how do you fish muskies at night.

[muskieboy46]

I have always fished muskies during the day or at dusk. At night do you fish differently? Are there any hints,tips, or different lures to use? thanks to all who reply.

muskieboy46

[David Swenson]

The best baits for night fish fishing are surface lures and bucktails. Fish the same locations at night as you do in the day, just fish it a bit slower. Make sure you have a head lamp and a spot light in the boat. You should always fish with a partner at night. If you are fishing big water make sure you have a compass and a GPS (fog or rain can make night travel extremely difficult).

David Swenson
http://muskieguide.homestead.com/

[NoodleSalad]

Sand beaches and rocks hold the days heat-
-NS-

[Steve Foss]

Being careful is the prime directive. It's far better to fish only the water you know after dark. It's too easy to get turned around on strange water in the dark. Even if you've got GPS, it's tough to know where shallow reefs/rocks might take out your lower unit.

Steady retrieves are best at night for almost all species, and if you're using surface or shallow-running lures, fish below those lures will see a silhouette of a black or purple or dark blue bait against the sky much better than a natural or light color.

So if you slow down your retrieve, slow down your motions with the boat, too. I've had close calls with rocks, logs and other stuff at night even on water I know well.

That being said, please see below motto.

------------------
"Worry less, fish more."
Steve Foss
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 06-16-2003).]

[NoodleSalad]

A Top Raider Slow and Easy. -NS-

[TUMBLEWEED]

Lottsa good info. I have yet to break out
the ski hardware during the nightime bite.
Mostly hit the eyes, but I am going to go
at least once this season. I have gotten
some nice fish in the daytime, so I know
which locations would be holding fish.
What I need to know is which kind of
night to choose to go out. What are the
better conditions for the fish to be
turned on more??

[MuskyMark]

During the summer and early fall, most clear-water lakes have a decent night bite consistently. And for all lakes, regardless of water clarity, calm sunny days and/or heavy fishing pressure during the day can produce excellent conditions for musky activity after dark.

[JJJ]

Is a full moon good for Muskie fishing? I know some people swear by the moon rise, but has anyone fishing at night noticed a moon phase that is the best for Muskies?

[yoppdk]

Regarding full moon muskie nights ... if experiences mean anything, full moon nights can indeed be excellent. The VERY best night of muskie fishing we ever had was under August full moon. We hadn't really gotten into night fishing, usually left when it got dark. But the full moon kept us fishing that night and we soon found that the muskies were very active and agressive. I forget how many we boated, I think about 4, with lots and lots of follows and hits. It was a wild night on the lake we won't soon forget. After that, we started keying on night fishing and looking forward to the full moon.

I second the need for some kind of light to shine in the water. We were amazed at the number of follows we'd have at night and you'd never see them without a light shining down. Had my first fish on a figure 8 when I saw it pass through the light at night ... what a thrill to feel that thump right after you start your 8 in the dark.

[Guest]

YOP, what kinda light are you talking about? A headlamp? Spot light? I've used a 3 setting headlamp before (never had any action) but I don't think I would be able to see following fish on the brightest setting. Anything more though, I think it would scare them? I've heard red bulbs are the best, any opinions?

Thanks,
MJB

[Scoot]

Anyone have an answer to the questions above? I'd use a headlamp if I thought it wouldn't spook fish and it might help me spot a follow. Will the light spook fish? Will I be able to spot a follow with a headlamp?
Scoot

[yoppdk]

The light I'd use was a setup designed for bicycles ... I'd use a bungie strap to attach it to the rear cleat. My buddie simply used the bow light ... it wasn't bright but enough light to see a follow. I believe the ideal is a light that is dim enough to prevent spooking a fish or attracting bugs, but just bright enough to throw a shine into the water.