Tips for night fishing

I would like to hear some ideas for max fun fishing in dark.
This year I am going to put a huge glow stick on my auto pilot so I can see the direction I am going at a glance.
Head lamp is a must.
Also any one recomend a live well light? Need one.
And my most important question. What line will reflect my head lamp (Don’t want to spook fish though during full moon) so I can see where it is in the water for netting purposes and getting caught in motors etc…
Love to hear your ideas.

One of the most important things is to get the boat floor cleaned of everything that is not needed and have everything in its proper handy place!Your headlamp should be plenty of light for netting your trophy fish and fresh batteries in camera are a must.Hot coffee and handwarmers are nice.Good luck and have a blast

1. As Stuart said, reduce or eliminate cluter. Just take what you’re going to NEED, not every piece of tackle you own.

2. Map out your intended fishing area(s) during the daytime. Don’t plan on running to heck and back, and don’t use nightime to scout new areas.

3. Get some rest ahead of time so your head is clear at midnight or later. Make coffee your beverage of choice.

4. WEAR YOUR LIFEJACKET.

I think the ability to have a good amount of light available if you need it is really nice, like led light strips, though I don’t normally go that far, plenty of times I wish I would’ve.

Organization I think is key like the others said, minimal stuff, well organized.

A flashlight on the net is nice too, so you can see your catch comming in.

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I’d also like to mention, that you need to be extra careful out there on the water, for so many reasons, though against the law, I’ve seen and heard of plenty of stories about boats on the lake at night without any lights on , no anchor light nothing. Bouy’s are pretty darn hard to see too. I have 2 spotlights in my boat at all times, 1 is a 5 millon candlepower spotlight the other is a 1 millon candle power spotlight I keep as a back up, or sometimes when I don’t want to light up the world. ( which reminds me my 1 millon isn’t working properly Found that out on the water when I needed it of course I had the big one to back me up, would’ve been a really long drive back otherwise. )

Secondly there has been more than a couple incidents where people have hit rocks and reefs at night going by GPS navigation. Be aware GPS are not flawless, even if it shows you are on the exact trail you ran earlier doesn’t mean you are exactly where is says, People hit stuff at night all the time going by GPS navigation, lake contour maps are far from accurate in most cases I can say all bets are off in shallow water. Use extreme caution. Not to mention if you are staring at the GPS all the time you may not be paying enough attention to where you are going, anchor lights (providing they are on, aren’t always the easiest to see.)

Drive slow, I Only go as fast as I need to get on plain, in my boat I’m doing around 30 mph, that’s a bit hairy in my book, so I don’t try and night fish water I don’t know, or I’m stuck at 6 mph max. (obviously my boat could benefit from some prop and motor adjustment )

I’m an old boyscout I come prepared , extra batteries, power cords to plug in my spot lights if need be, jumper cables and or portable jumper. Or course that stuff is packed away neatly, but I have it if I need it.

Not a bad idea either to give some one a “Float plan” where you intend to go, where you may go, when you leave and when you intend to be back. US coast guard I believe has a nice little sheet you can fill out. Not to say I’ve done anything like that a lot, but really is a easy and very good suggestion.

Wear a life jacket.

All of the above, and:

Make sure all your hatch knobs are turned down and flat, otherwise the net will ALWAYS find them when you grab it!

Do not wear wool gloves when handling lures at night! (Right Bruce B? )

Make sure your batteries are charged BEFORE you go out.

Tie all of your quick clips on shore in the daylight, and have a few choice lures on the boat wall, above the net line for quick access and changes. Keep the boxes stowed.

Keep spare rods below deck or in rod lockers.

Keep rain gear on, or stowed.

Keep hook removers on you. Accessible to the other hand you hold your fish with.

Don’t let pike in the boat if you can avoid it prior to unhooking. You do NOT want a pike or musky thrashing on the floor with three trebles flying. Ask to see my scars sometime!

Where ankle high boots. Refer to the above statement about pike and musky.

Try not to keep your camera in your pocket. It fogs up when you pull it out for pictures. Keep it in ambient temp.

A lot of good info above but adequate lighting is on the top of my list.I still find the cheap tin lamps at Menards etc. with a 12 volt buld to be the best.They light up the boat and the water at the same time.If you run across anything better please let me know.

Hey man,

I fish a lot at night, and when it comes to lighting, here are some things I like to do.

First of all, for a livewell light, THESE work real great. They seal up real well in the hole you drill. Just put a switch on it and you’re good to go.

As for a headlamp, I like ones that have a push button on the side instead of the turn-knobs. I really hate those. Push buttons are guaranteed one-hand operation. Here’s the one I just got off eBay. I’m real picky, and it’s the only place I could find the one I like. I had one break on me, so I got another of the same kind. The lights still work, just the harness broke. But it has settings of one LED, three LEDs, then one krypton for longer range viewing. Runs forever on 3 AAA batteries, as long as you’re not using the krypton all the time.

And ya GOTTA have at least one or two of THESE in your boat somewhere. I’ve got one in the Lund and two in the Crestliner. Best things ever.

Hope this helps.

Those livewell lights would be nice. I’d like to have one for every compartment too.

walleyehunter, here is another option: LED lights

Learn how to launch your boat in two minutes or less and troll parallel to shore like everyone else. For gosh sakes turn your navigation lights on!!!

If you run a tiller rig for gods sake learn how to go forward at night like everyone else

Ive noticed at night some people become real jerks. I’ve been run into shore a couple of times because “mr. I own the lake” is either 1. running planer boards 2. contuor trolling in 7fow following weedline. or 3. not paying attention. Then they won’t look at you when you pass by.
I am going to look for a little more space next time on Mille Lacs. Still fun though.

Quote:

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If you run a tiller rig for gods sake learn how to go forward at night like everyone else

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Or switch the light around. Bow light on the transom, and anchor light on the bow.

-J.

The problem with compartment / livewell lights is they get left on and drain the battery. Id like to see a design like a refriderator. When the door / lid is shut the light goes off automatically.

-J.

Never thought about that Jon good point.

I am a big fan of redundancy. I once accidentally smashed my rear white light. I had electrical tape on board and used a small flashlight to be legal. I once ran down my Accessory battery, know how to jump to your trolling batteries can save a night out. Knowing your water during the day is also huge for night fishing.