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Posts: 18
| I'm up in northern wisco and plan on focusing on night fishing this month. The plans to focus on clear water weed beds. Thinking topwater and a black/nickle super girl is all i should need bait wise. Any other must have baits to try in the dark? I have yet to catch a fish in 2 years on rubber so I have zero confidence throwing it. |
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Posts: 490
Location: NW WI | Yeah, safety pin style single or double single hook spinnerbaits. Bucktail ain't working than go to spinner bait, low and slow so your banging around weeds central water column, or as deep as u can go without constantly weed fouling. |
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Posts: 2280
Location: Chisholm, MN | Most baits you like during the day will be fine at night. Just work them slower generally. |
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Posts: 32799
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Be aware that anything that can go wrong in daylight probably will in the dark. Extra caution and really good situational on-demand lighting works to keep things safe. I like flaptail surface baits a lot after dark. |
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Posts: 1194
| This is a great time to be fishing at night, If you have three guys in the boat one guy throws a Bucktail of his choice, one guy throws a Top Water and if I was along I would start with a jointed Depth Raider. Then when and if one lure shines everyone should change to the hot bait type. And a fourth choice would be a weighted Burt. (It makes a good thud at night.) Fish the same spots as day but slow down both your retrieve and boat speed. And fish your best 4 or 5 spots. |
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| In line with what Steve wrote, take the time to make sure the deck is clean, free of tripping hazards etc. Release tools wher you can get to them quickly. Net in a position where it does not impede movement but can be reached easily.
Think about what can go wrong and what you will do if it does. |
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Posts: 1208
Location: E. Tenn | +1 on what Steve and No8 said.. I like black on black spinners/spinnerbaits at night |
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Posts: 49
| Only bait I would add others haven’t said is a mini grenade, slow roll and work the breaks they often move out at night. Other item, I learned the hard way, I was by myself and really didn’t plan or think about taking any pictures in the dark and as you would know it I caught my biggest to date this year a really nice 49.5. Had to quickly figure out how to get a picture and let’s just say I didn’t do a very good job, horrible pic. But oh well. other thing to note is I tape a glow stick on the head of my TM so I can see what direction it pointed. |
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Posts: 2280
Location: Chisholm, MN | OH Muskyman - 8/28/2023 8:33 AM
Only bait I would add others haven’t said is a mini grenade, slow roll and work the breaks they often move out at night. Other item, I learned the hard way, I was by myself and really didn’t plan or think about taking any pictures in the dark and as you would know it I caught my biggest to date this year a really nice 49.5. Had to quickly figure out how to get a picture and let’s just say I didn’t do a very good job, horrible pic. But oh well. other thing to note is I tape a glow stick on the head of my TM so I can see what direction it pointed.
iPhone on video mode on a tripod. Turn the flash on and it lights it up perfectly. Maybe not the best photos but they’re pretty good and better than nothing. |
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Posts: 267
| I also like a straight bouyant crankbait that you can bump weeds with. Something like a Depth Raider. I've painted a phosphorescent splotch on the top so I can see it coming in. A medium heavy single Rad Dog works also for bumping weeds. I've also caught muskies on a black bucktail with a smaller higher frequency blade (7 Indiana or Mepps muskie killer type blades). |
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| Something I did a few years ago was to put glow in the dark tape, cut in arrow shape on the trolling motor so I knew where it was pointed and put the same on the foot pedal. Just have to recharge with a small black light flashlight from time to time. Can also use that to recharge glow bead on your line. |
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Posts: 1194
| Take a friend, someone from your old Muskie Club feel out of the boat fishing Walleye's and drown. I do have a piece of glow tape on a Depth Rider and I put a glow bead above my leader (I don't care if it loses if glow) I can feel my lure coming but in case screw up I don't damage my tip top. |
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Posts: 105
| I like a big black spinnerbait at night time. |
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Posts: 490
Location: NW WI | chuckski - 8/29/2023 11:31 AM
Take a friend, someone from your old Muskie Club feel out of the boat fishing Walleye's and drown.
What!!!?  oh my, LMFAO.
Okay Okay, but before you do that, spend a few nights with your partner practicing screaming for help on the lake at night. That way you'll both be prepared when in the event you actually need to. When and if help does actually come, just explain to them your just practicing. I'm sure they'll understand  :).
