This is a topic I haven't seen addressed here yet, and although we're nearly out of the best time for night bassin, I want to hear some good tips and success stories. I've spent many nights out drifting on the lake for stripers, or using jigs on the shore during summer for lmb, but no dice. Night bassin has been so unsuccessful that the best time I have out there is with a fire, friends, a few cases of miller while I'm listening for the bell on my pole to tell me I have some skimpy catfish on the line. So what are your stories? What are some tips?
[signature]
Most of my fishing are done at nights between May - Sept.
Get to a cove 50-80ft of water
drop down a fishing 150watt fishing light (make sure its not on your boat's main battery)
chum a bunch of chovie heads/tails (keeping the mid sections to fishing with)
drop the bait down to bottom, reel up several feet
Bring out the beer, light up a cig, and the fish will do the rest.
some of my favorite spots:
near the water tower thingy just outside boulder harbor
just outside the tires by hemmeingway launch
small cove just left of the dam
coves around boulder island
[signature]
night bassin' at mead = black jitterbugs
[signature]
Naw, the jitterbug will get hit, but you're gonna lose 60% of the fish the smack at it, or never hook them at all. Bass suck at actually grabbing a jitterbug in the dark. I can't tell you how many times I've watched a bass come out of the water one foot from my plug. They have the right intentions, but near misses are very common.
If you are adamant about throwing a topwater, try a popper. The bass are more accurate when the lure isn't constantly moving.
For night bassin at Mead, a big black spinnerbait with a big ol' black colorado blade will crush em. Work it slow. Put a trailer hook on it.
A 10" -12" back ribbontail worm can cover lots of water, and get the less active fish to bite. Texas rig it on a 5/0 -7/0 EWG worm hook with a 3/16 or 1/8 oz bullet weight. I like to insert a small glass rattle near the tail. Drag it through everything in the 5 -25 foot range.
My last resort is a big black and blue football jig. BIG! It's got to have rattles. Put a big fat black craw trailer on it, and work it through the same places you would the worm.
If none of that gets a hit, maybe it's time to throw a loud crankbait. Sometimes, it's all they will hit.
[signature]
Good lookin out whizzle, great info.I haven't really tried anything but jitterbugs at night. True, bass will often miss topwaters but thats just part of game when fishing topwaters, day or night. If your persistent enough and believe in the bait your throwing you will hook up.
[signature]
Watch this guys series on night fishing, there are a few videos on the topic. I don't agree with everything he preachs but some pretty decent info.
[url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME2BphnFHG4"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ME2BphnFHG4[/url]
[signature]
The fishing light is genius, makes me want to go buy one and spend the night at the lake. The weather is prime right now for camping out up there, It's best when it's cold in my opinion. Do you know if stripers ever boil at night?
[signature]
Ya, im not a fan of jitterbugs day or night. just dont really care for em
[signature]
Never seen a boil at night. The light brings swarms of specks that crowed around the light, small fishes eat those thus bringing bigger fishings to eat the small fishings.
This is where I bought mine:
http://www.fishinglightsetc.com/
[signature]
Naw, not in the dark. You'll see them boil at the very first sign of light in the am, but they aren't pack feeding and boiling through the night. Gotta be able to see for that.
[signature]