I'm new to fly fishing with some success over the past year. I will be taking our yearly trip to the white river in Ark. in about 1 week. In past years we have fished at night useing a spinning reel with a top water plug like a rattle roge, catching some niece browns. Could someone give me some advise on fly fishing at night Thanks Gregg
Night fly fishing
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peregrines
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I'm sure other folks could give you good advice on fishing the White specifically, but just in general as far as fishing at night goes:
1. Be familiar with the area you're going to fish, scouting in daylight first, and if you are wading out on bars, make sure you know landmarks and can find you're way back to the bank.
2. If it's a tailwater make sure you know the generation schedule (or in SW the tides) and wear a watch you can see.
3. I'd also recommend an head lamp (to wear around your neck), so you can have light with arms free. I prefer LED lights which flick from off to Red light first-- they don't destroy your night vision or spook fish as easily as white lights. You can always flick it to the white if you need more light, and for traveling on land back to the car.
4. I would keep rigging fairly simple, and if you're going after big fish, use heavy leaders with big honking streamers.
5. I'd also recommend trying some night fishing locally before your trip. Get used to using moonlight to tie knots, finding stuff in your vest, get a feel for distance based on the feel of the rod load, and just get some shake down cruises under your belt. It's often surprising how much ambient light is around even at night.
It sounds like you'll have a blast. Good luck, looking forward to your trip report.
peregrines
1. Be familiar with the area you're going to fish, scouting in daylight first, and if you are wading out on bars, make sure you know landmarks and can find you're way back to the bank.
2. If it's a tailwater make sure you know the generation schedule (or in SW the tides) and wear a watch you can see.
3. I'd also recommend an head lamp (to wear around your neck), so you can have light with arms free. I prefer LED lights which flick from off to Red light first-- they don't destroy your night vision or spook fish as easily as white lights. You can always flick it to the white if you need more light, and for traveling on land back to the car.
4. I would keep rigging fairly simple, and if you're going after big fish, use heavy leaders with big honking streamers.
5. I'd also recommend trying some night fishing locally before your trip. Get used to using moonlight to tie knots, finding stuff in your vest, get a feel for distance based on the feel of the rod load, and just get some shake down cruises under your belt. It's often surprising how much ambient light is around even at night.
It sounds like you'll have a blast. Good luck, looking forward to your trip report.
peregrines
arfishinbear
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Peregrines has this pretty well coverd, the only thing I would say is I have had good luck with big black woolies at night. Like size 4 or 2 in all black.
Good luck
Bear
Good luck
Bear
GRN
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Around here, in Brown Trout waters, night fishing is all about throwing big dark stuff on top... big black wulff's or small mice. The best way to practice familiarization with your gear for dark is to do it during the day with your eyes closed (this coming from a photographer who has spent a few hours in darkrooms...) so that you can open them to see where you are going wrong... it's a lot easier to dial in those corrections this way than actually practicing in the dark.
TL's~
TL's~
peregrines
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Gregg-
Don't know the area at all, but if you have boaters zipping around you might want to have a whistle on a lanyard too, along with some sort of waterproof top with a wading belt cinched tight to keep water out if you step in a hole. You can put a vest on over it. Since you're going with friends it would be a good idea to at least keep in voice contact with each other while your in the river.
In addition to buggers you may also want some big flies that push a lot of water-- black rabbit strip or muddler/sculpin type patterns in size 2 and 4, and depending on the line you're using, some heavily weighted ones to fish deep with a floater or unweighted to fish with a sink tip and short leader, which might be a bit easier to manage at night, and also very effective. Casting heavily weighted flies on long leaders at night can be a little hairy, so you may want to pinch the barbs down. If you're throwing big stuff like that a 7 or 8 weight wouldn't be out of place if you have something like that.
I'd add some shad patterns in the event there is a shad kill after a cold snap that can trigger binge feeding.
There are some very big fish down there so throwing some meaty stuff might really pay off.
Not to put the cabosh on it, but I'd also try to give some thought as to how and where you'd land a fish if/when you hook one, and at least have some sort of plan before hand. It can turn into a real circus in the dark, but if you make a mental note of where you can beach a big fish, or where potential snags are to steer fish away, routes you can take to follow it downstream if you need to chase one (without breaking your neck) it might help make a difference if you get a good one on. Better to have a plan and not need it than... Up here in the NE I've seen guys lots of times fishing in SW for stripers casting from places where the chances of landing a hooked fish are exactly zero--- and that's in broad daylight. It can be worse in the dark.
