From Dusk Til' Dawn

From Dusk til’ Dawn By Trevor Johnson Kit’s Tackle Sportfishing www.kitstackle.com

No, this isn’t an article about a Quinton Tarantino horror movie; but it can sure feel like it fishing into the late hours of the night. I have had some real life Davey Jones Locker experiences out there. Now you are thinking to yourself, where the heck is Trev going with this?!?! Well folks, as we get into the HOT summer months and water temps start to raise, a lot of the big predatory fish become nocturnal. Just like a big spring bear or a late November whitetail buck. The good news is big walleye and brown trout both have excellent vision and predatory skills at night. I want to share with you a few of the tactics we have used to regularly catch these July and August fish at night. And as an added bonus, you will have a lot less company!

Before we get into the tactics I would like to mention a few things about safety. Fishing at night isn’t as easy as fishing in the day, believe me. You need to be on top of your game and fully alert about all your surroundings.

When we do guide trips on summer nights fishing for walleye and browns, I never let my guard down for even a moment, especially with clients that depend on me for safety. Traveling both to and from spots should be done in a conscious slow manner and also use your GPS for reference.

Having a GPS on your graph is nice because you can make a safe travel line in the daylight and use it at night. Remember though; never rely solely on electronics alone. Have both your bow and stern lights turned on at all times during the night; giving away your secret location isn’t worth an accident! A clear pair of safety glasses is also a must; jigs and cranks can come flying out of a fish’s mouth AND ALWAYS, ALWAYS WATCH THE WEATHER!! We got caught on the south end of Canyon Ferry last year in huge unexpected wind and lightning storm… the guy with me put on two life jackets..lol!!

The first and most fun method we use to target these summer fish is casting jigs or cranks to shore. In a previous article I talked about creating a buffer zone between you and the shore. You just want to slowly contour the shore and cast within a couple inches of it. We use headlamps to see better if there is no moon or if it is cloudy.

We have found that huge walleye are not even the slightest bit shy of light, but for big browns..no lights! I have had 30” walleye follow my plug right to the boat and I can see them in my headlamp and after stopping my plug..POW!!

Most hits will come within the first ten yards from shore though.

Our two favorite baits are jigs w/BIG PADDLE TAILS (essentially a swimbait) and crankbaits (my favorite for casting to shore is the Rapala shad rap). For the paddle tails we mainly use a 1/4-3/8 ounce jig head with a big obnoxious paddletail. Our favorite is the Keitech Fat Swing Impact in the 5.8” and 6.8’’ lengths. During the day we use the 2.8-3.8’’ but we bulk it way up at night! Even though they are proficient night feeders they can’t detect prey as well as during the day. When that big paddle tail motors by we think they can’t help but smack at it out of instinct! We cast the jig to shore and let it sink to the bottom and then do a slow lift and fall retrieve to the boat. Just a heads up, they don’t nibble when they smack a big swimbait at night. They about rip the rod out of your hand! IT TAKES PATIENCE, BUT IT IS REWARDING AND FUN!!

For casting cranks to shore you are using the exact same technique only slowly reeling the crank back to the boat. The big key here that will catch you 10X the fish is making sure you PAUSE THE CRANKBAIT every couple seconds. Almost all the hits will come when the crank is paused. We use the #7 and #9 Shad Rap Rapala in both the original and if the fish are super active we like to use the jointed style.

We cast the crank within a few inches of shore and always let it sit for a moment before starting the retrieve. We have had a couple huge walleye take the crank from the top of the water. This version of crank dives about 9-12’ and is also a floating style so when you pause the lure, it slowly floats up from the rocks or structure.

The second method is trolling cranks in shallow water; again contouring the shore. For this method you can use either your electric bow mount motor or your kicker motor. In shallow water we utilize the electric bow mount as much as possible. We like to troll at a varying speed of 1.5-2 mph. On the inside rod we like to send a planer board up fairly close to the shore with a Rapala Husky Jerk. We use the model #12 and #14 which runs about 6-8’ deep. We like to let about 30’ of line out behind the board. Then at the boat proper we again like to use the same Shad Rap as mentioned above. The Berkley Flicker Minnow and Flicker Shad will also work just fine. These cranks will dive 10-15’ while trolling so it gives the perfect depth for under the boat. Here we like to use a long line presentation in case the boat spooks the fish a little. We use 8-10’ trolling rods and let out about 80’ of line.

Sounds easy peasy right?!?! Fishing at night takes a little more patience and dedication than during the day. Everything from tying knots to running the boat gets much more difficult. You also have the heebie jeebies to worry about; I night fish alone a lot, but it is much more fun with a partner or your dog for company. I also recommend bringing a thermos of coffee or other caffeinated beverage. I personally do not drink alcohol when I fish, and I would highly recommend against it on these outings with all the factors and responsibilities! Even though titled “From Dusk til’ Dawn” we normally fish until midnight-two AM at the latest.

We have pulled all night missions, but the most success seems to come from dark to around midnight.

Make sure to check the boating laws on the body of water you are fishing on. Be safe and go have some fun this summer!

Trevor is the co-founder of Kit’s Tackle “Jiggin’ the Dream” along with his father, Kit. He is a true made in Montana fishing guide and owner of Kit’s Tackle Sportfishing, an insane outdoor enthusiast, a wild man in the woods and on the water and they even say he’s a quarter mountain goat. He’s a happy husband, a proud daddy to a beautiful little girl and boy, and two sweet dogs. When he’s not shoveling coal into the jig engine, you can find him on the water or leaving boot tracks in the wilds of Montana.