night fishing for bass

[dkprofishn]

dont laugh at me but i see you guys post on here that you fish at night for bass and im having trouble trying to figure out how you do that in the dark? how you see to cast and watch your line if someone could shed some like on this for me i would much appreciate it thanks.

[sglass]

I will try and help out as much as I can. First thing you do is get you a good blacklight. I have a LED moonlight. It has three LED blacklights in it and a white light that I can switch on for flipping in trees or just to see whats on the bank. The light has a suction cup on the bottom and is only as big as my hand. My boat is 19 feet and I only have 1 light because it is a good light. Spool up clear blue flouresent line on your reels and in the blacklight they will glow as big as your pinky but will not glow under the water. As far as the night vision, after fishing in the dark a while your eyes will adjust and with the light of the blacklight, you can pretty much see where you are flipping or casting. A couple pointers is if the water is clear, stay off the bank or the light will spook the bass. Throw dark baits at night like black, purple, reds and blues or a big pumpkin craw will work great. Topwater around flats or grass can be deadly as well. Hope this helps some. If you have any other questions you can shoot me an IM or the others on the board can awnser them. Lots of knowlege on this board.

Shawn

[Fishin is life]

I'm one of the few who doesn't own a blacklight and i fish after dark a few times a week....make sure you are very familiar with the lake and the places you'll be fishing and theres no need for blacklight....i fish completely through feel....i'll usually try to fish deep after dark with darker colored baits....i'll throw 10" worms or a big jig or a short arm spinnerbait....safety is the number one thing if you're gonna be out there after dark because any mistakes will be magnified by the dark

[Embrey]

I'm one of the few who doesn't own a blacklight and i fish after dark a few times a week....make sure you are very familiar with the lake and the places you'll be fishing and theres no need for blacklight....i fish completely through feel....i'll usually try to fish deep after dark with darker colored baits....i'll throw 10" worms or a big jig or a short arm spinnerbait....safety is the number one thing if you're gonna be out there after dark because any mistakes will be magnified by the dark

same thing i do...actually tried a light and i took it back...

[kc]

Amen on the no lights. I think any kind of light or noise in the boat will spook them off - especially those big girls that make it worth ruining your sleep for several days for. Maybe its a matter of experience but I don't have any trouble much at night watching line or having to see everything. First off even on the darkest nights your eyes adjust and you see basic things like rods in the boat. Along those lines one thing I do religiously is keep it simple. I fish no more than 3 or 4 rods at a time and I set them down while not in use in specific spots so when I go to switch I know which to grab. Also instead of investing money in lights invest some money in good sensitive rods. I have a harem of G Loomis rods and it makes all the difference in being able to feel rather than "line watch". I remember years ago my first experience with Loomis rods and feel while night fishing. Fishing with a buddy of mine on a calm, clear night we got in a jig bite. He was using his new MBR784 and was wearing me out as I was using a old Shakespeare low-end graphite rod. He caught 10 to my 1 because I couldn't feel them pick up the jig and missed strike after strike. At one point he switched to a spinnerbait and handed me the rod to try and within a few casts I put one in the boat. You can be darn sure I had an MBR784 myself the next time we were out! Keep it simple - spinners, soft plastics, and jigs are my night lures of choice and you don't need much light. Finally, on a night with moon you especially don't need light...

kc

[dkprofishn]

thanks guys for your info i really enjoy your info its helped mme alot thanks for all.

[slimshad09]

I use a blacklight and I think it helps. Sometimes a bass will just pick up the bait and move it sideways or toward you, with a good blacklight you can see this happen. Another reason is when your netting a crazy summer nightime jumping bass you can see where it is!

[smuckey41]

I feel the same. I used a black light for a long time and had good fishing with it. But the past few years I quit fishing with a black light and my number of fish and size has increased x 10. It takes a little getting used to. But get some good fluorocarbon line and a sensitive rod and you won't go wrong. You need a good flashlight,spotlight. And for baits I like black grape, green pumpkin and black worms and craws. Good luck I hope this helps.

[lroberts]

Try a black buzzbait with a trailer hook...... its unreal the strikes you'll get!!!!!

[alycat]

I've tried it both ways. but with my eyesite not what it used to be I pretty much like the blacklite. I was having trouble findin floresent line without going all the way out to BP. But I found a great night line Trilene Big Cat in 20lb. It doesn't have the sensativity of floro but it shows up well in blacklite and low light situations. But since I was using 1/2oz weights and big 12'' worms and big brushhawgs it didn't seem to matter. I'd say try it both ways and see which one your more comfortable with.

[AndyG]

Im not trying to be disagreeable with those who posted earlier about not using lights, that may be the best route for you. Lights spook fish, I agree. However, I would not go if I didnt have a black light. A light like the berkley light at wal-mart, angled at about 45degree pointing up on the gunnel will light your line well and not shine on the water. I put a layer of blue painter tape over the lens to dim it down. That level of light will not spook the spookiest of fish. I have many pictures to attest to that. If I cant see my line I'll miss fish (over half my jig bites at night are line jumps I can only see, they hit on the drop), and I need to know when an 8lber is going for a tree once Ive got it on.

All you need is a worm/lizard, Jig, and spinnerbait. Swim the jig more than you normally would.

[Owskiwoski]

I use my new Skeet Reese rod and it lights up the whole sky