Scouting in daylight also may give you a good idea of stretches of water you can cover by moving, casting three times or so and swinging flies taking 3 steps repeat, to cover a lot of water. It would be good to know where ledges are before hand so you don't step off one at night, or spend lots of time standing where you should be fishing while casting out to unproductive water (And BTW, I've done both more than once.)
And, if you're fishing around rocks, get in the habit of checking your hook points periodically. It's easy to roll a point, or even break off a point on a backcast. I've done that too. You can easily check with your fingers without a light.
It's surprising how much your other senses kick in when you're fishing at night. You should have a great time.
Good luck.
peregrines
Don't know the area at all, but if you have boaters zipping around you might want to have a whistle on a lanyard too, along with some sort of waterproof top with a wading belt cinched tight to keep water out if you step in a hole. You can put a vest on over it. Since you're going with friends it would be a good idea to at least keep in voice contact with each other while your in the river.
In addition to buggers you may also want some big flies that push a lot of water-- black rabbit strip or muddler/sculpin type patterns in size 2 and 4, and depending on the line you're using, some heavily weighted ones to fish deep with a floater or unweighted to fish with a sink tip and short leader, which might be a bit easier to manage at night, and also very effective. Casting heavily weighted flies on long leaders at night can be a little hairy, so you may want to pinch the barbs down. If you're throwing big stuff like that a 7 or 8 weight wouldn't be out of place if you have something like that.
I'd add some shad patterns in the event there is a shad kill after a cold snap that can trigger binge feeding.
There are some very big fish down there so throwing some meaty stuff might really pay off.
Not to put the cabosh on it, but I'd also try to give some thought as to how and where you'd land a fish if/when you hook one, and at least have some sort of plan before hand. It can turn into a real circus in the dark, but if you make a mental note of where you can beach a big fish, or where potential snags are to steer fish away, routes you can take to follow it downstream if you need to chase one (without breaking your neck) it might help make a difference if you get a good one on. Better to have a plan and not need it than... Up here in the NE I've seen guys lots of times fishing in SW for stripers casting from places where the chances of landing a hooked fish are exactly zero--- and that's in broad daylight. It can be worse in the dark.
Scouting in daylight also may give you a good idea of stretches of water you can cover by moving, casting three times or so and swinging flies taking 3 steps repeat, to cover a lot of water. It would be good to know where ledges are before hand so you don't step off one at night, or spend lots of time standing where you should be fishing while casting out to unproductive water (And BTW, I've done both more than once.)
And, if you're fishing around rocks, get in the habit of checking your hook points periodically. It's easy to roll a point, or even break off a point on a backcast. I've done that too. You can easily check with your fingers without a light.
It's surprising how much your other senses kick in when you're fishing at night. You should have a great time.
Good luck.
peregrines
devon flyfisher
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All great advice above, i fish for Sea Trout in the UK at night all the time, my most productive fly is a black foam fly, shaped like a small fish, large yellow eyes, crystal flash underbody all tied on a longshank size 8 with a flying treble out the back.
This is the most exciting fishing when you see your fly being retrieved and creating a small wake followed by a larger wake behind it!!!
Cheers and best of luck
Richard
This is the most exciting fishing when you see your fly being retrieved and creating a small wake followed by a larger wake behind it!!!
Cheers and best of luck
Richard
arfishinbear
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gregg, thanks for the ideal man, took the wife and son fishing last night, belive it or not at 10:30 at night it was still 65 here, anyway I caught teh biggest brown I have caught in about a month 18"er.
Bear
Bear
peregrines
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Bear,
Great going. What did you get him/her on? And what kind of set up were you using?
You've got some incredible fish down there, and the weather sounds great-- I thought it would be pretty bitter cold down there now at night.
Congrats on the fish, and it's great to hear your family shares in the adventures. Guess you'll be going out tonight too...
Richard,
I totally agree. I fish a lot for striped bass at night here in the NE, and one of my favorites to fish is a Snake Fly-- spun deer hair head, with the rest tied pretty much like a Deceiver. It creates a v wake across the surface. At night all your senses seem to be so heightened, and concentration is so intense that if/when the fly suddenly blows up, or you see a larger push of water coming towards it, it can make you jump out of your skin.
Great stuff!!!
peregrines
peregrines
Great going. What did you get him/her on? And what kind of set up were you using?
You've got some incredible fish down there, and the weather sounds great-- I thought it would be pretty bitter cold down there now at night.
Congrats on the fish, and it's great to hear your family shares in the adventures. Guess you'll be going out tonight too...
