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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI | Does anyone fish at night on purpose? I don't mean getting out before light or staying well into the dark but going out after dark and fishing all night (or at least until you fall asleep in the boat  ).
With our brand new baby at home I might lose a few fishing trips this year, all dayers anyway. I was thinking I mighr be able to pull off a few late nighters tho. Will it be all topwater action? Traps and other noisy subsurface lures should work right? Bucktails with lots of thump? How about trolling? Anybody have any good action trolling at night?
Thanks in advance. ~dave |
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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | Believe it or not I throw very little topwater after complete darkness. I tend to throw more bucktails and crankbaits. The bulk of my night action comes on Mepps Magnums, but will also be curious to see how the new Marabou's, especially the colorado blade, will perform after dark.
I tend to not start after dark, because that last hour of light is my absolute favorite time on the water. I do stay well into the night if time and conditions dictate it. The best thing about fishing at night is you will otherwise busy water all to yourself. That means all the eaters are yours!! |
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Posts: 40
Location: Maryland | By all means fish purposefully at night especially on pressured lakes. Like all Muskie fishing it can be a feast or famine thing. I know people who do quite well on moonlite nights and others on different lakes who will tell you dark of moon is best. You just have to take your chances. fish the same places. I too tend to stay away from topwaters. They are hard enough for the fish to hit with light. A spinnerbait with a magnum blade has proven the best for me at night |
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Posts: 2691
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin | Lobi,
I fish alot after dark.
Casting and trolling with very good sucess.
My best bite casting is when the water starts to cool, full moon Sept. is the best in my area.
Trolling shines late July to the end of August.
Mepps bucktails, Sankey Tails, top water and cranks are all good for casting.
Trolling I like Believers, jointed and some straight. Depth Raisers work great also.
Don't miss out on this, you will have the lake almost to your self.
Lots of quality fish come after dark.
Don't get caught up thinking top water is after dark baits.
I agree with Norm 100% with his bait selections.
Fish like it was light out but use darker colors.
I like black, red and orange after dark.
Just do it !!! |
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Posts: 354
| I promised a buddy I wouldn't mention the lake but there is a hot lake in the musky world
right now which is well known for its daytime "sunners." My buddy fished this lake last year
and saw a lot of these big fish during the day laying on top of bars in the sun or they would lazily follow baits. After about four days into his week long trip he decided to pull an all nighter. He didn't go out to the hour before dark and fished through the night. They did this two nights straight and caught 11 fish. I'd tell you the lake that this hot night bite is on but
he'd kill me so.......
I have also gone out a couple hours before dark with the sole purpose of fishing late in to
the evening. This past September I was on a 3 day trip to Boulder Junction when I pulled
in the motel at 11:45 PM. There was a couple of guys that had just arrived in town from Illinois who were heading out to a clear water lake for a night of fishing. I wouldn't call this
strategy common but it isn't rare or unheard of either.
Bill C. aka the greenduck |
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Posts: 3242
Location: Racine, Wi | Night fishing definitely rocks!!!! Go for it Lobi! You may find a new passion as far as musky fishing goes.
I had met Mike on the water several times this past summer, and the fishing can be great. The nice thing is that no one is out there for the most part.
Mike hit it on the head above so I won't repeat what he said.
One thing I might add though is that if you are casting, make sure to bring an extra pair of shorts for the boatside hits.
It can be enlightening. lol
Give it a shot. Use high vibration lures, and follow your normal seasonal patterns, ie trolling or casting.
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Posts: 91
Location: Wausau | Do you run a glow dot or anything to mark the top of the leader to help follow the bait in the water so you don't run the leader up into the rod tip? If so what is the best thing to use?
Thanks |
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Location: Illinois-Indiana | I've never tried the glow beads but I do put a big bead on before my leader so the bead hits the rod tip first and prevents rod tip damage.
