Night Fishing Smallies!

Ok all, I know it is fall, and I know the Smallies are up shallow
eating. Here is what I am running into! The moment the sun disappeares
behind the horizon, boom, nothing, not a bite, or anything. I switch to
black crankbaits, black topwaters, black spinnerbaits, etc. etc. When
that doesn't fly, I go to natural(shad, crayfish, etc.), white, then
chartreuse , next thing will be glow in the dark.

I have read articles on night fishing, and here is one question I have.
Do smallies stop biting for a certain amount of time as their senses
adjust to the lighting conditions. From 5pm to 6:30pm (sunset about
6:15 or 5 minutes in that general time frame). Then nothing at all, and
I have gone into 1, 2, and 3 hours after dark. Still nothing. I am
still marking balls of baitfishing on my graph, but I have not even had
a bite, and I am probably fishing after dark 2 or 3 days a week.
Reading those articles, I know people catch fish after dark, and I know
people here have mentioned night tournaments. I will say that Winnebago
is not by any means clear. I guess I would take any suggestions you
guys might have. I don't get out of work till almost 5pm, so if I only
fished till dark that would only be about an hour and a half, and that
just isn't acceptable :-).

Thanks all!

Chris

"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
. ..
Ok all, I know it is fall, and I know the Smallies are up shallow eating.
Here is what I am running into! The moment the sun disappeares behind the
horizon, boom, nothing, not a bite, or anything. I switch to black
crankbaits, black topwaters, black spinnerbaits, etc. etc. When that
doesn't fly, I go to natural(shad, crayfish, etc.), white, then chartreuse
, next thing will be glow in the dark.

I have read articles on night fishing, and here is one question I have. Do
smallies stop biting for a certain amount of time as their senses adjust
to the lighting conditions. From 5pm to 6:30pm (sunset about 6:15 or 5
minutes in that general time frame). Then nothing at all, and I have gone
into 1, 2, and 3 hours after dark. Still nothing. I am still marking
balls of baitfishing on my graph, but I have not even had a bite, and I am
probably fishing after dark 2 or 3 days a week. Reading those articles, I
know people catch fish after dark, and I know people here have mentioned
night tournaments. I will say that Winnebago is not by any means clear.
I guess I would take any suggestions you guys might have. I don't get out
of work till almost 5pm, so if I only fished till dark that would only be
about an hour and a half, and that just isn't acceptable :-).

Thanks all!

Chris



I have experienced a drop in the shallow water bite shortly after dark here
even in the summer. I usually pack it in, but I have heard that they turn
back on a little later.


--
Bob La Londe

Cheapskate's Ways to Do Fishing Stuff
(The Frugal Fisherman)
Through the Month of October 2005

http://www.YumaBassMan.com

I didn't see the word Senko anywhere in your post. That's what I catch them
with and the action really heats up after sundown. Is this a lake or a
river?

Duane
"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
. ..
Ok all, I know it is fall, and I know the Smallies are up shallow eating.
Here is what I am running into! The moment the sun disappeares behind the
horizon, boom, nothing, not a bite, or anything. I switch to black
crankbaits, black topwaters, black spinnerbaits, etc. etc. When that
doesn't fly, I go to natural(shad, crayfish, etc.), white, then chartreuse
, next thing will be glow in the dark.

I have read articles on night fishing, and here is one question I have. Do
smallies stop biting for a certain amount of time as their senses adjust
to the lighting conditions. From 5pm to 6:30pm (sunset about 6:15 or 5
minutes in that general time frame). Then nothing at all, and I have gone
into 1, 2, and 3 hours after dark. Still nothing. I am still marking
balls of baitfishing on my graph, but I have not even had a bite, and I am
probably fishing after dark 2 or 3 days a week. Reading those articles, I
know people catch fish after dark, and I know people here have mentioned
night tournaments. I will say that Winnebago is not by any means clear.
I guess I would take any suggestions you guys might have. I don't get out
of work till almost 5pm, so if I only fished till dark that would only be
about an hour and a half, and that just isn't acceptable :-).

Thanks all!

Chris

Bob La Londe wrote:
"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
. ..

