tips for night fishing

[Rick K]

hi guys,
i am a newbie to walleye fishing. i live in roch ny. And we have some good lakes and bays that have eyes in them.would anyone be willing to share some tips on night fishing.what lures to use? trolling with the outboard or electric motor? how fast?
or would it be better to cast. the water i am going to fish tonight is sodus bay. has a lot of points and some islands.
deepest part is around 35 ft.we probably won't catch any. because this is my first time. but any tips would help. a few guys i know, have to me where to try though.also is jigging with live bait better? thanks alot for any info.my e-mail is there.

[eyedoktr]

Rick, I don't know about Sodus Bay even though I live 20-25 miles west of it, but I do know about Honeoye Lake. I lved on Honeoye for about 15 years and found a few real good patterns depending on time of year. to avoid boring others and put all the info here, feel free to contact me at eyedoktr@rochester.rr.com or peter.lewis@kodak.com. Good luck tonite on Sodus. If the weather stays nice I may also be making my first trip there for walleye tonite.

[Hunter]

Work shallow areas close to dropoffs, and those points if they are rocky and shallow should hold eyes. Floating rapalas are a good choice to troll, 1/4 once jig with white twister for casting. Just get out theyre with a little experience you should be able to catch them at night.

[FreeByrd]

Rick,
I do some night fishing in the western basin of Lake Erie. My favorite method is to get on some shallow rock reefs (Crib Reef, Tousaint Reef) cast shadraps in 4-6 foot of water and cast shadraps. These are surrounded by 12-18 feet of water. Eyes will chase minnows up there at night and sometimes go on a feeding frenzy. It is usually a hit or miss thing - some nights they just are not there. We usually head out about a half hour before sunset to make sure we find the spots we want. Often catch smallmouth before dark, a mixed bag of smallies and eyes raight at dark, then usually mostly eyes after it gets dark. Some nights a school of whitebass will be there and you make 4 casts and catch 3 whitebass. This can be fun for a while but when the white bass are in thick we usually don't get the eyes. Loosen the drags because the eyes that are up in this water feeding will hit with a vengeance. If it is calm we usually drift. We put out two lighted markers to drift between. If it is kicking we usually anchor.
Good Luck
Steve

[Lou in Alex.]

Rick- Early in the season,walleyes tend to relate to shoreline orientated structures- so working those points would be a good idea.Casting a jig and minnow would be a good bet.New weed growth is a good attractant this time of year also- don,t think you have to find rocks to find eyes.A no snag Lindy rig can be cast and worked through just about any mess. Cast right up to the shoreline.Look for shallow areas with adjacent deeper water- structures near the largest portion of the deepest water in the lake are usually your best bet. If you've got a temp gage- watch for the warmest water you can find and fish the structures in the area- forage should be most abundant in these areas.If your lake has roaming forage- like tullibee- always work the side of the structures facing the largest portion of open water. Walleyes hang on the edges, waiting for the baitfish to come in contact with the structure.If the lake has a perch forage base- work structures with weeds.slipbobbers work great for fishing over weeds.Set your depth so your bait is about a foot above the weed tops.Dont let it sit still- jig and move it frequently.Neck down areas- or current are major attractants also.Hitting the lake tonight myself around 3am.Good luck- watch out for other boats- even with running lights on its difficult for others to see you- keep a flashlight handy to signal with until you're sure they see you- or that they will pass safely.Wear your lifejackets while underway- and leave the brewskis at home.Launch after they leave-leave before they launch- thats my motto.Good luck-Lou in Alex.

[Gunga Din]

Lou, you're back!

[WAeyes]

Rick, this post from Lou in Alex is full of good quality info for night fishing. One thing I would add is to make sure your equipment is in good condition- rods, reels, lines, motors, lights etc. If you have trouble with any equipment while day fishing, your problem seems to compound itself at night. Something about turning the lights off that can make the easiest thing seem difficult. Use quality equipment that you can trust to work properly and you will enjoy your outing. Good Luck

[ETT]

Just what I was gonna say. If anything can go wrong, at night , it will!!! Organize your boat, pick up things and put them away. Have the necessaties at hand, but in their place. Don't lay the net or a rod on the floor, without tellin your buddy it's there. No loose lures, or rigs. You won't really know what I mean until your out there. It's a blast but be cautious. Watch out for monster eyes. They come out at night you know!!!

