In The Dark of Night

7 comments / Posted on / by

Photo by Louis Cahill

Photo by Louis Cahill

By Johnny Spillane

Some of the most fun I have ever had fishing has been after the sun goes down. The biggest fish in the river come out after dark and there are some really fun ways to fish for them.

If you are anywhere there is a prolific caddis hatch, which is almost everywhere, swinging and skating caddis can be deadly. My favorite caddis pattern for fishing at night is the Goddard Caddis. It floats really well and skates across the surface with ease.

Typically when fishing at night I use much heavier tippet then I would use during the day because fish tend to slam flies harder and a lot of times you wont know there is a fish until you feel the tug. If the moon is bright enough, often you can still see the take as you would during the day, but if not, your going to have to rely on your sense of feel. Try using 2x first, and if that proves to be too heavy, switch to 3x but very rarely do you need to go any finer than that, even in areas that are heavily fished.

I like to fish the runs the same way I would fish a streamer. Starting at the top I’d make a cast towards the far bank, throw in a quick down stream mend and then let the fly skate across the surface. After each cast, take a step downstream so that you are covering all the water.

Another really fun option is to fish at night from a boat or raft and beat the banks with bright streamers or mouse patterns. Before we talk any further, make sure you are VERY comfortable rowing the stretch of water that you intend to fish. Everything comes at you much quicker at night and safety is the first concern when you are in the boat at night on a river.

Having said that, fishing from the boat at night can really produce. My favorite streamer for night fishing is a big white or black zonker on a short sink tip. I like to fish slow deep water looking for the big guys that you don’t see during the day. Make sure to vary your retrieves, I have found that how you work the fly is more important than the pattern itself.

Try slow long strips, short sporadic strips, the fish will eventually tell you what you should be doing. As far as tippet goes, you can generally get away with pretty heavy stuff unless there is a very bright moon. I start with 1x and then if needed I’ll go finer, but typically 1x is the ticket.

As far as other gear for night fishing a good headlamp is a must. One with a red light is best. The red lamp allows your eyes to adjust back to darkness much faster when you turn it off.

If you’re into nymphing at night, there are numerous glow-in-the-dark indicators that might come in handy. I have never found that I needed to nymph at night, but to each there own. Its also nice to have some sort of eye protection, most companies make glasses for very low light that work well enough. Hell, maybe just stop messing around and fish with some night vision goggles!

All in all, night fishing is a ton of fun, relatively easy and one of the best opportunities to catch the biggest fish in the river. The above-mentioned techniques are what have worked best for me, but there are countless other ways to get it done in the dark.

Also read

Fly Fishing Lights At Night

Tight lines,

Johnny Spillane

Gink & Gasoline
www.ginkandgasoline.com
hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
 
Sign Up For Our Weekly Newsletter!
  SteamboatFlyfisher_Inline

Follow Gink & Gasoline on Facebook:

7 thoughts on “In The Dark of Night

  1. Fishing at night is great fun. And it can often be very productive, particularly on heavily fished waters.

    I think it is always good to have a partner when fishing at night. Things change after dark and an extra set of eyes, or ears, is often good insurance (or assurance).

  2. Best time for sea trout in the UK, no moon, cloud covered night. You can hear them at the back end of the pool. The senses of touch and hearing become exaggerated.

  3. When you’re fishing at night, can you use a headlamp? I have always stayed away from night-fishing, because of the assumption that I would not have enough light to either be safe or adequately cast a fly line. If you are using a headlight, do you need to keep the beam off of the water? Thanks a lot.

  4. Pingback: Tippets: Night Fishing Tips, Pennsylvania Public Access, Ohio Asian Carp Study | MidCurrent

  5. Pingback: And the moon sheds a drop of blood | SRI LANKA

  6. Pingback: And the Moon Sheds a Drop of Blood – Brewminate

Leave a Reply to michael lenetsky Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published.

Captcha loading...