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Started By
Message
Night Bass Fishing Tips
Posted on 6/29/25 at 10:16 pm
Posted on 6/29/25 at 10:16 pm
Any tips for a newbie?
16
Posted on 6/29/25 at 10:20 pm to geauxbrown
Get a headlight
Posted on 6/29/25 at 10:24 pm to TutHillTiger
I liked using black or purple plastic worms with chartreuse or red tails in the Summer and back then with the non anti backlash reels you would have to listen to hear the worm hit and then stop the spool and rip out a few yards to make sure you didn’t get a eagles nest.
Bass are predominantly night feeders so you can murder them. The guys at the lake used to hit a lot of piers etc in the summer, particularly if they were deep. I think a live shiner or gold fish under a float would murder too.
Bass are predominantly night feeders so you can murder them. The guys at the lake used to hit a lot of piers etc in the summer, particularly if they were deep. I think a live shiner or gold fish under a float would murder too.
Posted on 6/29/25 at 11:15 pm to geauxbrown
Get one of those strap around the upper head LED lights. And it is best to fish around the full moon. Some of my most enjoyable trips were fishing through the night.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 12:09 am to TutHillTiger
Black worm and blue tail
Posted on 6/30/25 at 12:40 am to Jim bean xxx
That’s a good one too. Black purple with a different color curly tail etc.
The best reasonable priced headlight is the everbright headlight that has red and green beam light. They have a rechargeable model and a AAA battery model. The rechargeable model is fine for an hour or so or if u going to turn it on and off but if u are fishing for many hours get the AAA battery model and bring some spare batteries. (you want the red and green beam lights for bugs )
I always carried a few UV flashlights too if that helps. I have UV headlights too but I can’t recommend for this rn. Your fishing line will glow beautifully with UV light
The best reasonable priced headlight is the everbright headlight that has red and green beam light. They have a rechargeable model and a AAA battery model. The rechargeable model is fine for an hour or so or if u going to turn it on and off but if u are fishing for many hours get the AAA battery model and bring some spare batteries. (you want the red and green beam lights for bugs )
I always carried a few UV flashlights too if that helps. I have UV headlights too but I can’t recommend for this rn. Your fishing line will glow beautifully with UV light
This post was edited on 6/30/25 at 12:48 am
Posted on 6/30/25 at 1:21 am to geauxbrown
Dark colored worm (Utail, UV Speed Worm, Ol Monster, etc..) on a texas rig with a big heavy tungsten weight (minimum of 1/4oz) and the most sensitive rod you own. If you're not getting bit then just throw a dark colored trick worm
Posted on 6/30/25 at 3:03 am to TutHillTiger
quote:And they mess less with your night vision. Which you'll want to try and preserve all you can.
(you want the red and green beam lights for bugs )
IE: Nix all the bright white light you can. We've been known to midnight paddle (well known) whitewater with just a glo-stick hooked to the back of our life jackets. The world tends to go to shades black and white; and a red and green light helps maintain that level of discreet. One bright light and you have to readjust.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 6:21 am to geauxbrown
Black spinnerbait with Colorado blade
Your favorite Texas rigged soft plastic in black
Black buzz bait
If you are fishing lighted docks, a dark fluke or even a spook will do well
Went this weekend and fished somewhere without any docks. Every now and again I would shine the bank to see how far we were from it. Buzzbait on the edge of the grass was real good
Turn off your electronics or at least dim then all the way down or you will go blind
Also have every bait and pair of pliers or clippers you need in a very convenient place so you don’t have to dig around at night
Your favorite Texas rigged soft plastic in black
Black buzz bait
If you are fishing lighted docks, a dark fluke or even a spook will do well
Went this weekend and fished somewhere without any docks. Every now and again I would shine the bank to see how far we were from it. Buzzbait on the edge of the grass was real good
Turn off your electronics or at least dim then all the way down or you will go blind
Also have every bait and pair of pliers or clippers you need in a very convenient place so you don’t have to dig around at night
Posted on 6/30/25 at 6:31 am to awestruck
quote:
We've been known to midnight paddle (well known) whitewater with just a glo-stick hooked to the back of our life jackets
Ah. You’re reminding me of getting off work, going to the New River and heading out at 9.
In the summer, you could see the fireflies light your entire path.
Didn’t want to distort night vision so we just used shadows.
Question though. Fire never really affected my night vision. Is that a thing?
