Night fishing during a heatwave

The U.S. is still in the grips, or feeling the effects, of an almost nationwide heatwave. High temps can put serious stress on fish and your ability to catch them. Specific regulations related to water temperature are another factor that can hamper your ability to fish.

That’s why we recommend ditching the sun for the moon the next time your summer temps spike.

Night fishing is often an overlooked option for a lot of anglers, but if you can forgo the sleep, you’ll find an aquatic world of active fish, no crowds and cool temps.

Below we highlight some of our favorite options for night fishing for all different types of environments and how Fishbrain can help you make your hoot owl catches.

Southern Atlantic

The Fishbrainer: Albrey Arrington 

Snook fishing at night in lights (dock lights or bridge lights) is super fun to me because a lot of times you’re sight fishing for fish that are actively feeding at or near the surface. This is one of the few types of fishing that I actually prefer to do with fly tackle rather than conventional or spinning tackle. 

Basically, snook will sit looking into the moving tide and ambush whatever small prey drift through the light (e.g., shrimp, small prey fish like mullet, sardines, glass minnows, or herring). As the prey are carried in on the moving tide, they pass from the darkness into the light, and snook will sit facing into the tide and pound the prey as they are completely illuminated by the light.

Prey fish, or shrimp, will often flee towards the surface, resulting in explosive topwater bites.

When I’m fishing for snook in the lights, I typically take quite a while to watch the fish feeding and get the boat positioned just right (which is critical if you want to catch more than one fish). If you have them, power poles are great when getting your boat positioned just right, otherwise I pay close attention to how my boat is drifting in the current and I set my anchor. Also, remember to be as quiet as possible in the boat while you’re getting set. The snook can hear you if you’re banging around in the boat.

Once the boat is positioned, I like to fish one bait at a time. If I’m using a fly rod, I like to fish an 8 or 9 weight, floating line, and a 20 pound test tippet. Yes, I could go with a lighter rod, but I prefer to go with a heavier rod because you never know if a big girl is going to show up hungry and want to dance. For fly selection, I like to throw a small clouser minnow tied with gold flash and small weighted eyes (shrimp mimic) or a gummy minnow (glass minnow mimic).

When fishing, start casting focused on the shadow/light line. I like to cast so my fly lands in the darkness and strip it into and tangential to the light. (I’m not sure how to say this, but imagine the light is lighting up the water from 12 to 6 on a clock. I like to start casting so my fly lands in the dark and passes from 1 to 3 or from 3 to 5). 

Often snook will sit deep watching that line and they’ll come up and absolutely pound it as it passes along the edge of the light.

Ok, this may be controversial to some, but if I want/need to have lots of action, I like to have a live well full of 3-4” live baits (glass minnows, small sardines, or small herring). I’ll pitch two or three baits at a time into the center of the light. It won’t take long for the snook to get absolutely fired up. Here is where patience is key. Once the fish are fired up, take your time and position one cast precisely where the fish have been seeing the biggest blow ups. Strip your fly to mimic the action of the baits you have been watching in the light. Sometimes the snook want them slow. Sometimes they want them speeding through the light. Observe the fish to figure out how they are feeding, and present a fly that matches what they’re after.

Once you hook up, enjoy the fight. Keep the fish off the dock pilings (this is where a heavier rod is so helpful). If the fish runs towards open water, you can lighten your drag and take your time. Remember, don’t over stress the fish. Get a quick pic and get the fish back into the water quickly. Also, when handling snook, if you place your hand in the middle of a snook and lift up on the lateral line area, the snook will generally chill much more than if you just grab them by the mouth or if you try to hold them by the mouth and belly.

Lots of times, after you’ve caught a snook out of a light, the fish will totally shut off. That’s ok. Give them a few minutes. They’ll turn back on. If you have any live chummies, you can pitch a few every couple minutes to get them going.

How Fishbrain helps

As Albrey said above, snook and other predators will face a moving tide to try and ambush baitfish. Slack tide times are some of the more unproductive times, so make sure to check the weather on Fishbrain to monitor incoming and outgoing tides.

Midwest bass/garpike

The Fishbrainer: Ryan Hearn

The midwest is home to a lot of species that thrive in warmer fresh water. Bass,walleye, catfish, crappie and pike all can thrive in freshwater temps unsuitable for Western species like trout, salmon, or steelhead. These species may be used to warm water, but even they can shut off and head for deep holes during a heatwave. 

