6 Night Fishing Tips To Help You With The Moonlight Bite

When the summer sun heats up the water, bass relax in the cooler deep water or shade of heavy cover.However when the sun goes down and the water cools, a bass’ comfort zone expands from top to bottom, especially in clear water. So here are some night fishing tips on how to catch bass after the sun sets.

Night Fishing Tips

1. Don't Be Tardy

Arrive at your favorite area before sunset so you won’t have to do much navigating in the dark.

2. Come Prepared For Night Fishing

A bunch of tackle boxes and fishing rods and reels strewn out all over the boat’s deck after dark can result in broken tackle or a quick trip overboard. So keep the deck clean and prevent any mishaps by picking a handful of productive lures for nocturnal bass.

3. Go Slow In Clear Water

When bass burrow into cover or hug the bottom at night, try a slow-moving lure such as a plastic worm for fishing in clear water. Texas rig a dark-colored 7- to 10-inch plastic worm on a 4/0 or 5/0 worm hook along with a 1/4-ounce bullet sinker for fishing 10 to 20 feet deep along main lake points and ledges or steep banks halfway back in coves and creek arms. Slowly raise the worm by lifting your rod tip to about the 11 or 12 o’clock position and then dropping the rod down so the worm will fall back to the bottom.

4. Go Punching In Murky Water

If the water is off-colored in your nighttime spot, concentrate on shallow cover and pitch a 3/8- or 1/2-ounce black jig with a black or blue plastic chunk or craw. Present the jig with three to four quick pumps of your rod tip (moving 1 to 2 inches at a time), then reel up the slack line and start another series of quick pumps.

5. Toss Spinnerbaits In The Wind

A black 1/2- or 3/4-ounce spinnerbait is ideal for catching aggressive bass on windy nights. Retrieve the blade bait at a steady pace along rocky banks, through standing timber or over sunken brush piles. These spinnerbait fishing nights can be some of the most fun as bass come chomping at your bait while you burn it through the water.

6. Make Some Noise For Calm Night Fishing

Throw a noisy topwater chugger or prop bait on calm nights for bass suspended close to the surface. Prime targets for nighttime topwater tactics are boat docks with lights. Docks usually have sunken brush piles that hold bass and the lights shining from the boat houses attract shad and sunfish to the surface. The baitfish activity eventually draws bass to the top where they position under the docks to ambush prey.These night fishing tips should help you light up the lake whenever you decide to head out fora midnight fish. Camping trips, weekend getaways and moonlight bites are all great times to get out and fish. Now that you know how, you can take these night fishing tips and go hunting for a bend in the rod 24/7!