Posted on 6/30/25 at 7:19 am to geauxbrown
I use to do a lot of night fishing here on the Tenn River before my brain went haywire from the bad infection I had. What we did was use 1/2 oz spinnerbaits with a #5 Colorado blade and a twin tail Zoom Fat Albert as a trailer. I make ours but you can buy them anywhere. The way we fish is to reel the spinnerbait just fast enough to keep it in contact with the bottom, or the top of grass. If it's not making contact they won't touch it. Caught my PB LM and SM, plus 3 others with me caught their PB doing this. These are the only 3 colors I ever use, blk/blue/purp, blk/red, purp/red. If the blade extends past the hook cut the wire so it's directly over the hook since they are hitting the blade. Also get a cheap LED blacklight and flourescent braided line with a 20lb flourocarbon leader so you can see your line. You'll have to use the leader as the braid tends to wrap up on the bait a lot. Braid is for sensitivity and easier to pop free from grass. It also helps with detecting when the blade gets fouled and also light strikes. Makes it much easier. Usually but not always the red ones worked better on brighter nights with some moon light, and blue best on dark nights but we have had the reverse happen as well.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 7:49 am to geauxbrown
Plastics will wear them out but topwater baits like a jitterbug or zara spook or a dying flutter type with props on both ends. The first two take some practice at night, the third one is pretty much toss it out and buzz it back. All in black or dark colors. It takes some nerves because they will miss it about 99 times out of 100 and if you don't wait until you feel more than a spilt second of the fish you will jerk it away from them and when you do feel it for more than a split second they will spit it out if you ain't quick. It takes some getting used to. Buzz baits will also work but I have found the walking the dog type baits and patience is what pays off. I Have fished 2 zara spooks at a time in the past, about 45 degrees apart....toss them out, let them settle...twicth one then the other and wait...repeat....makes the waiting a little more bearable when you have more than one working. It works. It is a blast....even small fish make a helluva show hitting a top water bait at night.
As far as plastics I like a black worm texas rigged on a spinning outfit. As light a weight as I can control....skip that thing under docks and let it fall and do it all the way back to the boat. I also keep a big worm rigged when fishing top water baits at night...again they miss the bait about 99 times out of 100 and it it happens in or near the same spot I will throw the worm and usually get bit.
My father in law and I used to fish a couple of 100 or so acre lakes in a national forest in the panhandle of Florida. He was blind so fishing in the dark evened the playing field between us. We caught a train load of fish almost every trip....and some good ones....lots and lots of 1-2 pounders and some 3-5 but about as many from 5-8 as 3-5. I don't think we ever topped 8 but we wore them out 8 and under. Always on a black zara spook or jitterbug. After getting some night vision it was about as easy as fishing gets.
As far as plastics I like a black worm texas rigged on a spinning outfit. As light a weight as I can control....skip that thing under docks and let it fall and do it all the way back to the boat. I also keep a big worm rigged when fishing top water baits at night...again they miss the bait about 99 times out of 100 and it it happens in or near the same spot I will throw the worm and usually get bit.
My father in law and I used to fish a couple of 100 or so acre lakes in a national forest in the panhandle of Florida. He was blind so fishing in the dark evened the playing field between us. We caught a train load of fish almost every trip....and some good ones....lots and lots of 1-2 pounders and some 3-5 but about as many from 5-8 as 3-5. I don't think we ever topped 8 but we wore them out 8 and under. Always on a black zara spook or jitterbug. After getting some night vision it was about as easy as fishing gets.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 7:59 am to geauxbrown
I like a slow rolled spinner bait.
The retrieve speed has a sweet spot where you can feel the blade thumping.
Works great for me.
ETA what bama shadow said
The retrieve speed has a sweet spot where you can feel the blade thumping.
Works great for me.
ETA what bama shadow said
This post was edited on 6/30/25 at 8:00 am
Posted on 6/30/25 at 8:03 am to geauxbrown
Personally I keep lights down to a bare minimum. Once your night vision is impacted by a light it takes a long time to reset. I don't fish with a light but removing hooks requires one, at least for me. I keep a red one and use it as little as possible. I used to fish thursday evening tournaments on a COE lake north of Atlanta and the guy I fished with had a black light on the boat and it worked well but I prefer as little light as possible.
I night fish a good bit now and I simply put the boat in at the nearest ramp and start working right at the ramp. I fish the bank and do not worry about finding fish....in my area they exist everywhere and about an hour after sunset when oxygen levels start to stabilize they usually chow. This is on a COE lake with basically nothing but clay banks with some rocks and an occasional stump or tree that has fallen in the water...not rocket science, just steady casting and working a bait. I always start off working a buzz bait parallel to the bank...until it gets proper dark and then I switch to a black plastic worm texas rigged and work it parrallel to the bank. After its been dark about an hour I switch to a top water bait. Fish the same areas. ALWAYS fish rip rap and boat ramps at night....every boat ramp I ever found had a pocket of deeper water right at the end of the ramp from prop wash and most have a light and a dock...on our lakes boat ramps are LOADED with bait - shad, herring, bream and crawfish. It is probably possible to just fish the ramp most nights and catch as many as you want.
