# Trout fishing at night in fall/winter time



## yobata (Jul 14, 2015)

I once camped/fished for a few days out of a yak with a buddy and thought we would just eat what we caught. But we ended up skunked during each day except for the nighttime trout. So, yes, do it!


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## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

yobata said:


> I once camped/fished for a few days out of a yak with a buddy and thought we would just eat what we caught. But we ended up skunked during each day except for the nighttime trout. So, yes, do it!


Usually fish cork n jig or swim baits for limits, may try these weeknights....


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

With or without lights?


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## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

Probably a white light for safety marker only as I don't have any fishtype light to use.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Right now trout have been eating Corky Fatboys at night over the dropoffs between the warm flats and deeper channels.


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## lemaymiami (Feb 9, 2007)

We do quite a bit of daytime trout fishing out of both Flamingo and Chokoloskee during winter and spring - both outside and up inside rivers that drain out of the backcountry... The basics are pretty simple - I look for current seams where fish collect and we fish very slightly up-current and across with bucktails or leadheads with Gulp or plastic tails. Once the lure lands I have my anglers get in gear immediately (for plug reels... for spinners simply close the bail as the lure splashes down..) then count the lure down to the chosen depth and work it slowly across whatever current there is as it swings into where the fish are holding... Works like a charm and those same places, using the exact same tactics will get you bit most nights when the tide is right... 
The only change we make at night is to slow down a bit... By the way this works for lots of fish that hold in currents to feed - tarpon in particular...


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## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Right now trout have been eating Corky Fatboys at night over the dropoffs between the warm flats and deeper channels.


Been using the Tsunami elcheapo version and the original Fatboys, not lots of bites but bigger trout for sure...


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## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

lemaymiami said:


> We do quite a bit of daytime trout fishing out of both Flamingo and Chokoloskee during winter and spring - both outside and up inside rivers that drain out of the backcountry... The basics are pretty simple - I look for current seams where fish collect and we fish very slightly up-current and across with bucktails or leadheads with Gulp or plastic tails. Once the lure lands I have my anglers get in gear immediately (for plug reels... for spinners simply close the bail as the lure splashes down..) then count the lure down to the chosen depth and work it slowly across whatever current there is as it swings into where the fish are holding... Works like a charm and those same places, using the exact same tactics will get you bit most nights when the tide is right...
> The only change we make at night is to slow down a bit... By the way this works for lots of fish that hold in currents to feed - tarpon in particular...


My best luck with swim baits is similar except I cast upcurrent and let the lure fall n barely reeling but feeling for the tightening or tap. Very hard to feel the bite, extremely subdued. Sometimes upon reeling in the fish is on....extra slow retrieve... colder it gets..


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## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Right now trout have been eating Corky Fatboys at night over the dropoffs between the warm flats and deeper channels.


What color light as I will go get one now


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

No Bait / Lures Only said:


> What color light as I will go get one now


No light necessary but if you want you can use a green LED


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## jimsmicro (Oct 29, 2013)

yobata said:


> I once camped/fished for a few days out of a yak with a buddy and thought we would just eat what we caught. But we ended up skunked during each day except for the nighttime trout. So, yes, do it!




Ha, I had a buddy do that too. Showed up to the campground with no food. He ended up wading a flat with a net catching blue crabs and boiling them up with a packet of ramen noodle seasoning. Lucky for him I shared my steak with him that I'd brought, the crabs were actually pretty tasty too.


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## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

I decided to get the night fishing lights and battery, anyone have any suggestions for equipment or technique vs daytime trout fishing? By the way it will be in the high 20's tonight and snowing now in south Louisiana now and the road at Delacroix is completed....


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

No Bait / Lures Only said:


> I decided to get the night fishing lights and battery, anyone have any suggestions for equipment or technique vs daytime trout fishing? By the way it is in the high 30's at night in south Louisiana now and the road at Delacroix is completed....


What kind of light setup did you get? You need to find an area near deep water that has good current and bait and the rest will fall into place. Temperature is not an issue, I’ve caught trout under lights in the 20’s. Set your lights up before dark and have them on so the bait is on them and when the trout start popping and swirling it’s time. If you are wanting eaters there’s nothing better in the lights than a tandem rigged set of glow shad like this:
https://www.google.com/search?q=ttf..._AUIEigC&biw=375&bih=553#imgrc=LXSYmuyfz4WX9M:


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## eightwt (May 11, 2017)

lemaymiami said:


> The basics are pretty simple - I look for current seams where fish collect and we fish very slightly up-current and across with bucktails or leadheads with Gulp or plastic tails.


Do the same thing on the fly with a sink tip line. Works good especially at the ends of bars. (Not the ones you stop at on the way home.) Might be a killer at night.


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## No Bait / Lures Only (Apr 10, 2011)

The deep water that I fish might be 8'-10'max, mostly 3'-5' and so the light setup is a SUPERBRITE 2500-X2 for 12volt 18ah battery, very small n light components with green and or white lights.


Smackdaddy53 said:


> What kind of light setup did you get? You need to find an area near deep water that has good current and bait and the rest will fall into place. Temperature is not an issue, I’ve caught trout under lights in the 20’s. Set your lights up before dark and have them on so the bait is on them and when the trout start popping and swirling it’s time. If you are wanting eaters there’s nothing better in the lights than a tandem rigged set of glow shad like this:
> https://www.google.com/search?q=ttf..._AUIEigC&biw=375&bih=553#imgrc=LXSYmuyfz4WX9M:


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

No Bait / Lures Only said:


> The deep water that I fish might be 8'-10'max, mostly 3'-5' and so the light setup is a SUPERBRITE 2500-X2 for 12volt 18ah battery, very small n light components with green and or white lights.


