# Night Fishing



## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Hey folks, going night fishing with my wife and our dogs on Sunday after dropping my daughter off in Provo. We'll be on a river in the area since I want to try night fishing with some different lures I have and I was just wondering if any of you that have done this before (I never have, oddly enough) have any suggestions to make this a more enjoyable experience. I figure bug juice, a headlight, some snacks, leashes for the dogs (don't need fights with ***** or skunks) and just kinda taking it easy will make it a good time, but wondered if you guys had any other ideas. Thanks in advance. Oh, and have any of you found really good success at night or will it possibly turn into an exercise in frustration?


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## HGD (Mar 5, 2008)

I always try to minamize the use of lights, to landing fish and tieing knots. I also like to use a paper cup with the bottom cut out and slip it over the end of my pole. it'll shoot off every time you get a hard hit but the ones that tinker with it, gives you a heads up! LOL it works Good luck


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## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

Worth it- but know your area very well or it could be an unpleasant hazardous outing.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

HGD said:


> I always try to minamize the use of lights, to landing fish and tieing knots. I also like to use a paper cup with the bottom cut out and slip it over the end of my pole. it'll shoot off every time you get a hard hit but the ones that tinker with it, gives you a heads up! LOL it works Good luck


Does it work on fast flows?? Or do you use it for catfishing on the Bear? Packfish... thats what I've heard so I'm sticking to a section I know pretty well with good easy crossings and deep holes spaced apart for some good fishing... hopefully. I want it to be fun for the wife as well.


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## handsomefish (Nov 14, 2007)

Useing lures at night can be very fustrating at first, Try taking some minnows too so after you lose some hardware you can give them a try


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## gwailow (Jan 20, 2008)

Are you catfishing? I have only night fished for the cats, it's loads of fun though. Headlamps are excellent for everything you need to do. Some like to have the bell on their line because they like to snooze a little while fishing. Bug spray is a must. I use stinky shrimp and seem to always have pretty good success.

In all honesty though as long as the bugs aren't horrible, it's a relaxing time to fish; listen to the water and checking out the skies.


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

handsomefish said:


> Useing lures at night can be very fustrating at first, Try taking some minnows too so after you lose some hardware you can give them a try


Thats actually the plan... no lures, just plastics. I used to use Yo Zuri Pins Minnows for the really bright flash but my last trip with just a few minutes of daylight left convinced me that using bigger plastics just might provoke a few bigger browns into taking a bite.  I just might get a trout or two for 1-I's contest.

Gwailow... it'll be fishing pretty fast water for browns. I haven't river fished much for cats at night, just a little during the day. I'm planning on picking up some hard core Deet to fend off biting bloodsuckers. I have a light with a red LED which I figure might not be as "spooky" for the fish as the bright white lights.


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## handsomefish (Nov 14, 2007)

Your idea about the bigger plastics in the last few minutes of light sounds about right, But once it gets dark every thing slows down and your presention needs to also.The darker it gets the slower I fish during the new moon stage is when I let it sit (usually in the tail end of the hole) but on a full moon or just a brighter nite I'll drift my minnow thru the riffels into a hole and then slowly work it back
You'll always catch more fish during the the day But at nite is 
when you have the chance at the big ones 
Good luck and I'll be looking for your report on monday


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## baconeater (Apr 5, 2008)

i usually take a couple lanterns and a small flashlight you can hold in your mouth while getting your hook out, its hard to tie knots and bait in the dark! night fishin is the best time to land a big brown, a worm and marshmellow is a good bet. good luck!


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## rooster (Jul 12, 2008)

I have read in more than one outdoor mag that night fishing for browns is the best way to get the bigones, but I am sure the first rule is to fish where the big ones are. Also I remember something about the bigger ones being just as spokey at night as any other time


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

rooster said:


> I have read in more than one outdoor mag that night fishing for browns is the best way to get the bigones, but I am sure the first rule is to fish where the big ones are. Also I remember something about the bigger ones being just as spokey at night as any other time


I guess I should justify my choice by saying when I lived in Orem, I used to fish all the local waters hard, and I fished them a lot. I'd go and stay all day and learned a lot because of it. The one thing I saw is that yeah, you can get nice fish on all the rivers during the day.... but its harder. Seems like during really hot days, a lot of the big fish (again this is just my experience) moved into little shady spots in the riffles... perhaps because of higher oxygen content in the water as opposed to pools?? I don't honestly know. I caught most of my fish in the middle of the day on spinners.... more of a reaction bite it seemed like. I did occasionally catch a few deep in the biggest holes just by dead drifting a lure but that was the exception more than the standard occurrence. When the sun goes down, those fish seemed to slip back into the bigger pools and I caught most of them right at the head of deeper holding areas on lures that I would think were slower and more because the fish were feeding aggressively than just seeing something going flying by and taking a swipe at it. The exception to this was if I fished a few smaller streams where the fish aren't hammered to death every day by tons of people. Then it became about finding the big fish and just giving them something to bite... usually they were pretty willing. DF, the Provo and Fish Creek were the only three I really fished anywhere near dark (I've never "night fished" before) and my biggest fish always seemed to come first thing in the morning or right at dusk. I've also heard the stories of guys ripping huge Rapala cranks through the deep holes on the Provo pulling out monsters and some folks I trust have seen pictures of these hogs. Thats enough for me to at least try it....if it works or doesn't, I'll post a report with pics. I probably wont give up after one trip either and I'll talk about good and bad things that happened. There's bound to be both on a first trip.

Oh, and before I forget... Nortah and Rapalahunter.... my wife and I did a 6 1/2 mile hike up Little Cottonwood canyon yesterday and her legs are shot (understandably) so she won't be going tonight. You guys want to meet up and fish? RH could bring his lures, I'll bring mine and Nor-tah could use his methods to see what the hogs like. I'll have a camera too. Let me know and I'll check my PM's before I head down around 5 or so.


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## Hellsangler69 (Sep 26, 2007)

Not sure what section you are fishing at night but I use to haunt them waters at night . I always did best on no moon nights . I also love to night fish the Green at night and when the sun would come up it was hard to not fish all day too . I mainly use floating rapalas but mice flies could be good too . I have seen them rise to stoneflies at night also .


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## Riverrat77 (Sep 7, 2007)

Well, sorry to dog out on all the people probably waiting for a report. I took my daughter down as planned, around seven thirty... however, I played two nine inning softball games from about 9:30 to 2:00 today in the heat of the day so my legs were pretty well shot. We'd also been hanging out with friends who wanted me to hurry back from Orem so I didn't get to go fish. Those two things combined convinced me I would be better off shooting for another day. My wife also wants to accompany me and so she said that next Friday night is the night we'll go. If she gets tired or whatever, she'll just walk back to the truck and sleep there until I show up. Sounds like a plan to me.... so rain check tonight... cash it on Friday. Sorry fellas.... but I'll get it done in five days.


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## rapalahunter (Oct 13, 2007)

No need for excuses. We understand you're afraid of the dark. :wink:


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