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| 5lb Bass from last June |
There is a period of a little over a month each year that causes more sleepless nights for anglers than the other 11 combined. Intrepid fishermen aren't at home cozy in bed dreaming about big bass they might catch the next day, oh no, these folks are out there on the water from sundown until daybreak. Why would anyone want to forgo a nights rest to chase fish in the dark you may ask? Well late April through early June on the large reservoirs here in Virginia the alewife shad begin their annual spawning rituals and this also coincides with big momma bucketmouth coming off her bed hungry as ever. This small window of time could be one of your best bets to land a monster with the added challenge of doing fishing in total darkness.
Every year I tell myself that next year I am going to go out every night during the magical month of May, and every year life throws a curveball so I never get out as much as I hope. Even with limited time on the water at night during this time I still manage to catch some of my best fish of the year, not to mention striper, catfish, and just about every other predatory fish in the lake, and anyone who has never tried it can too with just a little insight. Once you experience the heart pounding thrills that come with fishing during the shad spawn you will be hooked for life I guarantee. There is nothing on Earth as exciting as sitting in the dark and having fish explode all around you, sometimes within feet of your boat, and the anticipation that one of those explosions could be aimed at your lure.
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| From top: Storm Thunderstick, Jackall Mikey, Zoom Super Fluke, Bomber Long A |
The tools of the trade for this style of fishing are simple yet effective. The old go-to is a Storm jointed Thunderstick, but other options that are just as effective are Bomber Long A, Jackall Mikeys and even Zoom Super flukes. The key making these baits effective is keeping them on the surface making a wake as the fish are targeting silhouetted shad in very shallow water. If anyone were to ask me which of these baits is best I honestly couldn't give an answer because each one has a place and time but the most important thing is how they are fished. Imagine you are reeling your line across a razor and you do not want to reel too fast for fear of being cut off then slow down your retrieve even more. I don't personally think you can reel too slow for this style of fishing as long as the bait is steadily coming back to you, though sometimes they will hit it just sitting still.
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| My brothers 1st night trip |
As important as how to fish is where to find fish. If I am completely forthright figuring out where to use the above mentioned technique is the easiest part. Alewife shad make a mad dash for shallow rocky shorelines after dark and every fish that eats them knows where they are headed. Lucky for us that on the large man made lakes in the area surrounding property owners have spread enough riprap to cover a small state making it fairly easy to find suitable fishing grounds. You can plop yourself down on just about any riprap bank and catch fish, but some banks are better than others. I would try to key in on the banks that have shallow bays, flats or shoals leading up to them as these will almost always be the most productive. Once you find yourself a prime piece of property its usually best to position you kayak as close to shore as possible, or even wedge up on some of the riprap, and begin casting parallel to the shore. Some nights the fish will like it 3 feet away from the bank and others you will have to bang your lure off the rock in mere inches of water to elicit a strike. Other times casting to shore and retrieving out to open water is better, and even still targeting the bank at a 45 degree angle will be the ticket, but generally it is best to start out casting parallel as close as you can and figure out how they prefer the bait presented from there.
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| Night fishing can be a mixed bag! |
Weather plays an integral role in a successful night trip as much as it does any other time of the year. One night you may go out and the fish eat what seems to be every thing you throw at them and other nights you might not land a single fish. I have found that a few factors come in to play weather wise that make for better or worse trips. The absolute main issue that will kill an otherwise good night is wind. A very slight breeze, and I mean slight, can be a good thing to help concentrate fish on one shoreline or the other but much more than that and your efforts could be for naught. Wind creates ripples and when you are trying to catch fish based on your bait making a small wake any water movement could spell doom. The best nights are glass flat calm bar none, pretty much the opposite of fishing during the day. I also try to fish the clearest water possible. This spring I have had some disappointing nights due to what I believe was poor water clarity from recent rains. With fishing gin clear water you have to pay attention to the the moon and its light. During clear sky nights if the moon full or near so I target banks that are shadowed by trees, hills, or anything else for that matter, as the fish use that shade at night just as they do during the day. Overcast conditions help tremendously during the full moon and I have had some of my best trips on cloudy moonless nights though I have postulated recently that if you do find yourself fishing murky water you want to find as much light as possible to help those fish get a good look at your lures shadow.
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| Copeland Stills with a nice chunk from last year. |
Last but not least I have a few more tips on the dos and don'ts that will hopefully shorten your learning curve for the witching hour. First deals with rod selection and its not a must but it could mean the difference between landing the fish that explodes on your bait like an atom bomb or just getting the scare of your life. Parabolic actions are your friend at night especially using treble hooked lures. A moderate action crankbait rod will help keep you from yanking the bait out of the fishes mouth when it blows up and your heart stops as well as takes some of the shock while its tugging away at your line so you don't rip out the hooks during the fight. To land a fish you first must get them to bite and to do that you CAN NOT shine a light all along the shore line to make sure you aren't going to cast into a tree or something. The more light you that hits your eyes the less you can see in the dark since light kills your night vision making it impossible to see faint outlines and shadows, so only turn on your headlamp if you are tying on, stuck, or unhooking a fish. The last 2 are safety related issues because momma, your wife, kids, husband, etc all want you home. Always ALWAYS wear your pfd if you go out at night ALWAYS! Stay close to shore (thats where the fish are anyway) and if you must cross a cove or channel do it directly. Don't go at an angle or take your time out in open water because no matter how many lights you have on your kayak guys in bass boats doing 50mph aren't to be trusted at night. As for lights, always have a headlamp to keep your hands free and to have a white light close at all times. You can deck out your kayak with all sorts of other lights from folks like SuperNova and Yaklights but definitely have at minimum a good marker light on a pole like the YakAttack Visicarbon or even just a DIY light on a stick.
Do not let the dark frighten you off and don't miss out on some of the most adrenaline pumping fishing of the year. Get out there they are crushing it right this second on a large lake near you so sleep in and fish all night. Good luck and be safe.
Tight lines,
Damian