Favorite baits after dark are big bucktails with plenty of thump and big cranks with rattles. |
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Posts: 158
Location: Eagan, MN | Here in the Twin Cities night fishing at the right times on the right waters is the best thing going. High water temps, clear water, lots of boating activity and heavy muskie fishing pressure, preferably all of the above, tell me it's time to start night fishing. I'm usually launching as everyone else is coming in. I hang in there as long as I can because I know the conditions are right, and a good six hour stint will usually be rewarded with a nice fish. Hot, muggy, cloudy nights are usually best for me. As far as baits go, just give them something that hooks well, nice big profile and plenty of vibration. I like jointed believers and marv's hairy bugs. Bug spray, headlamp and plenty of caffeine are a must. Have your boat organized before you start fishing. Lot's of times I stay out until sunrise -- there's something magic about mornings in these conditions.
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Posts: 1769
Location: Algonquin, ILL | On Heavy Preassure lakes Night time is the only way to go, No Skiers, No Jet Skis, No Sunburn and many times the biggest fish in the pond are active also a huge bonus Walleye are active as well.
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Posts: 26
Location: St Cloud, MN and Madison, WI | When the warm weather comes around its the only way to go. Plus in the summer when I am off for summer breaks I work 2nd shift so I fish from midnight-4am a lot. |
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Posts: 3913
| Do it all the time, ESPECIALLY on pressured lakes. I love night fishing! Couple comments..
* if fishing lonesome, wear your lifejacket. A must on rivers, and a good idea everywhere else. I recently bought a canoe/kayak paddles' jacket because it is so light and provides such freedom of movement. If the water is cold, wear layers of wool as you'll stay a bit warmer if you take the plunge.
* have everything set and organized in your boat. No lures laying out, nothing to trip over, lights ready to flip on with one hand. Have the net ready to grab with one hand. Plan to net the fish on the lighted side of the boat, if possible. Have hook removal tools ready, all mine hang next to the switch panle in round holders. Lindy gloves are there, too, under a small bungie. Minibolts are lightly velcoed where I can reach down and rip the out for use in an emergency. Camera is ready for the pic, but TURN OFF THE BOAT LIGHTS!!! just befor you take the pic, or you'll screw up the flash.
* know where you are on the lake and CARRY A COMPASS!! When you get caught in fog or soft drizzle, you can't see #*#* out past 20'.
* have a Q-Beam in the boat so if you get turned around you can just light up the lakeshore to get your bearings back.
* my favorite night bait is a big, honkin' heavy skirted spinner bait, with big silver colordo blades and a slow roll a few feet below the surface. DARK colors, black is best.
gotta go.....
be careful at night! |
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Posts: 4520
Location: Chippewa Falls Wisconsin | When I lived south and fished Pewaukee for 12 years...I loved to fish at night. Sept thru early Oct I put the boat in after dark and fished until midnight. I caught most of my larger fish then. I used nothing but the same baits Koepp said....of coarse he was in the boat with me sometimes. The blue fox super vibex in nickel and black was a favorite as well as the local hard to get custom nightfishing sankey tail. The muskies you catch at night are in MINT condition and have no net marks. They must be very inactive fish during the day..thats my opinion.
When I moved up here, I found it worked here just as good!.
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Posts: 1996
Location: Pelican Lake/Three Lakes Chain | Instead of a glow bead in front of the leader, I have used the body of a glow twister tail in front. The glow allows you to pick up your bait before you run it into the eye and the twister body also offers a bit of cushion if you run your leader to far up. |
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Posts: 1046
| Just tie a slip-knot(bobber-type) 6" above your leader and everytime you feel the bump, start your figure 8! Works extremely well and you never ram the tip! Myself, I feel the bump better then trying to watch for the glow stuff. Just another way! |
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| I use fluorocarbon leaders for almost all my fishing. Not so much for the sight factor but for the improved action of baits from cranks to jerks and bucktails. I learned from Rob Manthei to tie a leader about 7 feet long with double uni knots. When reeling in you will hear the click , click of the knots going through the guides and you start your figure eight when you hear 4-5 clicks. You can't reel the snap or split ring into the eye of your rod because the double uni knot won't fit through the level wind.
9 days til the opener in Southern WI.
Good luck |
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Posts: 96
Location: Eden Prairie, Mn. |
Yes - the nite bite can be the most enjoyable time on the water, quiet, all alone basically and easy. It forces one to be
deliberate and keep things simple. Careful casts and attention to retrieves - esp. topwaters !! Slow boat movements
on structure and from spot to spot. And the best boat beer of the day, idling back to camp post fish & photo shoot !!!!