[Rick K]

hi guys,
thanks for all the tips. we did get my first walleye at night using a black and gold rapala casting. 25in i think about 4lbs. that was the only one. we fished off a point. you guys are right. IT IS DARK. and that fish did hit hard. this is great site with lots of good info.its was tough staying up tell yah that. we fished till midnight. and then the hour and a half drive back. does this night fishing go on through the summer. for all that posted thanks for the help.
Rick

[WAeyes]

As far as I'm concerned, it never stops. You might have better luck fishing the few hours right at and after dusk if there isn't too much pressure where you are fishing. Congratulations on your first "nighteye". Some people really get addicted to this...I won't mention any names.

[Hunter]

All summer long, I usually dont head out until about midnight, thats when they go on major feeding frenzies.

[Lou in Alex.]

If you keep at it- you'll find that night fishing gets better at night as the summer progresses.Increased boating and fishing pressure during the day keeps fish deep- where forage is less abundant- fish will wait until the lake quiets down before making shallow movents to feed.Some of my best nights on the water have come after days of very heavy usage.Another situation to watch for are dead calm nights. These nights are usually not the best for fishing- some wind is better than none-the trick is to find what direction the wind will be coming from the next morning- and be set up on what will become the windy side of a likely location when it starts.I've found fish to be scattered on calm nights- the wind starts and begins to concentrate fish into specific areas.It only takes 15 minutes or so after the wind starts for fish to turn on.Might be tough for you to do having to travel so far.Congrats on your catch-you went out and got back safely- its a start. Good luck-Lou in Alex.

[Hans]

I got the following advice from Jack Payne, an expert on a similar lake.

Most fishing advice concentrates on how or where to catch more fish. That's great for daytime fishermen, but night fishermen need information on other topics like breathing inside a cloud of mosquitoes, getting lost, or playing the limb of a shoreline tree that somehow found your bait.

Weird things happen after dark. Fishermen run over logs, hook bats, step off the end of piers, pour coffee in their laps and on rare occasions, catch fish.

And when it comes to skinny-dippers, you have to be especially selective. Like the time my wife and I were fishing in the twilight down near Mud Creek Bay when a couple of guys came dashing out of a sauna stark naked and jumped into the water a hundred yards or so away from us.

She exclaimed; "Did you see those naked men jump into the lake over there?" To which I replied; "Yeah, but you really shouldn't be watching them." Her answer was a question; "Would you have watched if they had been girls?"

Since catching fish takes only 2 percent of their time and all the other stuff takes 98 percent, smart fishermen adjust for night conditions.

Boats require special preparation. For example, if you forget your drain plug in the daylight, you have a problem; forget it at night and you will converse with the fish.

Casting after dark presents additional problems. A keen sense of hearing is vital to determine if your lure has plopped onto water or land. This makes lure selection critical, especially regarding two features. First, you want a lure that splashes when it lands; otherwise you could spend a lot of time fishing for squirrels. Second, just in case you do hit land, the lure should in no way resemble something a skunk might eat.

Perhaps the most important skill a night fisherman can learn is when not to cast. If a stick looks like a snake, that should be good enough. The same goes for eyes that reflect light. Lots of nocturnal animals have eyes, in fact, all of them do.

The one nocturnal bandit whose eyes you never see is the bat. At the speed at which a bat travels, ultralight topwater lures apparently resemble large moths. Should you be so lucky as to catch a bat you will be instantly more supportive of catch-and-release. A hooked bat will, at the very least, hone your skills with a net.

Lunar phases also play an important role in night fishing. Nearly all fishing tables take the moon into account when predicting the most active feeding times of fish, and therefore, the best fishing periods. All animals follow feeding urges based upon the moon which explains why the fish always seem to start biting when I start to eat. Always study the tables before night fishing trips. If a major feeding period is predicted, I pack a big meal; if it's a minor period a sandwich will do!

Good fishing to all,

[Northern Manitoban]

I've done well at night for walleye's fishing the shorelines alond weedbeds,slow trolling jigs tipped with dead minnows,using the electric motor.Rapalas suspended also.Black jigs at night work well and chartruse tubes.The list goes on.FISH ON.