Favorite Night Baits Revisited - Advice Needed

[Thundercat]

After revisiting several older rofb threads dating back to 1997, I
would like to get a current consensus on favorite nighttime summer
lures. The most predominant lures of the past appeared to be black w/
red or blue buzzbaits, black spinnerbaits w/ black blades, black
jitterbugs and black w/ blue worms.

I will be in a night tournament in a couple of weeks and I am going to
need to adjust the tackle I drag out accordingly. We launch at 8:00 pm
and weigh in ad 5:30 am. Sunset begins at 8:30 pm, civil twilight ends
at 9:00 pm, moonrise is at 1:20 am (37% visible disk), moon transit is
not until 8:30 am, and civil twilight begins again at 5:00 am.

How would you attack the different light levels? This lake has good
numbers of both largemouth and smallmouth bass.

Harry J aka Thundercat
Brooklyn Bill's Tackle Shop Fishing Team
http://www.geocities.com/brooklynbill2003/products.html
Share the knowledge, compete on execution.

[Charles B. Summers]

First things first, pack the coffee thermos cause that can be a long night!

Ok... forget about the moonlight helping you. Instead, if there are any
single light sources like around launch ramps, that's here the lighting will
come into play. Spinnerbaits have always done well for me there in black or
purple colors.

Otherwise, spinnerbaits are still effective at night in the total darkness,
but texas-rigged worms are great at night. Hopefully, the boater will have a
good set of black-lights, so be sure to spool your worm rod with flourescent
line. If you've never seen flourescent line under a black light at night...
you haven't fished! It make that mono look like rope hanging from your rod!

I'm not much on nighttime topwater lures, but only because I can catch them
on the two above mentioned baits. If they're not biting those... it's time
to go home. Ok, I'll have to add jigs up there somewhere too, so make that
three.

--
Charles Summers
Secret Weapon Lures
http://www.secretweaponlures.com
"Thundercat" > wrote in message
...
> After revisiting several older rofb threads dating back to 1997, I
> would like to get a current consensus on favorite nighttime summer
> lures. The most predominant lures of the past appeared to be black w/
> red or blue buzzbaits, black spinnerbaits w/ black blades, black
> jitterbugs and black w/ blue worms.
>
> I will be in a night tournament in a couple of weeks and I am going to
> need to adjust the tackle I drag out accordingly. We launch at 8:00 pm
> and weigh in ad 5:30 am. Sunset begins at 8:30 pm, civil twilight ends
> at 9:00 pm, moonrise is at 1:20 am (37% visible disk), moon transit is
> not until 8:30 am, and civil twilight begins again at 5:00 am.
>
> How would you attack the different light levels? This lake has good
> numbers of both largemouth and smallmouth bass.
>
> Harry J aka Thundercat
> Brooklyn Bill's Tackle Shop Fishing Team
> http://www.geocities.com/brooklynbill2003/products.html
> Share the knowledge, compete on execution.

[Bob Rickard]

I will speak only on the subject of spinnerbaits. When I am seriously trying
to catch fish at night, here is what I choose:

~ The only colors I ever use at night on my spinnerbaits are solid black or
black with blue (the blue turns black in the dark, as do all other colors).
I always use a black blade at night. This combination never varies.

~ At twilight or the crack of dawn, I prefer the black with blue skirt, and
use a gold blade. I use this combination because it has always produced the
best for me at those times.

~ I use only 3/8 oz. spinnerbaits in real low light & no light situations,
because I always use slow, steady, shallow retrieves. In my experience, deep
bass will come up a long way if they are interested, and the slow steady
retrieve facilitates the fish finding the lure.

~ In all the conditions described above, I always use only single blades,
starting with a #4 Colorado, and then if I get no action I will eventually
switch to a #6 Indiana, then a #7 Indiana, then a #5 Colorado & then,
finally, a #6 Colorado. If none of these produce, I would switch to a large
black Jitterbug & eat as many snacks as possible between casts (hot peppers,
Slim Jims, Beef Jerky, & other healthy stuff.)

~ I have one major exception to the above: I have no idea why this works,
but a 3/8 oz. spinnerbait with a purple skirt and a #6 gold Colorado blade
can be an absolute killer around lighted boat docks, marinas, etc. Go
figure!

I'm sure that some of this will sound weird, but whatever works... right? I
have always done well at night this way, and I hope it helps.

Good luck to you, Harry!

--
Bob Rickard
(AKA Dr. Spinnerbait)
www.secretweaponlures.com
--------------------------<=x O')))><








"Thundercat" > wrote in message
...
> After revisiting several older rofb threads dating back to 1997, I
> would like to get a current consensus on favorite nighttime summer
> lures. The most predominant lures of the past appeared to be black w/
> red or blue buzzbaits, black spinnerbaits w/ black blades, black
> jitterbugs and black w/ blue worms.
>
> I will be in a night tournament in a couple of weeks and I am going to
> need to adjust the tackle I drag out accordingly. We launch at 8:00 pm
> and weigh in ad 5:30 am. Sunset begins at 8:30 pm, civil twilight ends
> at 9:00 pm, moonrise is at 1:20 am (37% visible disk), moon transit is
> not until 8:30 am, and civil twilight begins again at 5:00 am.
>
> How would you attack the different light levels? This lake has good
> numbers of both largemouth and smallmouth bass.
>
> Harry J aka Thundercat
> Brooklyn Bill's Tackle Shop Fishing Team
> http://www.geocities.com/brooklynbill2003/products.html
> Share the knowledge, compete on execution.

