Bass Fishing At Night
So what are the Best lures for bass at night? Especially, bass fishing at night with lures.
This particular season has stood out to be one of the best for me personally.
There have been loads of fish out there just waiting for someone to come along and catch them. Then put them back of course.
The odd one on the dinner plate won’t hurt the bass stocks. After all, you are allowed to take one home this year. To be honest, you can’t beat a bit of fresh bass on the dinner plate, it’s got to be the best eating in my opinion.
Best lures for bass at night
Getting back to the fishing, maybe that bass ban did the trick because they’re not a shortage of them this year. Last year at the beginning of the season I blanked 15 times before I caught one.
This had me thinking that the bass was getting rarer as the years rolled on, but how wrong 2019 has been awesome since the peeler crab started their moult.
As for that weather and the conditions, it all a bit pants at the mo for us, for quite a period. How frustrating.
We seem to have this constant Northerly wind, that is leaving us with less of a window to fish. The conditions would be awful, especially the water clarity. We want it clear, especially at night.
Loads Of bass at night
There had been so many fish on the night/early morning session that I’m wondering if you could have chucked anything out there and still caught. Hmmm, that’s not always the case with lure fishing.
As for lures, we have mentioned some of these before but never caught that much on them. But now, I believe that was because there just weren’t any fish around at the time. But now they seemed to working.
But now, I believe that the reason was that there just wasn’t any fish around at the time. But now, they seemed to working for me. Now that we’d found the fish.
The Shoreline Shiner is the lure that nailed it for me on that night session.
I had 15 fish on the Shiner which to me is great fishing for a relatively short session. I’d also lost quite a few they’d just got off. Maybe, because there were so many fish, they were like ‘in a frenzy’ and snatching at anything. Hence not being hooked properly.
Hooks Straightened?
Although I’m not sure how they snapped, twice to my amazement the hooks had been straightened. They might just be crap hooks, but I doubt it – not on a quality lure like a shoreline shiner. Thousands of anglers use them they’re amazing lures I’m a fan.
But I was still baffled by the hook scenario because I never had caught that bigger fish, nor did I have a fish that tore that much line off my reel.
Believe me, I have had fish that have been unstoppable and have straightened the hooks. But in this case, the fish had snapped the hooks. Hence, we never got to see how big they were. I reckon there are some absolute monsters out there.
Snapped Hooks
To be honest I may have even snapped them trying to unhook the fish in the dark.
The only downside to using the shoreline shiner is there are 3 treble hooks. For me, this can be a right pain in the arse if all 3 hooks are hooked in the fish’s mouth.
Sometimes the bigger fish decide to start flapping about when you have a pair of long nose pliers down their throat.
Trying to dislodge a treble hook, especially in the dark can be very awkward, to say the least.
So maybe this is why the hooks may have snapped, I never noticed.
You may be thinking why didn’t you put your light on? To that, I will say that I did sometimes.
Stealth For Bass Fishing Is Key
The bassman was in ultra stealth mode that night and insisted that we didn’t turn our lights on in case we gave away our location.
He would insist that if there are too many lures hitting the water at once this will spook the bass away.
The previous night someone had turned up in the pitch black while he was fishing and kept shining their light in the water.
It may sound a little selfish but lure fisherman, especially the good ones do not want other anglers fishing in their spots.
But in the real world most people are in bed at 2 a.m in the morning.
At the weekends, I can understand when people are off work.
But in my experiences and the places I’ve been fishing, we always seem to be on our own whatever time of day it is.
The result according to the bassman was that the fishing died after that.
Best lures for bass at night
Here is a list of some great night lures I would not leave home without they are:
- Daiwa Shoreline Shiner R50 SSR
- Megabass Zonk Pearl SW120
- Maria Squash 125mm Chart
- Tackle House Feed Shallow Candy (Glow Belly)
- Savage Gear Sand Eel Lemon Back
- Albie Snax
- Pirate Seducer
- IMA Komomo II Joker Flashing Plate
‘The Daiwa Shoreline Shiner R50+SSR Lunker Hunter PEARL CHART
This is a great-looking lure that also casts reasonably well.
I have had probably one of my best-ever sessions using this lure, I mentioned this lure earlier in the post.
I also have the MAGMA SARDINE version which is another great lure.
Especially for daylight fishing when bass fishing can be a bit tougher.
The Shoreline Shiner are available in a number of different pattern. So make sure you check the description before buying.
The ‘Megabass Zonk’ PEARL 120 sinking
These have been a bit of a problem to get hold of, to be honest, but if you can get one, then get it.
Around our neck of the woods, there seem to be only a couple of places where we can fish the Zonk.
I lost mine last year and haven’t been able to replace it.
Yes, there is a great choice as far as the Megabass Zonk goes, but for nighttime, the ‘Pearl White’ must be a great choice.
The ‘Maria Squash’ The Lemon back version
This lure is a shallower diver than the Zonk which is great news for us around our way.
But amazing, this lure has easily outfished the Zonk one night down the South Coast.
I’m not saying that’s always the case but sometimes the fishing is down the depth the bass are feeding.
That particular night I had 1 my mate had 14……I didn’t have the Squash simple.
This to me is why bass fishing is so amazing.
You just never know what’s going to work.
That’s why it always pays to have a good selection of lure to cover all avenues.
The Tackle House Feed Shallow
Another great night lure that swims shallower than the Maria Squash.
The Tackle House Feed Shallow has a few luminous options. This can make them a deadly choice for nighttime lure fishing.
The only negative aspect of using the Zonk, Squash, and Feed Shallow is the 3-treble hook scenario. Sometimes, when you are up to your waist in water and it’s pitch black, it can be hard work getting the fish unhooked.
I could just be being an awkward git but if all 3 hooks are all hooked into the fish’s mouth it’s a pain for me.
Often, I’ve found that using soft plastics the fight is sometimes harder, would you agree?
Savage Gear Eel (Lemon back)
The Lemon Back version of the Savage Gear Eel is the joker in the pack.
This lure is pretty much going to be working on the bottom with a relatively slow retrieve.
Please ensure there is a good depth of water when using the Savage Gear Sand Eel.
But a real nighttime slayer when the fish are feeding on the bottom.
Albie Snax
I think the Albie Snax is a fairly new lure and being a soft plastic weedless affair I suppose you can go wrong.
You can stick your own eyes on these to make them look a little more realistic, but that’s only me.
Hooks for weedless lures are bought separately. These hooks have twist-on springs on the hooks to hold the body on.
The Pirate Seducer
This must be one of the best weedless lures out there.
I use the white version at night but will be investing in some of the other colours.
A slow retrieve weightless when the tide is moving in shallow water is ideal for this mega lure.
Fish weighted for deeper water, bouncing them across the sea bed, or just a plain dead slow retrieve.
Amazing, how life-like the Seducer is when you watch it swim in the shallows. No wonder the bass just love the Seducer especially night fishing for bass.
The Komomo Joker (Flashing Plate)
The Komomo II Joker is a firm favourite with lure anglers. This shallow diver is a must-have lure that is perfect for shallow water.
Bass are often hunting in surprisingly shallow water which makes the Joker and other amazing patterns the perfect choice with them, especially the white ones.