6/10/2023 0 Comments Bass fishing in the dark![]() Check out the Boruit headlamp we reviewed in the Hot New Gear section of our February 2018 edition it’s the best of its kind that we’ve seen yet.Īlmost immediately you get bit, but the fish, or maybe it’s the fisherman, just aren’t in tune. Headlamps are an imperative piece of gear – you can’t tie a knot with a flashlight in your hand. You’ve made your decision… you’re going in. Do I work the pads and the wood, where I know there are bass? Might I lose them on the lighter gear? You know that the buzz frog and its crazy plastic legs will catch bass in open water as well, but it’s got a better shot at a big fish up in the pads. Hmmm… only 20-pound braid on this outfit. You ask yourself… “do I try to untangle this mess in the dark?” Or… “would it be better to wrap it all up, put it in the rod holder and grab the spinning stick?” Time is of essence, so you make the decision to switch up with the spinning rod. Somehow, some way, your braid got entangled amid just about everything in the yak. A lot can happen in the dark that we don’t always know about. An inspection of knots, line, and gear is in order. Big bass definitely feed in the dark!Įventually, you paddle over to a small cove, just an indent in the shoreline, and turn your *headlamp on away from the water you hope to fish. Still shaking, you sit motionless for several long minutes to try and calm down. Feverishly, you unhook, photograph and then release the fish. As you struggle to take a quick selfie or two, the fish shows its disapproval with some hearty headshakes. It’s a beauty, nearly six pounds, and fat as a butterball turkey. Noise-making surface-disturbers like buzz-baits, which help the fish home in on your offering even as it moves, are an excellent choice for fishing in the darkness. a fishing lure with small blades that stir the water. You cradle the fish in your hand, scooping him up from the inky surface into your lap, ignoring the chill of the water. Finally the bass shows signs of fatigue and is listing on the surface. Your rod stays bent as the fish circles your kayak, towing it as he swims. ![]() This time, however, the fish is hooked well, and it’s big. ![]() Then, with lightning quickness, that “thing” crushes your lure and it is once again toe-to-toe mayhem as a showering spray of water soaks your arms and face. Twenty minutes later, as your *buzz-bait gurgles back to your rod tip, you can just barely make out the form of something, something, bulging the water right behind it. If you’re in a canoe or kayak you may strain your eyes to make out what it is that appears to be swimming straight at you in the blurred darkness. Yes, snakes! Sometimes there are things that startle you, noises that are made close by, maybe a little too close. A place of darkness, bats, mosquitos, and snakes. Where big bass are caught, but more are lost. Welcome to the world of nighttime bass fishing, a place where dreams both come true and are crushed. The bucketmouth that didn’t get away, after a night-time attack. As a matter of fact, it’s just beginning. Your bass is gone, your line is limp, your spirit crushed. Then, like the suddenness at which it all started, it’s over. You hear the wallowing, the splashing of what must be an enormous bass going ballistic just a few feet away, crazy bursts of power and water and spray. For a chaotic few seconds your rod is doubled over, and the drag is starting to slip as your heart skips several beats. Then the silence is suddenly broken with a huge splash, as if someone fell into the water. There are a lot of things that can make a fisherman uncomfortable out there in the dark, when it’s very quiet, a little eerie. ![]() Night fishing for bass is not for everybody – as a matter of fact, it’s really something that only a few will pursue.
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