Night fishing ???

[DJ_Callahan_27]

I'm wanting to really get into fishing for bass after dark. I have a bunch of questions that are, well stupid I guess. First of all, how do you guys see what the heck your casting at? Every time I stay on the lake fishing after dark I always seem to spend more time getting my lures out of tree limbs or off the bank than fishing. I have enough light in the boat to see how to change lures and retie but without the ability to see the bank, tree top, laydown, or whatever it is I'm casting to it seems to be a counter productive manner of fishing.
I have seen guys use blacklights on their boats to see thier line while night fishing but I use alot of flouro that doesn't glow under uv light.
My next question is, Can I use blue or green leds rope lights to light up the area I'm fishing (from the boat to the bank) without affecting the fish? Or would the rope lights even put out enough light to do that?
Lastly, What are some of the best setups (ie, lights, light colors, and mounting options) available.

Thanks DJ

[florida fisher]

rope lights should be fine thats what I used to have on my gheenoe favorably green led they actually attract some fish and about casting into things youll get used to hitting the water. hope this helps

[keithdog]

Ok, well first of all, this is just my take. I don't do a lot of night fishing but when I do, I simply turn on a battery powered Coleman lantern in the other end of the boat to give me enough light to see and keep the bugs away from me. But honestly, most of the time I keep it off. The light of the moon usually provides enough light. Also, knowing your lake well is very helpful. I don't often work the shoreline and heavy cover when night fishing. It is "my" belief that bass will use the dark of night to get out away from the cover they used durring daylight hours and prowel more open water away from cover, but still near it. I'll be working my baits over the tops of and around the edges of weedbeds off shore. This may be anywhere from 10 foot off shore to 300 foot off shore, depending on the lake. Plus, if your spending too much time fighting the tree branches and snags in heavier cover near shore, your not catching fish. I'd rather keep my distance from trouble spots where my casts are possibly going to sail into branches and so on. If I do want to try in closer, I'll be pitching short pitches, not casting for distance. It's not needed in low light situations like night fishing. A good idea woould be to buy one of those lights with LED bulbs that staps around your forehead, or clips onto your hat. It will help greatly when landing a fish in the dark, especially for safety reasons. Two of my favorite baits for night fishing are the Jitterbug, and a large spinnerbait. Lately I've gotten into poppers and I'm surprised how many strikes I've gotten on the popper before sunrise. Hope this helps.

[everettvet]

I don't do a lot of night fishing but that will change next summer. Some things that I think is a must to have is a clip-on led light for your hat. Also a spot light that stays pluged in at all times. If someone is approaching at a high rate of speed, you don't have time to find it and plug it in. The navigation lights on the boat may not be noticed by another boater but a spot light won't be missed. Another must to have is a cell phone incase of problems. Make sure someone knows where you launched and what time you are expected back. Some folks like to keep the boat as dark as possible. They feel like the lights can spook fish in shallow water or clear lakes. Just some of my thoughts on night fishing.

[Ground Pounder]

I've had pretty good success with all types of predator-type fish (bass and some toothy critters) by doing a couple things different at night this summer:

1) I downsized most of my night-baits so I can primarily use spinning gear when I need longer casts. This way, I don't have to worry as much about losing sight of the lure and having it hit the water and cause a massive backlash - I can just wait for the splash/ripple sound and close the spool. While not really a fish-catching strategy, it does keep me fishing more and tending to gear less.

2) I'm using more slow, steady retrieves with any noisy baits, whether it's spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, lipless cranks, etc. I'm using the same method with topwaters. I read somewhere that it helps the fish track the bait better than using varied retrieves in the dark. I don't know so much about bass, but it really works on northern pike!

3) I'm casting spoons and spinnerbaits in what would normally be jigging situations, because of the noise and vibration factor. Spoons for open waters, and spinnerbaits for fishing cover, working them like a jig. Big, heavy 3/4 oz spinnerbaits with single colorado blades will punch heavier cover pretty good and don't hang up nearly as much as you'd think.

4) I got some Storm swimbaits with pretty good action that are working well in the river channels. I can't catch a darned thing on them during the day, but they've been really productive at night, whether I'm jerking them, twitching them, or just pulling them steady.

5) When all else fails, rig up a catfish pole and drop it in while you fish for bass, 'cause a consolation prize of good eats is never a bad thing!

GP

[Jim80]

DJ we do a good amount of fishing after dark and as towards visibility try to get away from lights and let your eyes adjust to the dark . we only use our lights for re tying lures and what not .



jim

[walkeraviator]

Hey DJ... be careful that you leave your anchor light on while fishing. The KDFWR has been handing out tickets for not having lights on after dark like candy. There have been a few fatality accidents attributed to this and so they are trying to get people to keep their lights on... You may have seen this discussed a few times over at fishin.com...

The trick for me is to know just how far i can cast my lure and makin sure the boat is positioned the right distance from teh shore line.... i tend to keep my back to the anchor light and let my eyes adjust to that amount of light on teh bank and it usually works out well for visibility...

In the past I would just leave the light off til i heard someone comin... and then turn on the anchor light so i wouldnt get hit or get a ticket... just an idea...

[HarveysMinnow]

In the military they use red light to "condition" the eyes of those assigned to night operations. The briefing rooms on carriers are illuminated with red light, which helps the night mission pilots see better once they are in the air. I've also heard that snipers sit in a room with red light for a while before going out for a night mission. Maybe you could put a red bulb in the overhead light of your vehicle.

Also, if technology continues its onward plunge, it won't surprise me if somebody comes out with an affordable night vision helmet or goggles designed especially for night fishing. Cabela's sells some night vision scopes and such, ranging from around $400 and up. To me, that ain't in the 'affordable' category, but I guess it depends on one's overall perspective.

.

[DJ_Callahan_27]

Thanks guys for all help.

DJ