Fishing Winter's Night Bite

Fishing Winter’s Night Bite

By Freddie McKnight

Thoughts for most sportsmen on long winter nights are, for the most part, not on fishing.

That activity at this time of the year is largely conducted during daylight hours, often on frozen ponds and lakes; but some of the hottest and fastest action to be found occurs once the sun ducks behind the horizon.

At that time of the day or night, most choose to wet their lines are snuggled up next to a warm fire back at home or camp.

AFTER HOURS ACTION

I was first introduced to wintertime night fishing back more years than I care to admit. A friend of mine was the superintendent of a state park, which featured a large lake that held multiple species of fish. He loved to ice fish, but working the hours he did, he could not manage to get out on the lake much during the day.

Targeting the numerous crappie and perch that swam the impoundment, he could often be found on the lake well after dark, the glow of the lantern next to the holes he had drilled in the ice a dead giveaway to his whereabouts.

If you chose to walk out on the frozen surface and chat with him, chances are that you would find a good catch of these panfish on the ice around his location.

Just as lights are used to draw crappies to certain areas on open water, it too works well for fishing under the frozen surface. Cutting one hole just to allow the light from the lantern to cut through the darkness below, a second hole was often cut within a foot or so to allow for fishing.

Obviously you need to be in a place where the fish choose to be, you can’t just walk out on the frozen surface and use this method with such results.

With the activity created by the feeding crappie, perch were occasionally caught as well. Not as numerous as the crappie, the ones that we did catch at this time were usually of the jumbo variety. Every now and again you would get a northern pike or musky with this setup. Not enough to warrant trying this technique exclusively for them, but more of an incidental catch that proved a handful with ice fishing tackle. Bass were taken a few times as well, though we really never did all that great on this species through the ice.

TACKLE TAILRACES

While fishing on the hard surface after dark was my introduction to night fishing in the winter, it is not the only type of action to be had. Many of the rivers in the three-state region remain open and fishable through much of the winter.

In these waters are walleye and sauger just waiting for you to present your bait or lure to them. While the first and last hour of the day is considered prime time, the bite can last well into the night. The trouble then is that there are not many, if any anglers out plying their trade.

The areas to key in on after dark can be as close as a few feet from shore. Some of my best spots are small eddies that occur on inside bends of the river I fish. The best locations can be covered with a normal cast by most anglers. Probably half the fish I catch in the winter will be within 10 feet of the shoreline.

The key to fishing moving water after dark is presentation. The fish will be holding in small current breaks found within these sheltered areas. They are waiting to pounce on unsuspecting prey.

A slow presentation, often with an oversized bait or lure, is the way to take these fish. Preferring to use live minnows for this action, I often fish jumbo shiners that are just lip hooked. Using just enough weight to keep the minnow bouncing along the bottom, it is fished slowly through the area numerous times before moving about 10 feet upstream to repeat the process.

Once a fish has taken the bait, just remember to give it an appropriate amount of time to get the bait in the right position for a hook set.

When using lures, choose a larger minnow-type plug in the suspending variety. The long profile allows for the fish to target the bait when fished in a slow, erratic retrieve. Pause the bait longer than you normally would. You will get surprised many times when you go to retrieve the bait after one of these pauses to find that a fish has the lure and you didn’t realize it. Keep the line tight and keep a finger on the line. Set the hook at even the slightest of bumps.

My personal favorite location to fish in the winter is the tailrace below a dam. You just never know what you are going to catch in these locations. Keying in on the rock put in place to avoid washouts in the strong currents; you will find all kinds of fish using the structure as both home and feeding grounds.

The one spillway area I visit often in the winter is known for its rock bass, walleye, and occasional trout. While most anglers pick key points to fish for the walleye, few target the numerous rock bass.

Using a bucket of minnows and a light action spinning outfit, I have had unbelievable action on this species after dark. Fishing this same area in the daytime, one might be left to believe that not a fish swims these waters, but once the cover of darkness prevails, they come out of the riprap with an attitude.

Using a light to find these fish stacked up amongst the limestone along the shoreline, it is then just a matter of sitting down in once spot to have at it. Fishing a small minnow within a few feet of the shoreline, you can catch fish cast after cast for as long as your minnows hold out.

The key is to keep the bait on or near the bottom, as the rock bass don’t like to dash out into the current and away from their security cover. Once you have the proper amount of weight on, you can have action almost as if you were fishing in a hatchery.

Fishing after dark in the winter months can be fun and exciting. It can also be a dangerous task as well, with ice on the shorelines and cold temperatures to deal with.

Taking proper precautions, such as never fishing alone, wearing a life jacket when shorelines are slippery, and dressing properly will allow you to come back for another adventure. Play it safe and give the night bite a try this winter.