THE HEAT IS ON: NIGHT FISHING TIPS FROM TREVOR AT KIT’S TACKLE
By Matt Schauer

Posted: July 18, 2012

The heat is on!!!

It is so incredibly hot right now I could fry walleye fillets on my sidewalk…and most places across the nation from the looks of it. After checking the extended forecast this morning it looks as if there are many 100 degree days to come here is Montana. Make sure to have plenty of liquids (water) and sunscreen in the boat to keep it safe. This extreme heat makes for some pretty tough and miserable days on the water in my opinion. With this being said, there is a cooler approach to fishing in the mid- summer heat.

With the water surface temperatures just about to hit the 70 degree mark on our local reservoirs we turn to the night bite. In our experience, when the heat turns on the daytime fishing slowly turns off. On bodies of water that don’t have a pelagic baitfish (ie. cisco) the daytime bite can get really tough. On our local reservoirs it is an active crayfish bite. We believe the fish lay adjacent to the feeding grounds and move up to feed heavily from dusk to dawn. This is when we do the majority of our lake fishing this time of year. We like to start a couple hours before dark and fish well into the night if possible.

Night fishing tips:

  1. When pitching jigs at night we recommend bumping up a touch in size to have better feel in the dark. We also recommend beefing up the jigs profile for visual attraction at night.
  2. We really like Rapala “Shap Raps” for casting at night. They have the perfect diving depth for casting to shore and a heavy vibration to attract fish. We like to impart a “stop and go” action on cranks at night to trigger fish to bite.
  3. Rely on the full moon whenever possible to aid navigation and to ease fishing in the dark. When fishing the dark of the moon we recommend a heavy power head lamp to see where you’re casting and a spot light aboard for navigational safety.
  4. Always use extreme caution navigating at night and always take it slow! Always go with somebody if possible…night fishing gives me the hebee jeebies:)
  5. We also recommend trolling the shallows with (Double Jointed Rapala’s) or (Bomber Long A’s) with a 3/8 ounce keel sinker about 36” up line from the plug. Letting out about 80-100 feet of line will get you down 8-10 feet which is perfect for the night bite. This presentation will also allow you to pull fish from up to 15 feet of water.
  6. If you find active fish, a lighted slip bobber can bring incredible excitement to the boat. A Kit’s Tackle 1/8 ounce Glass Minnow rigged with a leech might be the deadliest combo I have ever seen for active fish!
  7. Last of all, please check your local waters regulations on legal fishing times. Have fun, be safe and get “Jiggy in the dark.”

This post was provided by Trevor, from Kit’s Tackle

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