I will fish twilight with a topwater and as darkness closes I switch to cranks (jointed) or big thumping colorado bladed hair.
Fish prime pressured daytime spots. I like exposed rock/humps adjacent to deep water (big drop-offs)
Hi-traffic areas that have good structure but, are impossible to fish in daylight. |
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Posts: 75
Location: ft wayne, IN | Yup!! The big mamas are out and chompin'! Prob THE BEST time on most lakes from Mid June-Early Nov around here (IN). It's prob more the noise of the bait than the color after dark. Bigger is better. Louder is best! Hard to beat trollin' w/ your wheel in one and and a cold one in the other....definitely good for the soul! |
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Posts: 26
Location: St Cloud, MN and Madison, WI | Isnt it illegeal to drink and drive a boat?
........just wondering Doe |
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Posts: 3913
| Doe- drink for one moment, drive the next. That way you're not drinkin' AND drivin'. A subtle shift of view, to be sure, but one your lawyer might agree to argue with the magistrate. Best thing, as always, is to pour beers/whatever into covered insulated coffee cups and keep the obvious evidence under raps. Never a good thing for the CO to pull up and you suddenly realize you have 10 empty 16oz Bud cans scattered around the bottom of the boat. Always have an empty Diet Coke can out for cover, always be polite, and speak as little as possible.
Last, and obvious to most but not to the rest of us, try to not shoot handguns while you're drinkin'/fishin'. Eh, FishOn? Yaaaaahooo!!!! |
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Posts: 3913
| BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
"Thought you said this gun was accurate." |
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Posts: 26
Location: St Cloud, MN and Madison, WI | Those are some major words of wisdom Ranger. Thanks for the tips. Doe |
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Posts: 1137
Location: Holly, MI | Ha, I didn't really need any night drinkin' tips but I'll definatly be putting in some night time on the water this year.
Here is what I get from the above posts..
Know the lake
organize the boat
Bigger louder lures
Huge blade bucktails
Headlamp
Hot Coffee (for me)
Some device to tell you when to stop reeling
Warm clothes
Extra pair of Underwear!
Will the loud traps be moving too fast? Slow deliberate lures better? 10 inch Jake loud? I'm not sure what kind of cranks (if they are no-rattle) would be the loudest.
thanks guys! |
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Posts: 3242
Location: Racine, Wi | Sounds like you have a good idea of how to do the night thing lobi.
A couple of cranks I can suggest are Jointed Depthraiders and Giant Scampers. These have been productive for me in the past.
I think the traps would be too fast for night. You basically want to give them
1. something to find (ie the vibration factor) and
2. something nice and easy paced for them to home in on and eat.
I don't burn my baits in at night, nor do I painstakingly drag them in slowly. Nice easy middle of the road retrieve.
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Posts: 3913
| Last LATE season on one water I fish a lot, the trick turned out to be slooowwww trolling (using trolling motor) a 10" Jake along the tops of the weed breaks. That bait just slowly wobbled, side to side to side. When the lure would catch on weed tops I would rip it out and let it sit, suspended for a moment while the boat caught up with the lure. Always kept a little pressure on the line, strikes usually came after ripping from the weeds.
LATE season night fishing menas breaking fresh skim ice all the way back to the landing. At 2:00-3:00am. If the wind died down, of course. Hard core but I boated fish.
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Posts: 3913
| Want to emphasize again the need for a compass in the boat. With fog and certain types of light rain, you won't know that you can't see #*#* until it's too late. That sort of weather always slowly creeps in on you. Q-Beams and bright lights are useless. You have to know where you are and where you want to be, use the compass to get there and go slow. GPS, of course, is an alternative.
I got turned around after dark on a lake I know very well last fall. No compass. Lots of timber. Had to bump my way to shoreline and then follow it around the lake to the access. Very difficult, took HOURS. Spent some time wandering down bays I didn't recognize as I was so confused by not being able to see more than 10-15' beyond the bow. Spooky, until I rememberd that I ain't a-skeert a nuthin'. |
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