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Posts: 3782
| Keep your release tools, especially the Knipex mini bolt cutter, within reach of one single hand. Deal is, if you get hooked and are sharing your lure with a fish, you only have the other hand to cut the fish off.
Wear a high-quality headlamp. Better yet, buy a LL Bean cap with lights, white and green. Also hang a Minimag light on a light rope around your neck. Get one of those plastic deals where you shove one end onto the butt of the light and the other end is for you to hold it in your teeth.
Put some black electric tape on half of your rear navigation light, the half that blinds you while you're casting and going into figure 8s and netting your fish.
Have a powerful Q-beam light hooked up and ready for any emergency. Again, one hand access. On a dead flat night, you'll have a ball shining the water near shore, you'll be amazed at everything you see, and you'll adjust your strategy accordingly.
Have a small digital camera with a timer feature ready for pics of your fish. Know how to set it up on the front seat (or wherever) and figure out how you'll press the button, grab the fish from the boatside net, hold the fish for the shot, then release the fish. This requires that you know how to keep your unhooked fish in the water in the net at boatside.
Bring a compass. Always know where you are in relation to the landing. If things go dark with your electronics, and weather prevents you from seeing the shoreline, you'll need to be able to head toward the landing, and once close, bounce your way along the shore until you find the landing. Be aware that sometimes the mist/fog/snow will prevent you from seeing 5' past the front of your boat. Times like that, well, be VERY patient. You may be lost 20 yards from the landing. Don't panic, don't run, stay chill and don't take any chances. Wind direction is not reliable, but the compass is always true. Don't be a brave hero either - it's just fine to beach or tie up your boat until it's once again safe.
there's some ideas |
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Posts: 18
| All good safety advice. Ive got 1000s of hours in the boat at night. Just haven't tried for a muskie yet. One of these days I'll discover what this "friend" is everyone mentions. ?? |
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Posts: 576
Location: Sheboygan Falls, WI | The Bomb by Figure 8 Lures in Blackout. |
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Posts: 536
Location: deephaven mn | tape over the lights on your trolling motor. the green power on button and the green power on on your foot pedal
any other power on lights on your bow. it will help your eyes adjustto the dark |
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Posts: 1194
| Put a white sock over your nav. light and Q beam or Mag light to alert any boat that may not see you. |
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Posts: 3782
| Never mind the glow bead deal. Tie your own leaders and put a small, heavy duty split ring on the swivel. Tie you line to the swivel. As you begin to go into your 8 drop the rod tip into the water and reel up the last 2' till it hits the top eye. With some practice you won't need to watch anything, you'll know by feel when to go into the boatside 8. The split ring will prevent the swivel from passing thru the top eye. (A swivel thru the top eye is bad for 3 reasons...first, downtime getting it back out in the dark; second, a big boatside fish will break your rod because your drag is useless under the tension and the swivel will lock up at the eye; third, casting a lure with the swivel inside will blow out the top eye and cause a huge backlash.)
Lure-wise, I suggest a black Topraider for surface, an all-black Hirsches Original Ghost Tail bucktail for the 3' below the surface, a black/silver Raddawg spinnerbait for 3' to 8' down and a firetiger jointed Depth Raider (or black/orange Tripple D) for 8' to 15' down. If the surface is clear of weeds/debris, and you can troll, try the triple D, or, and believe me on this, a Suick.
The trip with the Suick is that they troll great, no #*#*. When tuned. Just sweep the rod tip forward, stall with a tight line so the lure rises a foot, then sweep forward again. Don't sweep forward more than perpendicular to boatside because you need to be able to set the hook on a strike.
Trolling at night - IMHO muskies are not spooked a bit by a boat motor. Instead, big muskies know that the boat motor dazes baitfish, making them an easy meal. Same reason why Redtail Hawks hunt highways.
There's some more ideas for you.
Edited by Ranger 9/1/2023 7:00 PM
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Posts: 18
| Well I can say this much -owner glow beads are pretty #*^@ useless. Even with a UV light charge they stop glowing in a 5 casts.
