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Most importantly
to me, it is not nearly as hot fishing at night as it is during the
day in this time of year. There is something about the sights and
sounds on the
water at night in the summer that is truly enjoyable. Unless you've
experienced it,
it might be hard to understand.
Like most
summertime bass fishermen, I get tired of trying to find a peaceful
place to fish without the sound of personal water crafts whizzing
by. Don't get me
wrong, they have just as much right to the water as we do, but I
still get tired of
them, unless I'm out riding mine. Needless to say, PWCs are not a
problem when
fishing at night.
Finally, the fish
seem to bite better for me at night than during the day. I believe
they move shallower, feeding on baitfish in the dark than they do
during the day. I
also seem to catch bigger fish at night, which really gets the ole'
blood pumping.
Lake Whitney is my
favorite place to night fish. It has a healthy population of
largemouth and smallmouth bass. When traveling to Whitney for some
nighttime
fishing, I tend to look for the smallies. They are so explosive and
such fierce
fighters, I love catching them, especially in the dark. Like I said
earlier, unless you
have experienced catching a nice sized smallmouth at night, it truly
is hard to
image. Words certainly cannot describe it. At times, it is almost
eerie, spooky in
a way.
Our own
Richland-Chambers Reservoir is also a good night fishing lake. This
lake has a great number of large fish in it. With the high amount of
pressure it
receives during the daylight hours, fishing at night not only gives
you a different
perspective on things, but the same is true for the fish. The baits
will look different
at night. Something the fish might not be use to. This can result in
more fish
being boated (then released, hopefully).
Fishing at night
from a boat requires an extra measure of safety. You need to
know the water you will be fishing, develop a plan and stick to it,
and slow down.
Always wear an approved life vest and use your kill switches. I like
night fishing
when the moon is up. I am convinced the fishing is better and I know
navigating
the boat is easier with the moonlight.
Be sure and use
your running lights at all times when you are fishing at or near
dark. We nearly ran over a ski boat two weeks ago, anchored just
past the no
wake buoy, after dark with no lights on, at Lake Whitney. I was glad
I was driving
slow enough to see it before it was too late. You have to be careful
on the water
at night. Unfortunately, there are still a few, uneducated,
uncaring, idiots out there
you have watch out for.
When fishing at
night, I use three baits: a spinnerbait with a Superdog Colorado
blade for maximum vibration, a medium to deep diving crankbait and a
plastic
worm rigged with a loud rattle and plastic bead. I try to fish wind
blown points at
the mouths of creeks I feel like fish are feeding in. This time of
year I focus on mid
to lower end of the lake creeks. The water is usually a little
cooler in the deeper
end, thus the fish are a little more active.
I switch back and
forth between the three baits. If I catch a fish or two in an
area on one type of bait, I will often work back through the same
area with another
bait and catch another fish or two. The main point is to fish your
baits slowly. Like
us, the fish have to rely on their other senses other than just
sight to find the bait.
Slow it down.
If you are luck
enough to live fairly close to a lake with smallmouth in it, I
highly
suggest you give them a try. If you are like me and love to fish,
but hate the
unbearable heat, try fishing for them at night. Believe me, there is
nothing more
exciting than catching a shallow water smallmouth, thrashing the
water with
everything he's got……in the dark.
It's a rush.
Until next time, enjoy
the Texas outdoors.
Email: lester01@airmail.net
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