Night Bite Smallmouths

[Guest]

I've been reading that a lot of big smallmouths go to almost an exclusive night bite in the summer. Anyone have suggestions or good advice for chasing Smallies at night? Common sense says tops of reefs / shallow lips of points with topwaters and wide wobbling cranks and sticks. Do they roam or do the stick close to their daytime positions. Anyone ever chase them with live bait at night? Just curious.

[Yaeger Guide]

I think the theory about the night-bite is correct, and it holds true for all predators, mostly due to boat traffic and fishing pressure. I am not sure what would be the best for the night-bite with smallies, but I would start with buzzbaits, loud cranks and twitchbaits and spinnerbaits. I usually use dark colors at night for lm bass, but haven't fished for the bronzies at night yet.

------------------
God bless,
Judd Yaeger
Yaeger Guides (Twin Cities Guides) www.yaegerweb.com/guide

[Guest]

YG: Good call on the pressure/boat traffic thing. I'm going to give it a try...Too often you run into large fish in the morning that have lock jaw. One answer for this is they have a gut full of whatever they ate the night before...I'm going out Friday night and I'll let you know...I'm going to mark the buoys I want to fish around with those glow sticks...A little innovation on my part??? Thank you for the response.

[EBass]

My friend Rob caught a 19" around 11PM before. However, my 20" and 19.5 were around 8pm just a week ago. Hmm...

[Guest]

I've recently run into a lot of larger fish very early in the morning in very shallow water that had "lock jaw". I tried everything to hook these fish and they wouldn't have it...We caught a few but by %'s we barely touched them... Thing was, every fish we caught was coughing up craws, minnows, etc...We theorized that these fish were up there from the night before and they were just full. Is that a viable theory? Do fish really get full? The agressive nature of the Smallmouth explained the few fish we boated but we think the mother load might come once the sun goes down...either that or we'll rule out an option and just be real tired on Saturday. Either way it beats watching 4's and 5's swim around as if we weren't there...

[Guest]

I went up to Mille Lacs on Friday night and the bugs (non-biting) made it very hard to concentrate on fishing...I can not recall more insects on the water (Mayflies, midges, etc) My Fishing partner is a bit of a sissy who needs perfect conditions to enjoy fishing. After about 15 minutes in total darkness he said he wanted to go...His boat, no choice!! As we were driving back to the ramp he said "well, we know we never want to do this again!!" I was so angered (putting it lightly) about his lack of @#$%& that I snapped back "NO I JUST KNOW I'LL NEVER INVITE YOU BACK UP HERE AT NIGHT!!!" I'm going back up there next weekend, alone if I have to!!!!

[Blackstarluver]

Non-biting bugs? What the hell was your buddys problem? I remember shore fishing completely covered in mayflies! People would stop to fish and after a couple minutes would be leaving 'cause of the bugs. Some asked me how I could stand it? I replied "just breathe through clenched teeth". I had so little time to fish I wasn't going to let a few hundredthousand mayflies get in my way! Mosquitos however are another thing entirely. If I need to fish I will douse myself in 100% deet and dangle a cig from my lips to keep the nuisance bloodsuckers away from my face. Very little will stop me. 'cides I caught my biggest smallie in the wee hours of the morning.
God lyk!
JC

[Guest]

BSL My sentiments exactly...I literally got a handfull of casts in before he decided to bail...Mosquitos...One time on the Croix the mosqitos were so bad the woods were literally humming. It was 90 degrees in August and I had my full rain gear on...I will get back up there. I know the biggest fish turn on in the hours just after dark and before everyone gets going in the morning...I just need to invite someone with a little more tolerance for the creepy crawlers. The water has continued to rise in Mille Lacs. It has probably risen a foot in the last 10 days...It (water) is getting predictably cloudy also. Where did you get the big smallmouth you mentioned? Just Curious