So im about to head out for some for night fishing. and was curious for day time overcast is nice but when cloudy at night is the bite as good? or is it better with a full moon?  

 

tonight its supposed to be cloudy but im gonna go anyways since its windy all day everyday except at night lately.    

 

when you all plan a night fishing trip what do you look for?   and what waters do you prefer to fish at night?    

The bite is the bite is the bite. I have had good night when you couldn't see a thing and bad nights all the same. I prefer to fish with a clear sky and some moonlight only because I can see better. Some guys swear by moon phases I don't know how much of a difference it makes. Personally I think it has more to do with overall water quality than the air conditions. Meaning if the water is stable and isn't blown out from recent storms you'll have a greater chance of success than if you base going out on what this happening above you. Ultimately it comes down to location and time on the water. You can't catch fish if you don't go fishing and you can't catch big fish if the places you fish don't hold big fish.

2 night fishing titles an hour apart...summer must be here!

Night fishing is like day fishing only it's dark! Go fishing when and where you can, day or night.

It's been my experience lakes with good water clarity seem to suit my style of fishing better during the day and especially at night. The 5 nights around the full moon periods make it easier to see where you are casting and the nights I prefer to fish.

You need to be very organized at night and use fewer rods or keep fewer rods out on the deck, 1 at a time is better than 2 so you don't step on them or knock a rod out of the boat. You need a good spot light to navigate, a good flash light and a hands free hat light comes in handy to re tie or find whatever you need at the moment, we can't see well at night. Moonlight helps a lot, not enough to see any details.

I prefer to fish with jigs day or night and big soft plastic worms at night. Deep diving crankbait works good if the cover allows it. Rat swimbaits are good at night. Top water lures that have a steady pace work best for me at dusk, not so good later.

Good luck, be safe and take a cell phone.

Tom

I've night fished for the last 45+ years starting during the April full moon and continue through the October full moon. Over the years I've encountered every conceivable sky condition possible and have not noticed a distinct advantage one way or the other.

Fish the same lures, the same locations, and the same techniques you would during the day with one exception; night lighted areas. Lighted docks, lighted boat ramps, a row of camps with lights along the bank or a single camp with a light near the water.

Shallow verses deep: again I have not noticed a distinct advantage one way or the other. I will normally fish both areas thoroughly staying with the one that produces the best.

The only thing different I add to my repertoire at night is a Q-Beam!

thanks for the replies and tips.  i figured it was all the same to the fish except its easier for them to see the target on a full moon clear night.     my trip out that night didnt produce like it did 2 nights previous. the bass werent biting, or atleast not what we were throwing at them.  the trout however seemed to be the feeding fish for the night my fishing partner and I both caught some rainbow trout on shallow crankbaits 12" max diving.  it was cool as this was the first trout ever for me. 

Same as Catt and Tom have already stated I throw the same stuff at night as I do during the day I lean towards darker colors at night but that is truly a personal confidence thing. My last two trips out I was fishing white lures because the water is clear right now and there is plenty of ambient light from the moon. So make your adjustments accordingly.

If you have trout in your waters I highly recommend throwing big swimbaits day and night. Thus ends summon.....

The darker it is the better I like it. I like 1/2 oz. black spinner bait with a #9 Colo blade slow rolled along a chunk rock bank; and or a 10 " power worm in deep hardwood brush or stumps in 10 to 15 ' water

Floating Swim/Wake Baits!?! 

IT is a great method for a topwater/swimbait mix at Night time.

thanks for the replies and tips.  i figured it was all the same to the fish except its easier for them to see the target on a full moon clear night.     my trip out that night didnt produce like it did 2 nights previous. the bass werent biting, or atleast not what we were throwing at them.  the trout however seemed to be the feeding fish for the night my fishing partner and I both caught some rainbow trout on shallow crankbaits 12" max diving.  it was cool as this was the first trout ever for me.

The fish don't need to see the bait to locate and attack it.

I bank fish at my spot and I'm not the top of the food chain there, so I'm restricted to lit areas.

I'm in west central Florida and night fish with only 2 lures. A 12 inch worm with a glass rattle and a Musky Jitterbug. Both lures in black only. The Jitterbug is made from wood. When I got down to only one wooden one I bought a plastic one, took all the hardware off it and had a woodworking friend make me a body from cedar. Then painted that black and attached the hardware. The plastic ones are easy to have hooks pulled from.

Don't catch many but the size makes up for it.

I've night fished for the last 45+ years starting during the April full moon and continue through the October full moon. Over the years I've encountered every conceivable sky condition possible and have not noticed a distinct advantage one way or the other.

Fish the same lures, the same locations, and the same techniques you would during the day with one exception; night lighted areas. Lighted docks, lighted boat ramps, a row of camps with lights along the bank or a single camp with a light near the water.

Shallow verses deep: again I have not noticed a distinct advantage one way or the other. I will normally fish both areas thoroughly staying with the one that produces the best.

The only thing different I add to my repertoire at night is a Q-Beam!

 

 

OK, I'll bite... pun intended... what's the play near the lighted areas?  I've been doing some night fishing for a couple of months on a local pond (bank fishing) and one half of the pond has street lights nearby it that light it up pretty well.  The other side is pitch black.

Lights attract insects, insects attract little fishies, little fishies attract big fishies, it's the called the circle of life!

The lights have to be close enough to the water to shine directly into the water, not just light it up from a distance.

Down south you can tell where the good crappie fishermen are, they will have lights at the ends of their wharfs, lawn chairs at the ends of theirs wharfs, and sunken brush piles within casting distance of the wharfs.

^^^ Yep, when the Formosan termites swarm it's a feeding frenzy under the lights!