle on those things. Some nights they want topwater, some nights subsurface, some nights a rattle, some nights r/w, some nights chrome. It is easier to fish with confidence once you start hearing fish blow-up, but it doesn't mean they AREN'T there.

[fishincreek]

My first striper trip was nearly a bust. Took my teenaged son and plan to stay the entire night. It was late May and we went mainlake mid-lake area. Fished for bass till dark then threw our arms off till midnight. Not a fish to be had(or heard). Tied up to the bank and we went to sleep. About 2:30 I was awakened by a large Zara Spook that landed at the back of my boat. I asked the guy how things were going and he stated he had just lost one of his biggest fish ever not 50 yards from where were moored. He said the fish (and bait) had come up around 1 and fishing was good. Shaking the cobwebs from my slumber I got things going and landed 4 in the next 30 minutes or so and lost 6 others. By 4AM the lake was again totally quiet and fishing was over. The next night I took a buddy back and he used the Long A bomber that I had used the previous night. He fished the back of the boat and he landed 8, while I only landed 2 using a different bait. We lost another 10-12 fish that night. Fish were "ON" from 1 to 3:30. Believe me, if I can ANYBODY CAN!!!

[apb]

Fishincreek pretty much gave you the low down. I like to keep my boat parrallel to the bank. Make casts parrallel to the bank. Try several lures: red fin, sliver, diving crank, jig. Mix it up until you find what they want. The only light I use is a head lamp. I'll turn it on to tie a line, unhook a fish, etc. The ones with the red bulb will give you plenty of light for that, but want kill your night vision.

Don't dispare. April can be an inconsistant month. Things are usually more consistant by May.

Andrew

[roberte68]

Thanks for the quick answers guys and keep the info coming. I wondered about sleeping in the boat, it is not as easy to stay up all night as it was twenty years ago. Any good sleeping/boat camping tips? And the light thing, I thought you were required to keep an "anchor" light on.