The same thing happens every year. By mid-summer people are complaining about the heat and don't want to fish. Most people are ready to stop this time of year before noon. That's why I am here, to share a secret with you about fishing in South Texas at night. At night, it is of course cooler outside, but also the water cools down and those big speckled trout start to really move and feed. There is nothing like catching one of these big fish at night, when you can't even see them explode on your lure. Here I will show you how to fish, where to go, and when to do it.
Rule #1 - Do NOT go fishing at night alone! There are too many bad things that can happen at night that are out of your control. Follow these tips to stay safe:
* Make sure you or your fishing partner are very familiar with the area and that all of your night time navigational equipment is fully functional.
* Wear personal floatation devices while driving the boat.
* Be sure to leave a trip plan with someone back home.
* Go ahead and plan ahead of time where you want to fish, preferably up to 3 spots just in case!
HOW: When you get to the first fishing spot, anchor up and turn the boat light on. This can keep other watercraft from running into it, as well as giving you a sense of direction while walking around in the dark. Next, you need a LED headlamp to wear. These are a must-have piece of fishing equipment, and are available pretty cheaply in most sporting goods stores.
Also, grab a chem-stick (glow stick), they activate and emit light when the internal ampule is broken and then shaken. Take a piece of monofilament leader material and tie it to the chem stick and hang it around your neck, behind you! What this does is allows your fishing buddy to see you when your back is turned to him, top-waters can be ugly at night. This also makes a great back up if you should lose your battery power and they will last long enough (6 to 8hrs) to get you back to the boat. Don't stray too far from each other, stay within talking or yelling distance! You will need have have some top-waters that will silhouette themselves (dark colors). I like throwing Mirrolure's she pup and she dog in black with a chartreuse head.
WHEN: Full moon seems to be the best time for me. The extra light from the moon can really help to illuminate your fishing lure so that those big speckled trout can see them better. One trick I like to do is to tie a 10-12 inch piece of monofilament to the 1st ring and trail a soft plastic lure behind your topwater lure. At the end of the mono you tie on a light jighead (preferably 1/16th oz TruLoc) and then some soft plastic lure. I call this the "Donk Tangler".
Yes, it sounds crazy, but I promise it works. You work this rig just like you would any other topwater, but will get way more strikes on the trailing lure! If you are using braided fishing line with this setup you will have even more sensitivity for when the fish strike.
Solunar tables can be another useful tool. What I try to do is fish two hours before through 2 hours after what the tables call a "major feeding period". This tends to have the best results for me, but isn't a guarantee by any means.
WHERE: When pursuing big speckled trout I roam around White & Black Bluff. This has worked well for me in the past and hopefully will help you bring in some big speckled trout as well. TIGHT LINES! - 16463
Rule #1 - Do NOT go fishing at night alone! There are too many bad things that can happen at night that are out of your control. Follow these tips to stay safe:
* Make sure you or your fishing partner are very familiar with the area and that all of your night time navigational equipment is fully functional.
* Wear personal floatation devices while driving the boat.
* Be sure to leave a trip plan with someone back home.
* Go ahead and plan ahead of time where you want to fish, preferably up to 3 spots just in case!
HOW: When you get to the first fishing spot, anchor up and turn the boat light on. This can keep other watercraft from running into it, as well as giving you a sense of direction while walking around in the dark. Next, you need a LED headlamp to wear. These are a must-have piece of fishing equipment, and are available pretty cheaply in most sporting goods stores.
Also, grab a chem-stick (glow stick), they activate and emit light when the internal ampule is broken and then shaken. Take a piece of monofilament leader material and tie it to the chem stick and hang it around your neck, behind you! What this does is allows your fishing buddy to see you when your back is turned to him, top-waters can be ugly at night. This also makes a great back up if you should lose your battery power and they will last long enough (6 to 8hrs) to get you back to the boat. Don't stray too far from each other, stay within talking or yelling distance! You will need have have some top-waters that will silhouette themselves (dark colors). I like throwing Mirrolure's she pup and she dog in black with a chartreuse head.
WHEN: Full moon seems to be the best time for me. The extra light from the moon can really help to illuminate your fishing lure so that those big speckled trout can see them better. One trick I like to do is to tie a 10-12 inch piece of monofilament to the 1st ring and trail a soft plastic lure behind your topwater lure. At the end of the mono you tie on a light jighead (preferably 1/16th oz TruLoc) and then some soft plastic lure. I call this the "Donk Tangler".
Yes, it sounds crazy, but I promise it works. You work this rig just like you would any other topwater, but will get way more strikes on the trailing lure! If you are using braided fishing line with this setup you will have even more sensitivity for when the fish strike.
Solunar tables can be another useful tool. What I try to do is fish two hours before through 2 hours after what the tables call a "major feeding period". This tends to have the best results for me, but isn't a guarantee by any means.
WHERE: When pursuing big speckled trout I roam around White & Black Bluff. This has worked well for me in the past and hopefully will help you bring in some big speckled trout as well. TIGHT LINES! - 16463
About the Author:
Captain Jim Onderdonk is a professional fishing guide who specializes in wadefishing for big speckled trout and redfish in Texas, and uses Brown Lures' salt water fishing lures. "Donk" suggests you try out some from Brown Lures for your next fishing trip.
