JakobodaFisher Posted April 26 Share Posted April 26 I'll be fishing Lake Champlain this June(13-21) and have a couple of days set apart where I'll have the opportunity to do some night fishing for Smallmouth, Largemouth, and possibly Bowfin. I haven't found a whole ton of information about how to night fish for Smallies, so I was hoping y'all could give me some pointers and lure advice as well. Any advice will be greatly appreciated, thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User Solution A-Jay Posted April 26 Super User Solution Share Posted April 26 I put this one together regarding Night Fishing a few years ago. Still most applicable' especially for bassheads that haven't done too much fishing after dark. Good Luck & Stay Safe, A-Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User OkobojiEagle Posted April 26 Super User Share Posted April 26 Cliff notes: Use a spinning combo to fish the top 1/3 of the water column with noisy baits. Chatterbait, single Colorado spinner bait, walking top-water bait, buzz bait, ect. You might try a fluke through the top of weed beds. oe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
torm Posted April 27 Share Posted April 27 If I could I prefer to do night fishing only. Bites way better and less traffic, I hate jet skis. Jackhammer is usually my go to in the 3/8 or 1/2 depending on the depth. I love cranking also so a shallower diving or med diving squarebill works very well. Wake baits aren't too bad either. Go as slow as you can to keep it above the weeds and you should get smacked. Top water works too if you got the patience to pause it and here a fish blow up on it, only to miss it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User T-Billy Posted April 27 Super User Share Posted April 27 The chatterbait is hands down my #1 night bait for both LM and SM. Jig would be #2. Sometimes a toad or buzzbait if there's lots of surface activity. I mostly fish weed edges and rock structure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super User WRB Posted April 27 Super User Share Posted April 27 Haven’t done a lot of Smallmouth night fishing but a good friend who targeted record size smallies using single spin spinnerbaits similar to the one A-Jay has on his article page. For what it’s worth Skinny fished 8’ deep breaks with stumps or rock piles and was very successful. Good fishing🚣 Tom 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
softwateronly Posted April 28 Share Posted April 28 You could also drag a ned apparently... https://www.wsiltv.com/news/illinois-state-record-smallmouth-bass-caught-in-lake-michigan/article_7adfddb0-df50-57e3-afcf-b3d6e06ae6be.html In all seriousness, most of my night time fishing success for LM has come in waves. Often I'll sit on the shelves between deep water and shallow flats and catch 3-4 then slow down for awhile till another group comes up to feed. Every now and then I can get on a school/wolfpack working an area nonstop and that is some of the best fishing I've ever had. Swimjigs, chatterbait, spinnerbait, jig, and worm are my best producers. Dark nights are better than bright nights in my opinion. scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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