Ok all, I know it is fall, and I know the Smallies are up shallow eating.
Here is what I am running into! The moment the sun disappeares behind the
horizon, boom, nothing, not a bite, or anything. I switch to black
crankbaits, black topwaters, black spinnerbaits, etc. etc. When that
doesn't fly, I go to natural(shad, crayfish, etc.), white, then chartreuse
, next thing will be glow in the dark.

I have read articles on night fishing, and here is one question I have. Do
smallies stop biting for a certain amount of time as their senses adjust
to the lighting conditions. From 5pm to 6:30pm (sunset about 6:15 or 5
minutes in that general time frame). Then nothing at all, and I have gone
into 1, 2, and 3 hours after dark. Still nothing. I am still marking
balls of baitfishing on my graph, but I have not even had a bite, and I am
probably fishing after dark 2 or 3 days a week. Reading those articles, I
know people catch fish after dark, and I know people here have mentioned
night tournaments. I will say that Winnebago is not by any means clear.
I guess I would take any suggestions you guys might have. I don't get out
of work till almost 5pm, so if I only fished till dark that would only be
about an hour and a half, and that just isn't acceptable :-).

Thanks all!

Chris




I have experienced a drop in the shallow water bite shortIly after dark here
even in the summer. I usually pack it in, but I have heard that they turn
back on a little later.


Bob,

I am considering staying out till about mid-night or so one of these
nights just to see what i can dig up, and giving the fish a chance to
settle into the environment..

With that said, why type of lights do you guys recommend for night
fishing. Meaning, a black light, or small flashlight. I remember RichZ
commenting about screwing up your night vision by using a flashlight ,
so would a blacklight do me better. I have had issues with retying, etc.

Thanks again!

A blacklight wont help a bit with your vision. It only illuminates
flourescent articles...

Warren

"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
. ..
Bob La Londe wrote:
"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
. ..

Ok all, I know it is fall, and I know the Smallies are up shallow
eating.
Here is what I am running into! The moment the sun disappeares behind
the
horizon, boom, nothing, not a bite, or anything. I switch to black
crankbaits, black topwaters, black spinnerbaits, etc. etc. When that
doesn't fly, I go to natural(shad, crayfish, etc.), white, then
chartreuse
, next thing will be glow in the dark.

I have read articles on night fishing, and here is one question I have.
Do
smallies stop biting for a certain amount of time as their senses adjust
to the lighting conditions. From 5pm to 6:30pm (sunset about 6:15 or 5
minutes in that general time frame). Then nothing at all, and I have
gone
into 1, 2, and 3 hours after dark. Still nothing. I am still marking
balls of baitfishing on my graph, but I have not even had a bite, and I
am
probably fishing after dark 2 or 3 days a week. Reading those articles,
I
know people catch fish after dark, and I know people here have mentioned
night tournaments. I will say that Winnebago is not by any means clear.
I guess I would take any suggestions you guys might have. I don't get
out
of work till almost 5pm, so if I only fished till dark that would only
be
about an hour and a half, and that just isn't acceptable :-).

Thanks all!

Chris




I have experienced a drop in the shallow water bite shortIly after dark
here
even in the summer. I usually pack it in, but I have heard that they
turn
back on a little later.


Bob,

I am considering staying out till about mid-night or so one of these
nights just to see what i can dig up, and giving the fish a chance to
settle into the environment..

With that said, why type of lights do you guys recommend for night
fishing. Meaning, a black light, or small flashlight. I remember RichZ
commenting about screwing up your night vision by using a flashlight ,
so would a blacklight do me better. I have had issues with retying, etc.

Thanks again!

Any white light will impair your night vision, not much you can do about
it. You could use red lights, they have little affect on night vision.
But what I do when night fishing is use an indirect light (battery
operated florecsent), so I never look directly into the light...works
pretty good for me.

JK

I would throw black and blue craws with rattles in them, and probably dip
them a bit in some garlic, but that's just me. Do yourself a favor, get
yourself a headlamp, Red light or blue, some models have all 3 white, blue
and red lights. Perfect for early morning or night fishing, great if you get
hung up on those pesky shoreline trees, best of all it's hands free.



"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
. ..
DUANE DOSTIE wrote:
I didn't see the word Senko anywhere in your post. That's what I catch
them with and the action really heats up after sundown. Is this a lake
or a river?