[RichZ]

3/8 to 5/8 oz black singlespin with a black nickel blade is my #1 night
time LM choice. I put a black 'chunk' on it for a trailer to increase the
opaque silhouette when viewed from beneath. For SM it's the same thing
EXCEPT around lighted boat docks or under full/high moon conditions, when I
use the same thing with a copper blade. The touch of flash seems to be a
smallie trigger when there's enough light to actually flash. If there are
any lighted BEACH areas, be sure to fish right through the weed free, clean
sand, swimming area about 3 in the morning.

I then to fish parallel to shore and try to run the spinnerbait at as
steady a speed as possible, about 1/3 of the way down in the water column.
sudden changes in speed or direction are strike triggers in the daytime. At
night, they seem to generate misses. Tune yourself into the thump of the
big single blade and whenever anything interrupts or deadens it, swing
hard.



RichZ©
www.richz.com/fishing

[alwaysfishking]

Well last night tourney I did, I had some luck with Black and Blue wacky
worm craws at Hopatcong, add a 1/8 oz weight and a glass rattle, as light
approached I switched to a stike king triple buzz in black/blue. I caught 4
keepers during that tourney but never made it to weigh in as you remember.
If you come up then I can throw you some craws. I just picked up some 3 and
1/2 inch ones, very nice for flipping into pads and such. Other options
would include the midnight snack spinnerbait by secret weapon and the Flw
finesse jig in black and blue, with an arkie craw trailer, zara spooks in
black/white and they have some new glow poppers, little flashlight and it
glows for a few hours, never used it yet but i'll let you know : ) Hmm maybe
a speed worm in Black with Red


"RichZ" > wrote in message
...
> 3/8 to 5/8 oz black singlespin with a black nickel blade is my #1 night
> time LM choice. I put a black 'chunk' on it for a trailer to increase the
> opaque silhouette when viewed from beneath. For SM it's the same thing
> EXCEPT around lighted boat docks or under full/high moon conditions, when
I
> use the same thing with a copper blade. The touch of flash seems to be a
> smallie trigger when there's enough light to actually flash. If there are
> any lighted BEACH areas, be sure to fish right through the weed free,
clean
> sand, swimming area about 3 in the morning.
>
> I then to fish parallel to shore and try to run the spinnerbait at as
> steady a speed as possible, about 1/3 of the way down in the water column.
> sudden changes in speed or direction are strike triggers in the daytime.
At
> night, they seem to generate misses. Tune yourself into the thump of the
> big single blade and whenever anything interrupts or deadens it, swing
> hard.
>
>
>
> RichZ©
> www.richz.com/fishing
>

[Thundercat]

On Thu, 24 Jun 2004 07:35:27 EDT, RichZ > wrote:

<snip>
>I then to fish parallel to shore and try to run the spinnerbait at as
>steady a speed as possible, about 1/3 of the way down in the water column.
>sudden changes in speed or direction are strike triggers in the daytime. At
>night, they seem to generate misses. Tune yourself into the thump of the
>big single blade and whenever anything interrupts or deadens it, swing
>hard.
>
>
>
>RichZ©
> www.richz.com/fishing

Is there any particular depth you target when working a spinnerbait at
night? Since I will be spending the majority of my time on the back of
the boat, working parallel to the bank ahead of the boat will likely
not be an option for me. At best, I will be able to make casts angled
a bit towards the front. However, if I can figure out the depth at
which to begin, I can shorten my casts and cover more water. I would
rather not just fling it at the bank and hope I luck into the right
depth.

This will only be my second time fishing this lake so I am very
unfamiliar with it. My boater is too. I do have a couple of maps to
study so I am trying my best to pick out a handful of spots to try.
The lake is relatively small (494 acres) but fishes slightly bigger
because you can only use an electric motor. This means neither lake
lice nor pleasure boaters are tearing the place apart during the day.
This place has some wonderful weed beds, lily pad covered flats,
points with steep drop offs and hard to find creek channels. This is a
natural lake, not a man made impoundment. There are so many text book
bassy spots that I don't know where to even begin to begin. Any ideas?

The two gentlemen I wish to lay the smack to the most in this
tournament are both fishing on the same boat, and they both read this
newsgroup frequently. Feel free to email me your response. I do not
want to have to wear the dress...

Harry J aka Thundercat
Brooklyn Bill's Tackle Shop Fishing Team
http://www.geocities.com/brooklynbill2003/products.html
Share the knowledge, compete on execution.