As the sun of late spring and summer turns the temperature up, many anglers turn to night fishing. Whether it is a local tournament or a night of fun on a local honey hole, night fishing offers cooler temperatures, less fishing pressure, and oodles of opportunities for filling the livewell.

Night fishing falls into many categories. Many tournaments on local waters start a few hours before the sun goes down and last to the early morning hours. Anglers who are out for fun may start a few hours before sunrise and pack it up before the sun heats the day. Mike Campbell, who is a B.A.S.S. Western Open pro, chips in his entry fee on the Southern Anglers Choice. The tournament takes place on Lake Casitas near Oak View, California. Southern Anglers Choice is a team tournament format from six in the evening to two in the morning. This is one night tournament known for big bass. Night tournament winners place limits of five fish weighing thirty plus pounds on the scale to take the purse. Southern Anglers Choice Tournaments are proof that good fishing occurs at night.

“If you have twenty five pounds of fish, you are not in the money” begins Mike, who is fishing for companies like Coast Lures, Norman, and Uncle Josh. “Bass over six pounds are common and a kicker of ten or more is what it takes to place at the top.”

Tactics and baits for night fishing are frequently the same for a day tournament. Finding fish and establishing a pattern facilitate the placing of bass into the livewell. Since tournaments start during daylight hours, Mike uses buzzbaits, crankbaits, and spinnerbaits to cover water quickly. Plastics rigged with drop shots or Carolina style may establish a secondary pattern if quick moving baits fail to induce a reaction strike. As the sun drops below the horizon, a change in lures and tactics are not necessary if a pattern surfaces. Mike started the evening with buzzbaits and crankbaits while his great friend and occasional partner Al Davis tried plastics. Mike soon recognized that a dark pattern Norman crankbait on mud flats or chunk rocks would produce quality fish.

“A mud flat with scattered brush produced some good fish,” adds Mike. “On the second pass we stuck a seven pounder on a Norman crankbait.”

After the spawn and during the warmer months, bass gather in schools. Finding the right school will put money in your pocket. Often big fish gather but are harder to find due to the number of fish in the school. Searching an area with a crankbait is a great way to find bigger fish that roam a flat or point. Several passes through a spot yield a diminishing return. Use the pattern and structure to find a new place with the same characteristics. Adjacent pockets, points, or shorelines are prime areas that may hold another school.

“After a few passes, we moved to another mud flat.” continues Mike, a Quantum Team Member. “This flat had chunk rock which is similar to the isolated brush we had on the first flat.”

This area yielded an eight-pound bass. After culling fish, Mike and his partner had a limit weighing around twenty-seven pounds. At the weigh in, Mike soon realized that a thirty plus pound stringer was needed to cash a check.  Kirk Prouse and Skip Remley, friends of Mike, brought in a thirty-pound stringer using a comparable crankbait pattern. However, this night the winners had over thirty-six pounds.

Dark-thirty is a fabulous time to catch fish. A good flashlight or maybe a black light or two is the only special equipment needed for a night trip. All the tactics of day trip come in play when the sun goes down. Lures that work for the angler during the day, such as topwaters, spinnerbaits, and soft plastic, churn out fish in the dark. Bass have excellent sight and lateral lines, which aid in locating forage. Bass gather on shallow water humps, points, or other structure to feed during the night. Search areas that hold fish during the day. However, unproductive locations during the day regularly turn to honey holes when the sun sinks into the horizon.

Mike Campbell

I was born in Oakland, CA on April 2, 1966. Soon after, my father's military orders took us to Kodiak, AK, where my earliest fishing memories began. We spent three years there, in which time I learned the basics of lake and river fishing. One of my most memorable fishing experiences there was a Navy sponsored trout derby that my dad and I participated in. My father and I caught the big fish that won the tournament and began my excitement for fishing.

In 1970, we moved back to California where we frequently visited our local lake, Casitas. That is where my father got me "hooked" on catching bass. After several years of fishing for fun, I decided to join Ventura County Bass Club to learn even more about the sport. With the help of club members and four years of hard work, I earned the title, "Angler of the Year". The following year, I fished many circuits, including, American Bass, Southern California Anglers Choice, and Central Coast Anglers Choice (Team Title Anglers of the Year).

My plans of earning the title, "Professional Bass Fisherman", will continue in 2004, where I will be participating in the following circuits: Western Bassmasters Tour, and select night tournaments on my local lakes.

When I am not fishing, my interests include camping, charity functions and spending time with my wife, Tammy (who is also an avid fisherman).

About the author: Jeff Bruhl is a member of the Louisiana Outdoors Writer Association, pro angler, and a pharmacist. His website, www.marshbass.com, covers freshwater fishing across Louisiana and the gulf coast. Each Saturday morning between 5-7 am CST, a bass fishing report can be heard on the Outdoors with Don Dubuc Radio Show (www.dontheoutdoorsguy.com) on 870 AM from the New Orleans station. Jeff has made numerous television and radio appearances on shows like Paradise Louisiana, The Big Fish, and ABC26.com. From tips on youtube.com to weekly reports on his website, his articles and reports provide tips and tactics for bass anglers in the sportsman paradise. Jeff’s sponsors include Abu Garcia, Xpoint hooks, Bud Light, Louisiana Fish Fry Products, Power Pole, Stanley Jigs and Spinnerbaits, Skeeter, Dockside Marine, Rat-L-Trap, and Berkley. For more information about fishing in Louisiana, drop Jeff an email at jeff@marshbass.com.