Duane
"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
. ..

Ok all, I know it is fall, and I know the Smallies are up shallow
eating. Here is what I am running into! The moment the sun disappeares
behind the horizon, boom, nothing, not a bite, or anything. I switch to
black crankbaits, black topwaters, black spinnerbaits, etc. etc. When
that doesn't fly, I go to natural(shad, crayfish, etc.), white, then
chartreuse , next thing will be glow in the dark.

I have read articles on night fishing, and here is one question I have.
Do smallies stop biting for a certain amount of time as their senses
adjust to the lighting conditions. From 5pm to 6:30pm (sunset about
6:15 or 5 minutes in that general time frame). Then nothing at all, and
I have gone into 1, 2, and 3 hours after dark. Still nothing. I am
still marking balls of baitfishing on my graph, but I have not even had
a bite, and I am probably fishing after dark 2 or 3 days a week. Reading
those articles, I know people catch fish after dark, and I know people
here have mentioned night tournaments. I will say that Winnebago is not
by any means clear. I guess I would take any suggestions you guys might
have. I don't get out of work till almost 5pm, so if I only fished till
dark that would only be about an hour and a half, and that just isn't
acceptable :-).

Thanks all!

Chris


I apologize, It is a large drainage area lake. Natural, shallow, and a
majority is rock bottom, with the other large percentage being mud. Weeds
grow down to about 5', rocks bars at all depths are scattered all over the
west side of the lake, where I spend 100% of my time.

Senkos are used frequently, I didn't list everything, but just wnated to
give the impression that I have tried a wide variety of baits.

Thanks for any input!

Chris

yea, and make sure theres lots of mosquitos around ;-)

WW

"alwaysfishking" wrote in message
...


I would throw black and blue craws with rattles in them, and probably dip
them a bit in some garlic, but that's just me. Do yourself a favor, get
yourself a headlamp, Red light or blue, some models have all 3 white, blue
and red lights. Perfect for early morning or night fishing, great if you
get
hung up on those pesky shoreline trees, best of all it's hands free.



"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
. ..
DUANE DOSTIE wrote:
I didn't see the word Senko anywhere in your post. That's what I catch
them with and the action really heats up after sundown. Is this a lake
or a river?

Duane
"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
. ..

Ok all, I know it is fall, and I know the Smallies are up shallow
eating. Here is what I am running into! The moment the sun
disappeares
behind the horizon, boom, nothing, not a bite, or anything. I switch
to
black crankbaits, black topwaters, black spinnerbaits, etc. etc. When
that doesn't fly, I go to natural(shad, crayfish, etc.), white, then
chartreuse , next thing will be glow in the dark.

I have read articles on night fishing, and here is one question I
have.
Do smallies stop biting for a certain amount of time as their senses
adjust to the lighting conditions. From 5pm to 6:30pm (sunset about
6:15 or 5 minutes in that general time frame). Then nothing at all,
and
I have gone into 1, 2, and 3 hours after dark. Still nothing. I am
still marking balls of baitfishing on my graph, but I have not even
had
a bite, and I am probably fishing after dark 2 or 3 days a week.
Reading
those articles, I know people catch fish after dark, and I know people
here have mentioned night tournaments. I will say that Winnebago is
not
by any means clear. I guess I would take any suggestions you guys
might
have. I don't get out of work till almost 5pm, so if I only fished
till
dark that would only be about an hour and a half, and that just isn't
acceptable :-).

Thanks all!

Chris


I apologize, It is a large drainage area lake. Natural, shallow, and a
majority is rock bottom, with the other large percentage being mud.
Weeds
grow down to about 5', rocks bars at all depths are scattered all over
the
west side of the lake, where I spend 100% of my time.

Senkos are used frequently, I didn't list everything, but just wnated to
give the impression that I have tried a wide variety of baits.

Thanks for any input!

Chris

Not true for all fluorescent lamps, Warren. I've fished more nights than
days over the last twenty years, so I have some experience with them. Black
lights usually put off enough light across the spectrum to illuminate the
bank, the area of boat around them, and certainly the water in front of the
lens. They put out sufficient light to find things on the boat deck, to
retie lures, sort through tackle, etc.