Chuckski - I might have to try a modded sock idea, the rear light could definitely be toned down. Legality aside, it seems foolish to cover it up completely. The dnr would of had a field day with all the boats I've seen the last few nights keeping their lights off on the minocqua chain, makes it pretty easy to tell who is out keeping walleyes
Edited by BustedTip 9/3/2023 10:01 AM
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Posts: 1194
| If we keep our lights off we can get a ticket or ran over, also sucks if you are headed to a Reef and when you get closer to it and there's a boat working it without it's lights on. (gas is not cheap) And yes as a young man paddling a Canoe across the Lake at night coming and going from the Resort Bar. Looking back not smart. |
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Location: MN | If you know where the deep sand grass is in deep water and basins I’d cast that. Those weeds are better than the shallow weeds on them northern wisco clear lakes. Not super easy to find though. Big heavy blades rolled slow then do your dance at the boat. A dim red head lamp helps you on the 8 and the fish don’t mind it at all. |
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Posts: 3518
Location: north central wisconsin | I fish after dark all over midwest/Canada. Much great advice given. Lure style/color/size choices are endless in terms of what will work and/or be preferred on given waterbody to the tune of nothing surprises me anymore. Remember that it takes time for night fish to setup.
One thing I suggest, and why I'm posting, please have your nav lights on when other boats are around. Pulling up to spots after multi mile run, only for angler at spot to flash their lights when I'm 75 yards out, is disrespectful at best, but unsafe and unlawful. I understand lights are a pain, and we all want to be sneaky, but please give other anglers/boaters a bit more notice than seems common practice.
Edited by Reef Hawg 9/11/2023 3:29 PM
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| X2 on the nav lights. Have had a couple close calls when headed for a channel and suddenly someone turns on their lights. Another time I was sitting outside, enjoying the Brewers on radio at night. Heard a boat working the shore in front of our place, no lights. Then our neighbors came across the lake, returning from another lake in the chain at full speed. The guy fishing must have had an issue getting his light on because he did it seconds before there would have been a collision. Neighbor cranked the wheel hard, turned back onto the lake, waiting for fisherman to clear his dock. Neighbor had done nothing wrong but got a heck of a scare. Talked to him a couple days later and he said he had no clue someone was there. |
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Posts: 490
Location: NW WI | I get the Nav light deal. What I don't get is why are operators not using spotlights to navigate. |
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Posts: 32799
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | The only place a spotlight works well is all the way forward on the bow or the interior reflects back all over the place which is blinding. High-powered lights are bad, they blind everyone else. I have an LED 'docking light' on the bow that gets out 100 feet or so but is not blinding and is tight to the bow, not elevated. Works great! |
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Posts: 166
| Do most guys think fish slide shallower or deeper once dark hits? Or is this really dependent on food source? |
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Posts: 1971
| I personally think it more about they go where they are comfortable at night vs "going to where the food source is", so sometimes they stay pretty much right where they where during the day, but they definately also will go shallower or deeper too (time of year, weather, etc)... often they move out of weedbeds and roam suspended off the edge more at night...and if they have slipped up ultra shallow on rocks during the day...they tend to slide off the edge of those too in my experience... on the other hand open water roamer can become accessible on shallow mid'lake humps too...so do they go shallower or deeper...well yes, ha! .. to the original poster, throw your super model! ...a lot
Edited by IAJustin 9/12/2023 4:10 PM
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Posts: 490
Location: NW WI | sworrall - 9/11/2023 9:07 PM
The only place a spotlight works well is all the way forward on the bow or the interior reflects back all over the place which is blinding. High-powered lights are bad, they blind everyone else. I have an LED 'docking light' on the bow that gets out 100 feet or so but is not blinding and is tight to the bow, not elevated. Works great!
I'm not saying you beam the whole time, and you don't need anything powerful, alot of modern flashlights are plenty bright. I just take my cheap rechargeable 600 Lumen Black n Decker spotlight, stand up, scan the area I'm headed, shut it off and proceed. Repeat as necessary. I hit floating debris, or somebody not running navs, I still hit it, damage is done, can play whoes fault is it later. I'm not interested in that risk.
I don't know any waterfowlers that aren't blasting lights in the morning for theirs and everyone else's safety.
If I operate a motorized vehicle at night with its lights off, and hit a person because they themselves aren't illuminated, I'm still at fault.
You got a dock light which is plenty bright it sounds like Steve. I guess what I'm prying at is the guys that blindly haul butt at night, assuming navigating with GPS or memory and what they can see of silhouetted land. If they smoke a floating log that wasnt there earlier im sure we're all in agreeance it's their own fault. But if they smoke another craft that doesn't have its nav lights on for whatever reason, it's the other crafts fault? I don't understand, because forward illumination would've told em they were there. Way I see it, both are at fault.
I guess I don't see where this line is getting blurred at. |
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