Night Time Bassin
I love getting to a lake just before dark. I watch as everyone is packing it up for the day.
I launch with no trouble as I am the only one putting in right now, and I’m as giddy as a schoolboy knowing darn well I have the bass all to myself, at least for now.
As I slip my boat in, I want to stick to my game plan. And that is to try and get the maximum out of the minimum. That for me would be to target the high percentage areas first. I have been to this lake many times and I know exactly where and what I’m going to do what.
I’m armed with my favorite bait, a Dirty Burd Lures Buzzkill, a four bladed buzzbait that I add a torn or beat up swim bait to as a trailer to give it a bigger profile … that takes very little effort to keep on top, so that means I can crank that baby real slow.
The typical laydowns and underwater structure I find on my electronics I key on. Also of course being dark I also use my hearing. Be conscious of the sounds of the night. Baitfish flipping on the surface, bass busting on top.
You can’t go wrong with just working down the shoreline throwing that bait along docks, boats tied up and even swimmers floats, but I also enjoy and seem to get my bigger fish on isolated cover. Those rockpiles in deeper water that top off just a couple feet below the surface.
Or those isolated weed beds in the middle of nowhere.
All in all I just love buzzbait bassin. In the heat of the summer a lot of anglers get to the lake way before the sun comes up then pack it up. Or get to the water just before dark and I find a good buzzbait in these circumstances catches some good fish.
- If you notice you’re missing a lot of fish, slow down your retrieve or add a trailer hook.
Also after missed strikes, throw back over the same spot a couple of times, sometimes that fish will still be there and there’s a good chance he will hit you again.
With buzzbait fishing at night, you obviously are not going to see your bait all the time on the retrieve. So again, listen to your bait, make sure its “running true”. That is free of weeds or debris that will interfere with the blade.
The constant steady gurgling of the blade is what you want to hear. Or if your buzzbait has a clacker, that gurgling-clacking sound should be constant throughout the retrieve. It won’t take long before you will be able to tell if your bait is fouled by weeds or tangled in itself.
The strike on a buzzbait are from bone-jarring to a slight slurp. In the darkness they will both get your adrenaline going.
If you have never ventured out on a dark night to throw a buzzbait, you’re missing something special. After your eyes adjust to the darkness, your ‘night vision’ will kick in.
I lower all my electronics lights to lowest setting as not to interfere with that night vision. I also put on a hat or visor to block any shoreline lighting. Throwing a buzzbait is just plain old fun.
About Bill Peraino
Bill co-hosts “The Reel Deal” with Richie Moschella. The show can be found in northeast New Jersey where it’s been running for 4 years. He is an avid Kayak fisherman. Bill has been bass fishing for 20 years and brings his knowledge, tips and tricks to Bass Fishing Gurus.
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