I night fish a good bit now and I simply put the boat in at the nearest ramp and start working right at the ramp. I fish the bank and do not worry about finding fish....in my area they exist everywhere and about an hour after sunset when oxygen levels start to stabilize they usually chow. This is on a COE lake with basically nothing but clay banks with some rocks and an occasional stump or tree that has fallen in the water...not rocket science, just steady casting and working a bait. I always start off working a buzz bait parallel to the bank...until it gets proper dark and then I switch to a black plastic worm texas rigged and work it parrallel to the bank. After its been dark about an hour I switch to a top water bait. Fish the same areas. ALWAYS fish rip rap and boat ramps at night....every boat ramp I ever found had a pocket of deeper water right at the end of the ramp from prop wash and most have a light and a dock...on our lakes boat ramps are LOADED with bait - shad, herring, bream and crawfish. It is probably possible to just fish the ramp most nights and catch as many as you want.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 8:06 am to skidry
I agree with with all the spinner baiters. Black with a big thumping Colorado blade, but on nights around a full moon, I downsize my blade and throw white. Seems to work better than the darker colors.
This post was edited on 6/30/25 at 8:10 am
Posted on 6/30/25 at 8:18 am to Bama Shadow
quote:
1/2 oz spinnerbaits with a #5 Colorado blade
Sound advice. I am of the opinion that the spinnerbait mentioned in whatever color works is about the best bass bait there is outside of live bait. Slow rolling, buzzing, jigging, stopping and starting....they flat out catch fish. Slow rolling one on the rip rap points of bridges when they are pulling water is DEADLY on big fish. I have fished the bridge at Sunny Point Access on West Point, the one at Red Top Mountain on Alatoona, Six Mile Creek at Lanier and the highway 47 bridge on Clark Hill at all times of the year during the day and at night and slow rolling a spinner bait when they were pulling water and have caught sooooo many 3-5 pound fish there really ain't any need to fish any other way.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 8:22 am to mach316
Caught my PB on TB at night in May years ago. June bug worm Texas rigged. 10.5lbs weighed the next morning, could have gone over 11 if weighed that night. Never forget it, what a fight.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 8:28 am to geauxbrown
Big black worm Texas rigged.
Find Boathouses/Docks with lights on them and sneak up from downwind, start casting where your worm barely reaches the ring the lights make on the water.
Then ease in as you work the lighted area, boathouse/dock.
Order some of these and put them on a big black spinner bait and fish dark banks between docks, they are deadly at night.
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Find Boathouses/Docks with lights on them and sneak up from downwind, start casting where your worm barely reaches the ring the lights make on the water.
Then ease in as you work the lighted area, boathouse/dock.
Order some of these and put them on a big black spinner bait and fish dark banks between docks, they are deadly at night.
[/img] This post was edited on 6/30/25 at 8:31 am
Posted on 6/30/25 at 8:35 am to AwgustaDawg
Caught my PB at night stroking a black/red 3/4 oz jig. It was by far the best night trip I've ever had. Went back to the same hump with AlxTiger a week later and he schooled me on the spinnerbait bite. We won the fruit jar that night with 21 lbs.
I usually fish Ole Monster worms or Brush hogs (dark colors) with 3/8 weight around ridges and humps. I rarely fish the bank except for brushy docks.
Take skeeter spray or a Thermacel and heed all the advice about lights.
I usually fish Ole Monster worms or Brush hogs (dark colors) with 3/8 weight around ridges and humps. I rarely fish the bank except for brushy docks.
Take skeeter spray or a Thermacel and heed all the advice about lights.
Posted on 6/30/25 at 9:52 am to geauxbrown
Thermacel and a headlamp
It's a good rule of thumb any time when fishing but at night always always always have your kill switch attached to your life jacket. In the dark on the water is when any idiot with an outboard can do the most damage imo.
Up here in the TN River we fish black and blue chatter baits at night. Good friend that's a pro says changing colors around the full moon works for him. Last time he took me we saw a huge piece of a satellite flying over us as it burnt out on reentry into earth's atmosphere. Looked like a massive firework falling across the night sky. See some cool stuff at night that you just don't see in the day. Good luck.
It's a good rule of thumb any time when fishing but at night always always always have your kill switch attached to your life jacket. In the dark on the water is when any idiot with an outboard can do the most damage imo.
Up here in the TN River we fish black and blue chatter baits at night. Good friend that's a pro says changing colors around the full moon works for him. Last time he took me we saw a huge piece of a satellite flying over us as it burnt out on reentry into earth's atmosphere. Looked like a massive firework falling across the night sky. See some cool stuff at night that you just don't see in the day. Good luck.
This post was edited on 6/30/25 at 9:54 am
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