Walleye

Walleye are actually nocturnal hunters anyway and many anglers prefer to fish for them at night. They can live in temps up to the mid 70’s, but because of their physiology, are more likely to strike at night anyway. Walleye see incredible at night and will brave much shallower water than they do during the day. Because of your impaired sight, try fishing a weedless setup to help keep you from snagging anything in the shallower water. Rocky points, reefs, under weed cover and transition areas next to deep water are all great options.

• Usually most active right as the sun sets. Nocturnal hunter.

• Sight predator - special membrane that allows them to see excellent at night (why they have glowing white eyes)

• Deeper waters in the day, shallow as it approaches dusk.

• Effective walleye baits and lures are minnows, leeches, flicker shad, jigs.

Catfish

This shouldn’t come as a shock, as most anglers know that low light conditions, including night, are the best times for catfishing. But what better time to dive into tnightfishing for catfish, than an oppressive heatwave, that make the night seem cool and welcoming. Catfish are generally nocturnal hunters and scavengers as they rely on sensitive membranes and whisker-like barbels to sniff out prey and carrion. Catfish like deep, dark and slow holes where they can cruise, feeling around for food. You are most likely to be ok with shining a headlamp around as catfish will be too dark to notice, but just in case, try using a green light, which will allow you to see, but not sppok the fish.

• Most active in the dead of the night. Nocturnal hunter/scavenger.

• Relies on sensitive membranes and whiskers to "smell" prey.

• Target deep holes. Blue catfish and Chanel catfish baits can be cut bait, live bait, stink bait, liver or anything that smells!

Goldeye/mooneye

Goldeyes and mooneyes are a similar species of herring-like fish. Not a traditional game fish, but their eyes lack of cones, mean they are well adapted to hunting at night. These are a toothy fish that can grow up to 20 inches and offer a nice fight, for anyone willing to wait for sundown. These fish feed on insects, mollusks and baitfish, so live bait, cutbait, or jigs and lures will incite a bite. Goldeyes and mooneyes are found premoninately through the midwest and upper midwest and Canada. 

• Usually most active right as sun sets. Nocturnal hunter.

• Feeds largely on topwater. Use worms, minnows, small topwater baits, small jigs or rooster tails.

• Underrated sport fish - can get up to 20in and several lbs and make excellent catfish bait!

How Fishbrain helps

Regardless of which species you’re after, you can look up specific species to learn about them and fishing tips to catch them. You cna even filter your map to show not only recent catches, but the species you are looking to learn about and target. Tap eah catch on the map to see if other Fishbrain users provided the gear, bait and other tackle they used to catch your desired fish. Rocky Mountain West trout

The Fishbrainer: Jack Mckinney 

The problem with trout is they are trout...beautiful wimps that they are.  Historically, hoot owl restrictions (on most rivers) are implemented after 3 consecutive days over 73, however on rivers/streams that are deemed "cutthroat river/streams" the new threshold is 66... to protect native trout, not the foreign German and Californian invaders.  As all rivers/streams in western Montana are, or should be, cutthroat rivers/streams, Hoot Owl Restrictions should be 24/7 until temps consistently fall below the 66 degree mark.  However, due to the recreation economy of God's Country (western Montana), FWP can't allow a full stop... BS I say!  Down with the oligarchy, down with the misguided and salacious salmonid suicide squad!  ... I love night fishing, but we're kidding ourselves if we think that it's better for trout.  It's a hell of a lot of fun all year, just not when water is boiling.

Night fishing is the perfect thing to do "in town" when the tourists have gone to bed and the bars are full.  Post up under some bridge lights and you'll hear violent slaps and smacks and even the occasional sip.  When the Clark Fork caddis hatch is on, trout don't wait for the sun to rise to continue feeding...there's big fish sipping in the slack water.  But, as you know, I hold the unpopular opinion that hucking double bunnies, sex dungeons, and sparkle minnows will always be more entertaining than a size 18 on 5x... and that definitely hold true when you can't really see what's happening in the dark-ish light and water.  Splashy and flashy is the name of the game... mouse patterns or small gurglers are super fun too and add a second sense to the mix when you get the big top water smash.

How Fishbrain helps

Wandering around the rocky banks of rivers and creeks in the dark seems like a bad idea. Instead, mark waypoints of good fishing holes you found during the day on your Fishbrain map. Tap and hold a specific spot on your map to leave a personal waypoint and bring it up later when you’re looking for that spot by moonlight, or headlamp.

We all wish we had more time to fish, so don’t let the sun put a damper on your precious time to to be on the water. Like fishing in winter, night fishing gives amazing prospective and solitude. So pop some batteries in your headlamp, grab your gear and enjoy an ocean of stars reflecting off your favorite water.

Now let's go fishing. We'll bring the green lights.

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