Worm Fishing at Night
by Ken Sturdivant
Southern Fishing Schools Inc.
The long hot days of summer are here
and fishing during the day can be a real challenge. Jet skis, houseboats
and
the hot sun will run any fisherman off the water. But there is a world
of fishing available to anglers that venture out after dark.
Night
fishing has been an accepted practice for a long time and the reasons
multiply
with practice. Your senses are more keen at night. Even though it's
impossible to see the fishing line in the dark, night fishing with
this bait will
improve the fishing skills.
This is a great time to learn how to
fish any soft plastic bait and the tackle is easy to set up and use.
And
if feeling
a strike on a plastic worm has been a problem, night fishing will
solve it.
Keep it simple on the first few trips. Rig up two sets of
spinning outfits. The Bass Pro Shops Bionic Blade rods will work. Select
the
six foot six inch one piece rod in a medium tip and the other rod
with a
medium heavy tip. On the medium tip rod use 8 pound test line
and on
medium heavy
rod use 10 pound test. Make sure to use fresh line to avoid getting
kinks in the line in the dark. Spray some Reel Magic on the fresh
line for
improved casting and accuracy.
Use the popular Zoom finesse as
well as u tail worms
for spotted bass night fishing. Dark colors are easier for
the fish to see especially on dark nights. On the largemouth lakes, a
ribbon
tail style in the seven inch size. Rig both these baits on a 3/16
ounce slip
sinker
and offset style worm hooks. On the finesse worm use a 1/0
hook and
on the u tail worm use a /30 hook.
Rigging the standard Texas
rig is easy.
Rig the outfit with the weight on the line first, then add
an 8 millimeter plastic or glass bead. The last item is the hook and
use
the
Palomar
knot. Make sure the worm set hangs straight on the hook.
Head to the
lake an
hour before dark and pick out 5 points and 5 docks close
together. This will allow your eyes to adjust to the darkness and let
you
find some
places to fish.
At night be very patient and fish these worms
slowly. The best
way to get strikes on any plastic worm is to work it as
slowly as possible any time. Work the baits all the back until the lure
is right under
the boat to cover all the water. Night fishing is fun and
it
beats the summer
boat traffic.
