Night fishing

[big musk411]

OK, im looking for some night fishing info here. I want to take my night fishing to the next level! I have been night fishing for a little while now, I got the head lamp and the spot light. What do you all do?

Thanks!

Matt

[Team Otter]

You'll want to focus on the full moon phases of each month and be prepared to fish well into the evening and following morning. Trolling minnow-style stickbaits on shallow flats holding bait fish is a great area to start as are the inside turns of wind-swept points.

[eyepatrol]

TO -

Upwind or downwind side of inside turns on points? Or both?

[Mille Lacs Guy]

If you are night fishing you will want to focus on any current areas if the lake you are fishing has any streams or small rivers going into the lake. I have had great success fishing stream inlets in the spring when the streams are flowing good. Walleyes will use these area all year long and will come up to feed on baitfish. I usually prefer a number 11 or 13 rapala and I usually just fan cast the area around the stream inlet. I also have had success bobber fishing with leeches if the fish are neutral or negative. Jigs and artifical plastic or gulp work well too as does live bait but I find plastic works just as good as livebait in most night fishing situtations. Also if you are fishing current areas at night don't be afraid to cast right up to shore. If have caught numerous 5 pound or bigger walleyes within 2 to 3 feet of shore and often times the fish will hit before the rapala even dives, similar to a bass hitting a top water lure.

[LocalGuide]

Night fishing I tend to locate the edge of a flat about right after sunset and then move up on the bar farther on into the night. Also creek areas are good. Like the post before me mentioned, dont be afraid to cast right next to shore where the creeks are. Last year I caught and released some nice fishing doing that.

Im still waiting for the one over 8lbs yet though!

I like to troll with #7-9 shallow shad raps and/or #11,13 huskey jerks.

I like to cast jigs near current areas. Normally a 1/4oz with a plastic shad or twister-tail.

Its fun fishing at night! As long as you dont get to tired and catch fish it can be a good experience!

[james_walleye]

Right away in the season anything creating current is a magnet. Every single bridge, creek, inlet, or outlet that i know of in southern MN that has current has walleyes in it at night that first couple weeks of season and maybe longer. Im sure its not just these southern lakes either, im sure its all over the state. Jointed raps, shallow running shads, and jigs/twisters is what i throw. And yeah its amazing how shallow they can be. I've had 26"+ eyes hit in less than 12" of water. The rap hits the water, basically crawling on the surface, and wham just like a topwater bass. I used too do alot of night fishing from shore around current areas and one area in particular there would be nights where you almost had too cast as parallel too shore as you could too get a fish, they were right up on shore. Some of these areas that i've found look too be nothing more than a mud bottom carp hole with some weed cover. Literally the carp are rolling and jumping all over about sundown. But early in the year these areas heat up during the day, that along with the current draws in baitfish and the eyes move in on them after dark. I've also done real well fishing lighted slip corks on weedlines and rockpiles or rockpoints at night.

[eyepatrol]

The only night fishing I've done was back when I was going to college. Me and a buddy would head out and find any kind of lake inlet or outlet, strap on our chest waders, put a couple jigs and twisters in our pockets and head out casting. We had some decent success. One night we stood on a bridge on a gravel road over a ditch that outletted from a lake about a mile away and caught our limit of nice 17" 'eyes. I never would have thought the 'eyes would have been in something that small, narrow and shallow, but they were and we had a blast. Caught them the 2 nights we were there. This was in South Dakota.

Locally, I've heard of guys fishing small swale inlets into lakes that only run when it has rained significantly enough to cause runoff. A couple friends of mine really got into the pig walleyes. Their smallest fish was 7lbs and their largest was 12lbs, plus they had fish break off a few times, all in 2' - 4' of water. Apparently the 'eyes were in there feeding on shiners that were drawn to the current at night.

Just thought I'd add to the walleyes and current during the night topic.

[Team Otter]

Both.

[Boedigheimer]

Bigmusk411, Early in the season its tough to beat current areas(as previously suggested). Later in the spring and most of the summer I have done better on cabbage flats. A great way to find these is to go 'shining' at night. You can look for fish and veggies.

Fish the edges, points, in-side turns, etc. wind exposure seems to help, but isn't critical. The usual minnow-baits are used like husky jerks, rogues, Bombers, and originol rapalas(#13). I like 10lb. mono, 100ft. back, distance behind the boat is dependant on if your trying to hug a break or just trolling a flat. I use speeds 1.5-2.0 mph, Speed can have a huge affect on the number of bites.

Oh ya, a good rubber coated net can save alot time and swear words when you get a hog-belly in the net.

[Quickstrike]

If I am nightfishing in the spring I will look for current areas or 8-10 foot flats near a windblown shore line. When I fish these areas during the day, I will usually jig or drag spinners. However, at night I have personally done better on lighted slip bobbers and leaches.

In the summer I move out a bit and look for inside turns in 14-18 ft of water with weeds and deeper water nearby. In WI we can fish two lines, so i will set a lighted slip bobber out and then work a jig with a fatheat up the break.

[danlk]

never sit on your rapalas and keep your baker hook remover handy. them hooks are sharp och. DLK. MORE and BIGGAR