I've used five different brands of black lights over the years. The best was
a homemade job that Bubba Martin, my partner, made in his sign shop in
Memphis. Of commercially-made lamps, I prefer the Zorro models, made by Stan
Sloan. Mine has a second, small incandescent bulb with rheostat. Charles has
one with just the fluorescent bulb. They're both excellent choices.

Joe
"go-bassn" wrote in message
...
A blacklight wont help a bit with your vision. It only illuminates
flourescent articles...

Warren

"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
. ..
Bob La Londe wrote:
"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
. ..

Ok all, I know it is fall, and I know the Smallies are up shallow
eating.
Here is what I am running into! The moment the sun disappeares behind
the
horizon, boom, nothing, not a bite, or anything. I switch to black
crankbaits, black topwaters, black spinnerbaits, etc. etc. When that
doesn't fly, I go to natural(shad, crayfish, etc.), white, then
chartreuse
, next thing will be glow in the dark.

I have read articles on night fishing, and here is one question I have.
Do
smallies stop biting for a certain amount of time as their senses adjust
to the lighting conditions. From 5pm to 6:30pm (sunset about 6:15 or 5
minutes in that general time frame). Then nothing at all, and I have
gone
into 1, 2, and 3 hours after dark. Still nothing. I am still marking
balls of baitfishing on my graph, but I have not even had a bite, and I
am
probably fishing after dark 2 or 3 days a week. Reading those articles,
I
know people catch fish after dark, and I know people here have mentioned
night tournaments. I will say that Winnebago is not by any means clear.
I guess I would take any suggestions you guys might have. I don't get
out
of work till almost 5pm, so if I only fished till dark that would only
be
about an hour and a half, and that just isn't acceptable :-).

Thanks all!

Chris




I have experienced a drop in the shallow water bite shortIly after dark
here
even in the summer. I usually pack it in, but I have heard that they
turn
back on a little later.


Bob,

I am considering staying out till about mid-night or so one of these
nights just to see what i can dig up, and giving the fish a chance to
settle into the environment..

With that said, why type of lights do you guys recommend for night
fishing. Meaning, a black light, or small flashlight. I remember RichZ
commenting about screwing up your night vision by using a flashlight ,
so would a blacklight do me better. I have had issues with retying, etc.

Thanks again!

Chris, in my own experience, the bite does drop off after dusk, but it
improves after about 11 PM, and then drops off toward 4 AM. It picks back up
again as the sky begins to brighten in predawn. It stays that way until the
sun rises high enough to shine directly on the water. For that reason, there
are quite a few night anglers in the south that catch a nap in the evening
and then hit the lake just before midnight.

I fished at night year round in Mississippi, and the best night (for
catching big bass, not comfort) was definitely January. Not too many boats
on the water at night that time of year either... very peaceful, and
quiet.... except for the chattering of teeth and creaking of joints.

Joe
-------------------------
"Chris Rennert" wrote in message
. ..
Ok all, I know it is fall, and I know the Smallies are up shallow
eating. Here is what I am running into! The moment the sun disappeares
behind the horizon, boom, nothing, not a bite, or anything. I switch to
black crankbaits, black topwaters, black spinnerbaits, etc. etc. When
that doesn't fly, I go to natural(shad, crayfish, etc.), white, then
chartreuse , next thing will be glow in the dark.

I have read articles on night fishing, and here is one question I have.
Do smallies stop biting for a certain amount of time as their senses
adjust to the lighting conditions. From 5pm to 6:30pm (sunset about
6:15 or 5 minutes in that general time frame). Then nothing at all, and
I have gone into 1, 2, and 3 hours after dark. Still nothing. I am
still marking balls of baitfishing on my graph, but I have not even had
a bite, and I am probably fishing after dark 2 or 3 days a week.
Reading those articles, I know people catch fish after dark, and I know
people here have mentioned night tournaments. I will say that Winnebago
is not by any means clear. I guess I would take any suggestions you
guys might have. I don't get out of work till almost 5pm, so if I only
fished till dark that would only be about an hour and a half, and that
just isn't acceptable :-).

Thanks all!

Chris