Fishing during the night + Video

by Jarrod Day on 12 Sep 2012 Fishing would be one of the most enjoyable hobby’s, bringing together a common interest for families and friends. What joy it is to take out the kids and teach them how to catch a fish, seeing an impressionable smile on their little faces. But in today’s busy lifestyle we rarely get the time between juggling work commitments and family affairs to get out as often as we’d like too.

Over the past few years, I have met quite a number of anglers that fit these criteria and to work around the hustle and bustle of everyday life, night time fishing has become an inviting proposition.

Do fish sleep?

The answer to this is quite simple, yes all animals do sleep at one time or another but with fish it’s a little different.
Fish tend to go into more of a trance than actually sleep, though some still call this state 'sleep'.

Many freshwater fish such as Bass or Perch hide under logs and rest during the night, saltwater fish such as wrasse and other reef species rest in crevices and cracks to avoid being eaten at night.

Minnows and other small baitfish that are extremely active during the day scatter and remain motionless in shallow water at night. While sharks and other pelagics have to keep moving to keep water cycling through their gills in order to breathe, they can still sleep while doing so.

I was once told many years ago, that fish have the ability to shut down one side of their brain for it to rest, then after a period of time wake up and rest the other half while keeping a look out for danger, whether this is fact or fiction it is a very cleaver and unique trait to have.

Although fish do sleep to some degree, they still need to feed whether it be by day or night.

Species on offer: There are some species that are very shy during the day and are more active during the night. These nocturnal species include sharks, mulloway and calamari.

Others that are also active during the day and still a viable option for night owls include snapper, whiting, gummy sharks, elephant sharks, leather jackets, mullet, flounder, flathead, garfish, salmon, pike, snook and silver trevally.

When I look back at it, I have caught all these species during the night over the past years one different fishing occasions but it is mulloway, calamari, snapper and gummy sharks that appeal to most.

Night benefits: There are two major benefits to fishing during the night and by night I don’t mean all night, just a few hours after dark unless your fishing a certain tide that requires a long session.

During the peak of snapper season how long have you had to wait to launch your boat in the morning, 1hr, 2hrs or maybe longer? When fishing during the night there’s no waiting at the ramps and more than adequate car parking.

The other benefit is much less boat traffic on the water. During the day and especially during the weekends when there is good sea conditions, fish can shut down due to the boat noise. We know this is the case in estuary systems but in both Port Phillip Bay and Western Port it is still going to affect the fish to a degree, especially when fishing for whiting and calamari in the shallows.

During the night hours, this isn’t really a concern since most anglers have finished fishing for the day and have gone home. For those just heading out they have the benefit of a quiet nights fishing.

Preparing for the night: You may familiar with you local water way that you fish during the day, but by night it can become foreign as darkness descends. However, with a little more preparation it can be enjoyed and the results can be absolutely outstanding.

Prior to heading out tell somebody where you’re going; this will give a good reference point should anything go wrong. If you’re planning to fish a number of locations then tell the person the locations you are going to fish. If you move from any of those areas, use you mobile phone and let them know where you have gone too. It only takes a second and is a good safe precaution.

Preparing for night fishing is much the same as when fishing during the day except a few other things need to be looked at including the trailer lights, navigational lights, the quantity of fuel you have, how much the boats batteries are charged, is the anchor light working?, are your flares up to date?, do you have a torch and fire extinguisher?, is your mobile phone charged? And do you have spare batteries for your hand held GPS should you have one?

Alternatively, you should also pack spare clothing since it gets cooler during the night, some hot food like soup or some coffee in a thermos won’t go astray and make sure you have adequate quantities of fresh water on board.

Most importantly is having quick and easy access to your life jackets. Although it is law to wear one while underway in a boat up to 4.8m, at night in boats between 4.8m and 12m, the occupants are required to wear one also. Although, in boats of this size a life jacket is required during heightened risk, fishing at night falls under this classification so make sure you are wearing one.

Additional things to organise on the boat are making sure you have adequate fishing room and the fishing area is clear from obstructions. The last thing you need to do is stand on a fishing rod that’s lying on the floor and break it or trip over your tackle box and worst of all fall overboard.

The correct storage of your gear is paramount when fishing during the night.

Precautions: Obviously when fishing at night your vision is quite reduced, flashing lights from channel markers can become quite confusing so taking it slow is very important.

Although it is a law that you must keep your navigational lights on at all times when fishing at night and your anchor light on while under anchor, some anglers choose not to turn them off in case other night anglers come over to fish, or they don’t want anybody knowing where they are fishing. This is extremely dangerous putting both you and the other vessels occupants in danger.

Checking the weather conditions before venturing out is also very important and with limited visibility can make judging waves and or swell very dangerous.

Though anchoring correctly requires its own techniques, by night can be a little more complicated. Lowering the anchor is fairly easy but retrieving it especially when using an anchor ball can be a little more difficult. A hot little tip I picked up is to get some reflective tape and wrap a few pieces around the ball. This way, when you drive off you can shine your torch onto it and it will light up so you know where it is at all times. This will avoid it going into the engines prop should you be unable to see it.

With a little preparation you too can explore the fishing potential of your local waterway during the night. Avoiding any preparation can turn into your biggest and darkest nightmare.

It is not uncommon to hear success stories of absolute fantastic catches at night. It is up to you, be prepared and have a successful night fishing trip for yourself.