NIght fishing tips

[OTTO]

I take a remote fly-in every year at a lake I am very familiar with. We have a great deal of success during the day but I want to try at night to try to get some bigger fish. All suggestions are welcome. How deep? What types of structure and lures? Any particular part of the night best?

[WAeyes]

How deep? I don't fish deeper than 10 ft. at night...most of the time less than 5 ft.

What type of lures and structure? I like to fish big, shallow running crankbaits over the top of some vegetation. If you can find this next to an area of current...you got it made.

What time of the night is best? I prefer the first couple of hours of darkness but sometimes the fish think otherwise. Just keep fishing till they stop biting...you will know.

A night with a little breeze is best so your lure does not make such a splash when it lands. Weedless jigs might work better if you have to cast into a stronger wind.

Good Luck

[Walleye Express]

Otto.
Even though walleye are equipped with vision and lateral line senses that allows them to forage quit well at night, keep it short and slow. Walleye like to look up for their prey at night and use any residule light from above to silhouette them against. By trolling or retrieveing your offerings slow, say .8 to 1.2, gives them the chance to zero in and strike. Use #13 Rapals or #14 Husky Jerks. Stay in water 6 to 12 feet deep. Above all, be careful in the dark. Small mistakes are mulitiplied at night.

[mezmorized by marble eyez]

Nobody mentioned this so, Ill speak up... Invest in the best head lamp you can afford! I always keep a million candle power spot light on board as well.

Hope Im not covering ground that's obvious.

[JiMinneye]

If your on a clear lake in the summer I like to fish humps or bars that top out at 15 to 20 feet. I have caught my biggest eyes fishing a 10'lindy type rig with a Lindy float about 10 inches up from a #2 hook with a phosphoresent bead with a crawler. There have been nights that I've not caught anything until 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning and then have had unbelievable success till daybreak. If the lake has a shallow food shelf where the wind has been blowing in for some time try trolling Rattling Rouges, Thundersticks or any other minnow type crankbait that has a rattle in it in the 5'to 8' range. Keep your boat clean so you are not tripping over stuff, its easy to end up in the drink and in trouble if your not carefull. WEAR YOUR LIFEJACKET. I also like to use the lighted marker bouys made by Tackle Tamer to mark the humps that I'm fishing. Sometimes when you land a fish and you have put it in your livewell or released it, when you get rigged back up you will be disorientated, its nice to have that little marker light to put you back on the spot. If you can avoid other boats I think the odds of catching a "Big" eye are much better. I really believe that there are walleyes that never see the light of day and they only feed at night and you need to be stelthy to avoid spooking them. I might be wrong about this but it seems when I'm able to use my electric motor(not real windy) that I've caught bigger fish, especially in the shallow water. Good Luck, JiMinneye

[WAeyes]

I really believe that
>there are walleyes that never see the light of day and they
>only feed at night and you need to be stelthy to avoid
>spooking them.

I thoroughly believe that beyond the shadow of a doubt...very good point.

[BlackSilver]

Rig several rods ahead of time -- I carry a half dozen rods pre-rigged when I go out, because I've found it almost impossible to tie up a new rig in the dark.

PFD on and buckled before you leave the dock. No exceptions. PERIOD.

Organize your boat so you know where the essentials are by touch, and clear the deck so you're not tripping over stuff in the dark if you have to move around to play a fish.

I've got one of those Black and Decker "Snake Lights" -- just hang it around my neck, and have a spare charged battery in my pocket. I've found it a lot more convenient to use than a lamp on my head, and light below my eyes is a lot more useful and much less blinding than a light above my eyes.

Use light only when you _NEED_ it -- it's much easier to be "in touch" with your surroundings with zero light in the boat. Losing your night vision can cause disorientation, and it takes several minutes to become acclimated again. In this regard, turn down the backlighting on your sonar. On my PinPoint, I can "reverse" the screen, so the screen is dark, and only the bottom and fish marks show up as white. Great nightvision saver. If yours has this feature, use it.

More great night fishing advice on the web at

http://www.lakevermilion.com/fishtales4.html

Walk softly and carry a big fish,

Hans/MN

[MNGUY]

Here is a tip! I used to use a headlight but now I found somthing better! Get yourself a Mini-Mag Flashlinght and wrap electrical tape around the end of the handle. Then just bite down on the tape so it does not hurt your teeth!

[Doc_wi]

Be prepared for anything and remember that any trouble is magnafied by a factor of 10 when at night. Spare flashlight and flourescent lantern or light are great additions to the Q-beam, headlight etc.

When I remember being in Canada and looking at a lake map for a bit of night fishing, I'd always figure that long underwater points and sunken islands are walleye magnets. We'd usually cast cranks or better yet use an electric motor to pull cranks over shallow structure.

Although I think I've caught more big fish trolling at night, my favorite way to night fish a lake would be to find an area near a feeder creek or reef and fish with slip bobbers or a jig. Watching a lighted slip bobber disappear under tow of a walleye brings out the kid in me.

Good Luck and enjoy your vacation,