The Australian Bass is an active night feeder, like most freshwater bass, and roams far and wide at night. This is in sharp contrast to how they spend their time during the day. They hide in their habitat only striking at prey that come within reach, never venturing into open space.

 

In river locations and those lakes where the bass hunt near the shore for smaller bait and insects, peak feeding usually occurs in low light situations.

 

There are 3 good reasons to fish at night

  1. Australian bass don’t like bright sunlight. As a given rule, the higher the sun, the deeper the bass go, especially in summer when it gets very hot
  2. Small baitfish know their best interest is well served by staying well hidden during daylight hours. They’re active between the late afternoon and early morning
  3. Insect activity is greatest at night as is the activity of other baitfish

Night fishing is a challenging sport and something novice anglers always have trouble learning. The bass climb all over surface lures and try to swallow them on some nights while other nights all hook-ups are on the outside of their head.  The reason being the fish is trying to either stun its victim or get rid of any annoyance.

These are not difficult fish to figure out

They operate out of instinct and there’s not a lot of instincts. Basically they have 2.

  1. They feed out of hunger and will strike pretty much anything having over 140 different prey in their diet.
  2. The second instinct is to defend their territory both while spawning and in their day to day lives. They don’t always feed, but will strike a lure or bait if it comes close, though they may only strike it by bumping into it.

Remember these instincts when fishing for them.

 

If there’s a lot of consistent human activity during the day, you can expect an active bass feeding population at night. And by active, we mean very active. The Australian Bass is a binge feeder going after any bait or lure that comes across their line of sight. Even though at certain times of year, like spring, when insects are in great numbers along the rivers, there’s a preference for this food.

 

Other standard bass food fair such as small frogs, crayfish and worms are also bass crowd pleasers.

 

The Australian Bass prefers a clear water habitat with a temperature range of between of between 59f degrees to 73f degrees (25C to 23C), though it can tolerate moderate turbidity.

 

There’s several reasons why Australian Bass are active night feeders with one of the biggest reasons being that most of their prey come out when the sun sets. Human interference is another reason, though this is hardly the biggest cause, with the exception of high traffic areas.

Fishing Full Moons

The advantage of a full moon is that it will allow you to fish well into the night without the aid of a torch. Full moon nights are highly recommended for first time anglers.

 

Fallen trees are surprisingly visible in the moon with the ability to see into the shallows being quite possible.

Tip

If you’ve found a tree in the water, cast in tight to the butt where it joins the bank. Big bass love these hiding holes and if your first cast is accurate, one of 2 things will happen when the lure hits the water. You’ll get an explosive strike or absolutely nothing at all.

Sunset

When the sun sets, the Australian Bass venture out into relatively open water in search for food. However this makes landing your lure close to a river bank more difficult even on a full moon. You should know your surroundings before heading out. We recommend surveying the area before nightfall, taking notes.

 

If fishing from a boat, use a fish finder and at night, allow your boat to drift with the current to avoid making too much noise.

 

Making some notes during the day can make your experience far more successful and less frustrating. You might also want to avoid using your favorite lures in case it gets snagged in a tree.