A few years back, while fishing with my uncle on Lake of Egypt in southern Ill., I tagged along with him on his night fishing excursions, as he chose to avoid the blistering heat. I was exposed to some serious night fishing for both crappies and bass— often at the same time—as he carried bass rods rigged for night fishing. You could hear the bass chasing bait in the stillness of the peaceful night. With that, Uncle Bob would drop the crappie rod to hammer out a few casts into the dark waters beyond our area of lighting. More times than not, he would be rewarded with awesome “moonlight bassin’” catches.

My first encounters with nighttime bass fishing were from my uncle’s boat. But it didn’t take long to adapt the lessons learned to become efficient from the bank upon returning to my home waters.

While I enjoy my time on the water after hours, fishing at night brings with it a few challenges not experienced during the light of day. Everything from bait selection, retrieves, proper gear, and fish location patterns all have a special twist once the sun disappears.

Let’s look at some of these nighttime nuances. But before we get into baits, rigs, techniques or areas to cover, let’s first examine some aspects of night fishing that can either make or break a successful evening on the water.

Know your water

You might think that you know a lake, pond or river well. But once daylight is gone, you’ll truly find out how much you don’t know about the waters and shoreline you sometimes frequent.. The lack of light inevitably changes our perception of not only the water in front of us, but also the banks we find ourselves wandering down in the dark.

My suggestion is to plan your night adventures ahead. Choose a particular water and your section of bank to focus on for nighttime angling. The real key for a successful night on the water is to show up and scout your planned fishing area before the sun goes down.

When you get to your waters, simply use the last remaining minutes of daylight to set up your gear, lighting—and one important, but often overlooked action—walk your target area you plan to fish. During this pre-fishing scouting, you’re visually scanning the water within your casting range for weed growth, above- and underwater obstructions, and establishing water depths. In addition to learning what lies in front of you in the water, become familiar with obstacles along your path of travel that might create walking or tripping hazards, such as tree roots and “gopher holes”.

Nighttime gear

Lighting on your person, such as head lamps, clip-on flashlights, or even just regular handheld lights are essential, as is area lighting. This general illumination allows you to keep track of tackle and search through gear, which is a necessity for tackle and changes and repairs, etc. This area lighting can be accomplished with an array of battery-operated or rechargeable, lantern-type lighting.

Next up is bug repellent. I prefer to wear some type of light, long-sleeve shirt so I can spray the clothing, rather than my skin—but do whatever works for you. At this time of year, overnight temps can drop along with overnight dew, and you might need a clothing change. It never hurts to pack some extras.

If it is hot, stay hydrated out there! Even without the sun bearing down on you, excessive overnight temps can drain you of fluids, causing heat stroke and dehydration issues.

Be careful out there at night, especially if you’re fishing alone! For safety, let someone know your location.

Nighttime tackle and techniques

With dark or low-light conditions, much of your everyday tackle can actually stay at home. I never carry nearly as much tackle for night adventures. In the darkness, bass respond heavily to sound and vibration, using their hearing and lateral lines to track down and devour prey, rather than depending on eyesight. So, the best choices for night bassin’ are baits that emit the most sound and move the most water.

While I personally rely on the audible attraction for my bait choices at night, there is always a concern for bait color. Personally, I lean toward darker colors on most occasions.

Retrieve speed and bait cadence is way more critical than color concerns. For 99 percent of my retrieves under the stars, it’s a simple, steady retrieve. Bass vision is limited at night, yet they are very accurate when using their later lines to track down prey. A steady retrieve allows bass to zero in on your presentation much easier at night. I’ve tried all kinds of speed and cadence variations at night, and a constant retrieve has always outproduced any kind of unusual retrieve patterns.

Baits

I’ll give you a quick rundown on the baits in my Moonlight Tackle Box. My list works for me, but if you have a few favorites you want to try, don’t hesitate: jitterbugs, prop baits, spinnerbaits and vibrating jigs, buzz baits, soft-bodied swimbaits, crankbaits, and frogs and toads.

As you can see, most of my selections are either surface or upper-water-column range baits, but this isn’t an all-inclusive list. I’m always experimenting, and you should as well. I’ve had success with jigs and various bottom baits in certain areas, yet my percentages have been higher with nighttime bass when working the upper layers.

So, as the scorching summer sun does its best to melt you on the bank, why not get a bit of relief and enjoy a new experience tangling with late-summer bass under the glowing light of the moon?

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