Night fishing

[catmandu57]

I used to love night fishing, when I was still able to move around good enough to do it. There is a small lake near here, 245 acres, with huge blue cats, channels, muskies, and bass.
When the full moon rolled around every month when it was warm enough to be on the water, I was there, loving it.

I had the lake to myself, there may have been a few people fishing from the banks, but no other boats. This lake gets a lot of fishing pressure during the day, so I'd stay away unless I was crappie fishing, but at night, it was great.

The big fish who hid during the day would come out and cruise for a meal, and there I was, with too many rods, and tackle boxes brimming with lures.

I favored black colorado spinners, that drew attention, and the throb on the retrieve felt so good. After that I used rattle traps, and in certain situations top water lures could'nt be beat.

I could hear activity, and cruise silently into the area, throw a spook, let it sit until the ripples died and walk it back, then bam and the fight would be on.

It was'nt just the fishing I loved, but, being by myself on a clear warm night, with the stars twinkling and the reflections on the surface of the water. when the fish shut off I'd pour a cup of coffee and sit back and think, and listen to the sounds around me.

I had a fishing buddy, that cancer took, we had some great conversations back then, he loved the cats, and that's what we fished for then, he'd always smoke me, my line could be ten feet from his, yet he caught all the fish.
I miss my friend, but in a way I'm glad he's not here to see what's happened to our world.
I tried to go with different people after he died, but, it just wasn't the same, so, that's when I went solo.

Now, I don't go at all, every piece of equipment I have is covered with dust and cobwebs, unused and silently waiting. I'd try to sell it, but just can't bring myself to part with anything, I look at lures and see the bass that one took, or the one that finally brought in a muskie, that was something I'll never forget.
So, they sit, and after I croak off then my wife can dispose of everything, but night fishing can't be beat.

[Redneck Socialist]

1. Big fan of night fishing here

I don't go as much as I used to, but one of the things I like the most is that you usually have the lake to yourself. No dodging water skiers or following behind some other angler, and the big'uns come out to feed too!

[arkie dem]

2. I like night fishing when the

Black Bass are spawning. Nothing like a big Bass hitting a buzzbait or Hula Popper at full force.

[3days]

3. This is one of the greatest things I have read on here

And also one of the reasons why I am getting back into fishing. I haven't gone since I was a kid and that's nearly 25 years ago. I find myself waiting and dreaming of warmer weather so that I can take my son (now 7) out to the river and recapture a little of that feeling I had as a kid. I have gotten a fishing license for the first time in my life and my son and I are practicing casting in the living room of all places. I can't wait to have us both play hookey and pack a lunch and spend a day standing in the river. I don't even care if we catch a damn thing.

[catmandu57]

4. Hi 3days

If you want your son to have a good experience at fishing especially his first time out, it'd probably be better to take him to a pond or lake with an abundance of bluegill and crappie.

The crappie will spawn here in nwmo starting about the third week in April and last into May, they will "come into the banks" to mate and they are super easy to catch, the bluegill come in after the crappie and pound for pound there is not a harder fighting fish in the water.

I don't know what kind of equipment you have for your son, but an inexpensive spin cast combo would be a good starter, as much as I hate zebco, it's okay for kids.

Remove the line they come with, and reline with some trilene xt 4lb, and it will really improve the feel. Also if you know how to do it teach him how to make flip and pitch casts, you can practise anywhere, use a trash bucket for a target, and good luck and good fishing.

Remember it's called fishing and not catching.

[3days]

7. Thanks for the info

I have gotten him a little Zebco and will change the line this weekend. we have a little weight on his line and are practicing the casting in a little bucket indoors. It's too damn cold to go outside right now.
I just moved here (Maryland) about a year ago and I'm having fun right now just looking for spots and driving with the dog on the weekend scoping out places to get when it gets warmer.

[Droopy]

5. Nice post, man

I used to enjoy night fishing as well. I would always go for catfish at night. I've never heard of people having success with bass and muskies at night. Well not largemoouth and smallmouth bass. I was once fishing off the bank at a local lake and saw some guys out in a boat just killing some white bass at night. There were three guys in the boat and they had a car headlight rigged up in a floatation device and they had that in the water. It looked like those bass were swarming to that light like moths to a lantern. They were pulling them in left and right. It was kind of a small boat and with all three of them leaning over one side it looked like they were about tip over, but oh the excitement coming from that boat. I caught a drum that night and that was it, but I enjoyed watching those guys pull them in.

[catmandu57]

6. Oh yeah that light is an old trick

It draws insects that draw the fish, and you can just pull them in one after another. Nighttime is the best time for Bass, especially if you fish somewhere that just gets pounded during the day. One night I was bank fishing for cats, and kept hearing sploosh, sploosh in the little cove where I was fishing.

So I went to the car and got a bass rod out, and put a black double buzz on, crept down as quietly as I could, and the next sploosh I heard I threw about 15 feet behind it and started the retrieve,
it was a five pound large mouth in there feeding on minnows. He could'nt resist that double buzz, I keep or kept cats, but bass went back in the lake, as far as I know he lived out his natural life there, but, it was fun.