Night Tournament

[skidemn]

I signed up to fish our club's night tournament this Saturday a Lake El Capitan. I have never fished a night tournament before, so I'm looking for any pointers you may have. Even the simple things like casting seem like they will be difficult if you can't see where your bait is in relation to the water—I'm I in for backlash city?

I'm guessing black/blue and other dark baits will be the colors of choice, but what can your recommend for techniques and baits in general? I was guessing big worms, swimbaits and topwater should be on tap but any suggestions are appreciated!


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[Donald Garner]

Its been years since I fished night tournaments.  They are different for sure.  Safety is the MOST IMPORTANT THOUGHT.  Some of the things we did in preparing to fish at night was >  Find areas one or two that you could fish all night so that you're not running the lake; We mostly fished Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn so fishing hydrilla was our target areas.  Big Worms, jigs, top water baits were the lures of choice.  Limit the tackle on the deck so you're not knocking stuff over board or tripping  over it.

Back in the day guys had "Black Lights" on their boats so they could see their lines out in the water.  Yep casting is different at night due to depth perception etc.  Lots of backlashes & getting hung up occur until you get the reels adjusted especially if you fishing down a bank line.  Ensure your batteries are fully charged so you can leave the running lights / deck lights on.  This is so other boaters can see you while your sitting still and they're running up and down the water. 

Make sure you let someone know where your launching from and what area you're going to be fishing.  Take extra clothing in case you fall out of the boat.

I'm sure they'll be other that will chime in.  There's a lot more involved in night fishing than during the day.  Again Safety is very important and having the boat organized to where you can move around freely.

Don't forget the bug spray also 

 

[J.W.]

Everything Donald said is right on.

Make sure your nav lights work before launching, and watch out for the idiot not using his.

Have some mosquito dope and keep your light usage to a minimum, it'll cut down on bugs.
 
Those small LED lights that clip onto a ball cap are very handy for tying knots, etc. Just turn it off and on as you need it. Also carry a decent flashlight that has some good amount of throw to it, just in case you need to see something further away.

Fishing in the dark is mostly like fishing in the day, except every problem is amplified by not being able to see. So do what you can to minimize the typical problems like getting hung, getting backlashes, getting gear tangled up in the boat, etc. Keep the minimum amount of stuff out, and have the net somewhere that it won't get tangled.   

If you're not used to throwing a baitcaster in the dark, it might be easier to fish with spinning gear. Kind of a pain to get backlashes out in the dark, and you will backlash a little more often because you can't see when to thumb the spool. You'll get a feel for it after a while, but if you want to go the easier route, spinning gear is less headache in the dark. Weedless lures will be less headache, too.

Definitely throw some black topwater. Buzzbaits, buzz frogs, hollow body frogs, etc. Like I said, I usually try my best to stay with weedless stuff if they'll bite it, but if not, do what you need to do.

[skidemn]

Thank you guys! Excellent information!


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[Mike Cork]

here is a link to an article I wrote years ago and it still holds true today.

https://ultimatebass.com/fishing/articles/bass-fishing-tips-and-techniques/seasonal-bass-fishing-patterns/summer-fishing-techniques/night-fishing-for-bass/

Only thing I'll really add is that it's still hot you need to keep up with fluids even though you're not feeling the sun...