Set it up on a piling or something you can set your battery on and get the boat about 15-20 feet from the light and wait. Fish from a distance instead of having the light off the side of your boat.


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## anytide (Jul 30, 2009)

No Bait / Lures Only said:


> Has anyone tried trout fishing at night, as the amount of pressure during the daytime is very very heavy? I have locations spotted on the gps, just curious.....


topwater/ zara spook and DRIFT as shallow as you can float.
trust me


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## Capt Rhan (Nov 8, 2017)

When I was young? tahee my kids say I was never young.... in the late 60s early 70s I used to fish a lot. Every weekend almost. I found out how to trout fish on the Melbourne causeway bridge. I would take my light/gas lantern and hang it over the bridge about 4-5 ft above the water depending on waves. The shrimp would come to the light on surface and the trout would follow. I would only catch one or two and that was all right but all night long? Im fishing one evening and saw a familiar face just below me on the outskirts of my light beam. It was a aged black man and he would catch 10 or so trout and then leave. The next time I saw him I eased down toward him being it was my light he was in. he came up by me and asked what kind of bait I was using. I pulled up my heavy 8' spinning rig with my favorite Mitchel on it. he looked at it for a second and said would I like to try his bait...HUMMMMM sure? He reached around his waist and put what he had on my treble hook and said try that.
like Paul Harvey the rest later I must make another cup of brew


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## Capt Rhan (Nov 8, 2017)

Well back to the FUTURE Reminiscing. The old guy said to do like he does, with his line down he would make his bait do a large figure 8 on the surface about 6" deep but couldn't keep it there long before a trout would hit it hard and then up it came. He said it was my turn. I did the same and Whoooooh a nice 4lb gator trout took off with my bait. After a nice fight I pulled it to top of bridge where I quickly put it in my 5gal paint bucket. When i did grab the line to look at my hook thinking his bait was gone I got to see what it was.
You old gang may remember the song ( I was walking down the beach one bright and sunny day when I saw a great big wooden box a floatin in the bay ) come on help me sing it .... 
Well can you tell me what it was?


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## Capt Rhan (Nov 8, 2017)

The old guy would rip a small piece of his white t shirt about 3" long and 1" wide . he would thread it on his hook drop it down with a lead about 1' or more depending on wind and do a figure 8 without the lead in the water.
I know this will bother most of you young-uns with your fancy new HIPPED baits but we caught a lot of fish before you were ever borne. I would bring in 20+ fish a night before buckets were full. Take them home scale and clean them and put in frig. Then go to work all day and impress my boss with an honest + day of work. 
We made $1.50 per hour back then painting for my boss Willard Austin (really liked that guy) in Melbourne.


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## Capt Rhan (Nov 8, 2017)

"NIGHT FISHING FOR TROUT" 
try it it still works


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## Capt Rhan (Nov 8, 2017)

The boat on the left is a 1957 Orlando Clipper 14' The one in middle is a 1966 Island Maid 14' The one on the right is a 1955 Crestliner 14'


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## fishicaltherapist (Mar 9, 2013)

GREAT story Capt., made me chuckle about "back in the day !"


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## Capt Rhan (Nov 8, 2017)

Thanks yall for the + response

Ill give yall another that is funny if you'all like them It is related to the night trout fishing TRUE story. Mine are all true most of the time.
(I have a friend drinkin buddy)
His name is Sonny tahee my wife calls him Bunny.
Is this the place for these things as it's all about FISHIN????


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## Capt Rhan (Nov 8, 2017)

Well I thank ya'll for the positive responses and visits on my comment on Skiff Snobs post on fishing at night. Well as an old guy I have an addenda to the comment I made and here it goes. Rite now my wife is gone and I can do anything I can afford to do. She is in Aurora Colorado where it is 12 deg. tahee she is spending Christmas with my son and his wife and grand baby. She left me with $20 and a cut up smoked ham. Well I still have some ham left but the Beer is gone (oh I meen the $20 is gone) so i'm having fun seeing all the stuff on this SKIFFY site.
Well back to the trout fishing at night I lived in W. Melbourne. I had a neighbor that lived behind me right across from Lorenzo's Pizza on hwy 192. This neighbor whose name I have forgot wanted to go fishing with me sometime at night as he also worked during the day. I hadn't been in a couple weeks so why not? He went to the fishing tackle shop and bought a real nice rod and real. NO Walmart back then. We started to plan what night to go and he asked if he could drive his new Vega hatchback so he could head home early if needed. Why NOT hummmm
We get to the bridge like around 10ish and start fishing I had that 5 gallon bucket and hoped he could get a few. He caught a couple. I was nailing a bunch. Finally he said why don't I catch them and he'll take them off my hook and put in the bucket. Great I snatched them up above our head and dropped them on the bridge he'd grab and stuff in bucket....
Me not realizing how many and what was happening to them. He was tired and said he needed to head on in I said ok and fished a while longer.I put a few in my bucket and headed home.
He was home cleaning fish so I mosied by to see what was up. He had his wifes NEW Vega backed up to his hose and was cleaning.
OHHH HELLLLLLL
He had probably 50+ warm slimy trout he had dumped in the back floor of his CAR OHHHHH HEEEEELLLLLL. 
His wife came over after a couple warm fall days and told me he wasn't allowed to go fishing with me again. Mad as a hatter. Taheeee I dont know where they moved to after another few weeks but I never saw them again. 
The moral (moron) of the TRUE STORY is don't go fishing at night with your neighbor as they will move away.
Thanks & Merry Christmas


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