A Bump in the Night

     I've been putting off writing this post, hoping I'd have a few more trips to add to it. But I think summer is officially over now, and with it, so too is a new favorite pastime of mine - nighttime bass fishing. I've found a lake, which shall remain unnamed, near my house, where the average size of largemouth bass is by far the biggest I've ever seen. Needless to say, I went there more than once, and did my best to figure it out. 
     I've learned over the years that when it comes to fishing, thinking outside the box often yields big results, so rather than copying everybody else's fishing style, I decided to figure it out my own way. Bass fishing at night is no secret, but the fact is that not many people do it. I found that it was a surefire way to have the lake to myself every time, even on the weekends, and though the fish were big during the day at my "secret" lake, they were even bigger at night. I think the smaller fish are scared of the dark, but the big ones are definitely not! And to make a long story short, that's how I ended up catching my biggest bass ever at 2:30 am one random night this summer. 
          I don't usually like divulging my hard-won secret spots on the internet where anybody and their dog can see it; however, in a rare display of generosity, here's a picture of the lake just for you:

Did I mention that it was always dark when I was there? You should still be able to find it though right?

     Fishing in pitch blackness obviously presents some challenges, and definitely works best if you keep it simple. I used spinner baits for the most part, just cast and retrieve, about as simple as it gets. Dark colors that had big profiles seemed to work the best. Finding submerged weed lines and contour breaks was also key to catching fish without loosing all my lures. Casting to downed trees and other cover was definitely also productive just like during the daytime, but that's much easier said than done in the middle of the night, except when the moon was bright enough to make things visible. On the flip side of that though, the darkness, solitude, and quiet made it much more peaceful than daytime fishing. As I floated around the lake in my pontoon boat in the darkness, I couldn't see my rod or line, so there was no point in even looking at it most of the time. More often than not I found myself slowly retrieving my lure while counting shooting stars, checking out the milky way, or trying to figure out where Orion's head was. Of course the peace and quiet was often interrupted by teeth jarring strikes from some bruiser bass!
     Unfortunately I'm not (nor is my camera) the best nighttime photographer. I did manage a few shots of the bass, but that's all I've got for you this time. Enjoy!

     So anyway, if you find yourself bored or less than successful with your usual fishing spots or methods, try thinking outside of the box, and maybe give night fishing a try. You might be surprised at the results. I sure was!