Richard,
I totally agree. I fish a lot for striped bass at night here in the NE, and one of my favorites to fish is a Snake Fly-- spun deer hair head, with the rest tied pretty much like a Deceiver. It creates a v wake across the surface. At night all your senses seem to be so heightened, and concentration is so intense that if/when the fly suddenly blows up, or you see a larger push of water coming towards it, it can make you jump out of your skin.
Great stuff!!!
peregrines
peregrines
mcnerney
Administrator
Peregrines: Thanks for the great tips on night fishing. I've never really fished at night. I've fished until I couldn't see any longer, but never really targeted fish after dark. Definately going to give it a go this summer.
Larry
Larry
arfishinbear
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A Sage 9' 6wt floating line, 6ft 6lb leader not taperd, black wooly in size 4. no weight and put just a little float paste to keep it high, dead drift, he hit on the swing. Thanks, I love that Staci and Joshua like going as much as me. It will turn cold here at night again in a coupel days, just got a nice little spring weather the last couple days, nights are going to cool back off in about 2 days from the weather forcast.
Bear
Hey there,
I've fished at night with some success but I would compare it to eating escargot!
I've eaten escargot and may do it again but if there are other items on the menu I'll pass.
Ard
I've fished at night with some success but I would compare it to eating escargot!
I've eaten escargot and may do it again but if there are other items on the menu I'll pass.
Ard
fishosopher
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My other senses kicked in, which was unhelpful. It was very dark. I was unsteady on my feet. Something very large swam by me...
Night fishing is not for everyone.
Night fishing is not for everyone.
arfishinbear
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I am not a tuff guy but I aint no pansy either, and sometimes when night fishing I get a feeling and chills run down my spin and the hair on the back of neck stand up, that is when I call it a night. A good friend of mine is a pretty tuff guy, 6'8" pushing 290 and strong as hell, he has even got those feelings while night fishing, one night we were fishing a river and heard a noise that he or I had nither one heard before and we have been doing this outdoors thing alot of years, that noise scared the hell out of teh both of us, lol we fished awhile longer then decided to go get something to eat.
Bear
Bear
I'm with you on the weird noise thing Bear! I've heard things that I don't wanna see while fishing in the pitch black.
I used to do it when I knew there was a large brown around that I couldn't find in daylight. The best way to know is is you fish a small stream that has a great fish population and one of the prettiest pools on the whole darn creek seems to have no fish in it................Duh. Nine times out of ten something big lives there and eats everything else that happens into the pool. I have also seen large brown trout leave the pool via the head or tail riffles at night! When there isn't any thing on the menu in the home pool they travel up or down to find prey.
If you can document a case like this then you either have to go night fishing or hope for the best on the darkest and rainiest days of the year. Hit the place right at the first light on a dark and rainy day and you may do well. I have.
I used to do it when I knew there was a large brown around that I couldn't find in daylight. The best way to know is is you fish a small stream that has a great fish population and one of the prettiest pools on the whole darn creek seems to have no fish in it................Duh. Nine times out of ten something big lives there and eats everything else that happens into the pool. I have also seen large brown trout leave the pool via the head or tail riffles at night! When there isn't any thing on the menu in the home pool they travel up or down to find prey.
If you can document a case like this then you either have to go night fishing or hope for the best on the darkest and rainiest days of the year. Hit the place right at the first light on a dark and rainy day and you may do well. I have.
Rip Tide
Well-known member
We do a lot of fishing at night here on the beaches.
There's a shore bird called a Night Heron that will scare the crap out of you every time
They'll fly silently along until they see something that startles them.... namely you.
Then they let out this loud WAAANK...and they do it right next to you !
You jump right out of your skin every time
There's a shore bird called a Night Heron that will scare the crap out of you every time
They'll fly silently along until they see something that startles them.... namely you.
Then they let out this loud WAAANK...and they do it right next to you !
You jump right out of your skin every time
FISHN50
Well-known member
I'll stay on the river at night a hour or so after dark if I'm doing anything . Usually that's about as long as I can take the bats. In the spring when the young of the year bats are flying around they have hit my line, hit my rod, hit my back. & picked up my fly. They will definitely chase me out of the river. An acquaintance was night fishing in Maine last year & he thought he picked up a pile of debris. He hand over handed it in & didn't use his light & when he grabbed it he got bit. It was a bat. He had to go through the Rabies series of shots which I hear are still quite painful even though they don't give them in the stomach any more..
arfishinbear
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A friend and I were walking across a feild one night and steped into a covey of quail that flushed all around us, scared us so bad that we spent a half an hour picking up fishing gear LOL