Yes, you can catch the big fish at night. I've done most of my night fishing on Silver Creek in Idaho where it is legal. In this state, I do not believe it is legal to fish at night although I'm not sure, Perhaps there are lakes, ponds or certain rivers where it is legal.
One must first get used to the sounds of the night. It is a little spooky when you are on the water all by yourself and you can here deer and perhaps bear in the willows. For this reason, I prefer an open part of the stream.
The good news is that you can fish with big flies. I mean big hair mice and big royal wullfs. If there is a moon out, you can actually sometimes see the flies or at least the profile of the flies. I will cast along the side of the bank and squint hard to see the drift.
A headlight is a must. You'll need it to navigate and to tie on flies. You won't use while you fish. I use just the two patterns mentioned above but it is easy to lose them casting in the dark. Use big tippet as the fish can be huge and they attack the flies. I've always used dries but something tells me a Wolly Bugger or streamer would work just fine and be easier to fish with.
I once purchased a stick of phosphorescent floatant from Feather Craft. Apparently you apply to the fly and shine a light on it for a minute. The idea is when you cast the fly, it glows and you can see it. It seems like a good idea but I still have not taken the top off the tube. I don't know if the stuff is still available or not.
If there is no moon or clouds, it is pretty much a cast and listen mode. When the fish slam a mouse, you hear and feel the hit immediatley. You had better have a firm grip on the rod.
In softer water, you can also stand still and listen and hear a big fish rise to some unknow bug or vole and then cast to the general direction that the noise came from. If your mouse lands anywhere close to the rise, hold on. The fish are very aggressive.
I'll finish with a story. Please bare with me if I ramble but taking the time to write this story takes me back ten years to the exact night. It will make my day!
I was fishing the main stem of Silver Creek at 11:00 PM. Behind me was a small back slough that no person in their right mind would fish when they saw it in the day. It was grassy, shallow, had amuddy bottom, overhanding willows and no current. The water was crystal clear. No fish would venture into this water in the day.
While standing still waiting to hear something in the main creek, I heard a noise in the slough. I turned around and made a blind cast of my #6 Royal Wulff into the slough. After letting the fly sit for a minute, I did a very slow retrieve. Nothing. I made another cast and listened. I started a second retrieve, heard and/or felt something and instinctively raised my rod and stuck a big fish. Somehow, the fish stayed out of the weeds, willows and grass and I managed to eventually bring it to hand.
I switched on my headlight so that I could get the fly out and release the fish. I was totally surprised when I saw a 24"rainbow, not a brown, in my hand in the water. As I gently removed the fly and revived the fish, the light caught the face of my watch which read 11:40 PM. It was time to go back to my hotel.
you have one hour before sunrise to fish and one hour after sunset to fish legally for trout, steelhead and salmon.
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Fishing isnt about catching fish, its not about who caught the most, or who caught the biggest, its about the experience that you have on the water, and the life long bonds you make with others on the journey to becoming a better person inside.
That is a cool story Waters! I've always wanted to throw big hair mice in the night but I have never actually gotten around to doing it. I have had some success catching big smallmouth just after sunset on my favorite local smallie creek. I was using gurglers and set the hook when I heard a splash! Fun stuff!
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"when you put your hand into a flowing stream you touch the last that has come before and the first of what is still to come" -DaVinci
this one definitely caught my attention. there is a reservoir behind my house that is on fire at night for bass on the top. i throw big topwaters like hula poppers and it is a blast! i just cant get caught!!
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Fishing isn't a matter of life and death....
It's much more important.
Yes dont get caught or you will have a big fine to pay. Also if you use a light to spotlight your fly/ bait (hopefully fly) it does attract fish I have heard but get caught and you could end up with your fishing licence suspended for a good chunk of time. Play it safe and follow the rules- there would be no worse punishment than having your fishing licence and gear suspended.
live2 fish, you dont have to worry about getting caught night fishing for "bass", its completely legal (as far as I know the only restriction is that you have a running light on your boat (if you use one). I have fished for largemouth and striper for years at night, and I can promise you one thing.........bigger fish.
edit: apparently mono county and lake heenan are off limits for bass at night, other than that, fish on. Also, if you really want to get into fishing at night, try setting up a black light on the side of your boat and use stren clear blue line (whether fly or gear fishing), it will glo with the light so its much easier to see takes if your fishing sub-surface (granted, most often you will feel before you see the take).
-- Edited by drifter at 21:42, 2009-03-02
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all of a man's addictions end and begin when he learns to fly fish
