Night Fishing For Summer Muskies

Summer can mean tough competition between anglers, water skiers, and pleasure boaters on a given lake. Hot, flat, sunny days are typical throughout the summer and give many musky hunters fits when trying to find consistent musky fishing, never mind the problems of avoiding boating traffic.

Of course low-light, transition periods usually produce activity, but these feeding periods can be short, and in many heavy traffic lakes the muskies still do not feed heavily on classic structures.

What is the ultimate solution to summer muskies? Night fishing. How effective is night fishing for muskies? If one musky hunter fished only three hours a day, between 8:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., and another fished throughout the day, I would put my money on the night fisherman.

Many anglers feel uneasy fishing at night, but with proper preparation, the right tools, and a little confidence, night fishing soon becomes second nature.

Preparation

When night fishing, safety is the number one concern. Start out by learning the lake during the day. Get a map, mark potential hazards, find key spots, and look for familiar shoreline markers.

Be aware that after dark some boat ramps and shoreline markers disappear. In the boat make sure your lights, electronics, and compass work. Of course, wear your life vest.

Next be prepared to fish after dark. KEEP YOUR BOAT CLEAN! Lures lying around the boat will seek out a net or an angler’s leg during a scramble with a musky at night. I usually leave my tackle boxes in the truck and only take a handful of lures in a small box. Bring a portable light for the boat, and if possible purchase a small headlamp to illuminate the area when a fish is hooked.

Keep a pair of hook cutters in the boat. Cutting hooks from a fish’s mouth and the net is the easiest way to handle a musky. A thrashing musky is dangerous at night. Also keep in the boat a pair of heavy gloves that cover a portion of the arm. Put on the gloves before handling the fish at night. These gloves will not only prevent minor cuts but will protect from sharp hooks and make it easier to handle a musky.

Finally keep a large net in the boat. An oversized net, such as a Beckman Pro Musky, makes landing muskies at night a lot easier. If you think they are difficult to land during the day–just wait. Once you feel comfortable with landing muskies at night, then use whatever method is most appropriate.

Lake Selection

The best lakes to catch muskies at night, or for any type of night fishing, are those that receive a lot of traffic from anglers, boaters, or water skiers. The water does not have to be clear, but clear-water lakes are the favorite of pleasure boaters. In fact, some of my favorite lakes to fish for night muskies are heavily stained.

Try to find a lake with a good population of muskies that is popular among the musky hunters in the area. Usually these lakes get beat up during the day but are left alone at night. Being the first to fish a lake for muskies at night can be an incredible experience.

Spot Selection

Night musky location really does not change from day to night. Key areas include large, weedy, food-shelves, mid-lake weed humps, and points. Shallow rock humps and points are also excellent night spots.

Two key ingredients to consider are wind and the presence of baitfish. Generally fish where it is windy or where the wind first makes contact with an area. I let the wind eliminate 50 percent of the lake on any given night. When scouting the lake during the day look for the presence of baitfish. They can be easily spotted with electronics or seen on the surface. Finally, look for perch and walleye anglers as tip-offs to hot areas.

Key Presentations

At night there are three bait types that are key. They include deep-running, jointed crankbaits; large bucktails with big blades; and noisy topwater baits. Big baits that have a lot of sound and vibration and a large silhouette catch muskies at night.

Seventy percent of the time the crankbait has been my top producer. This is because of its versatility. With a crankbait like a Depthraider you can either walk the bait over shallow cover or make contact with deeper cover simply by adjusting the rod position. My favorite colors include either black or white. The crankbait works on both calm and windy nights, and even during cold fronts.

Big black bucktails are also very effective. They produce best under stable conditions and warm nights, and over high cover. Finally, topwater night action can be both exciting and deadly. Slow-moving, high- splash topwater baits like the Teasertail are excellent. Fish these baits on warm nights under calm conditions or when there is a slight chop.

Conclusion

There is nothing more exciting than fighting a big musky at night. It is amazing how different everything seems when you can’t see. You fight the fish on feel and instinct.

Although the peace and tranquility of being out at night is difficult to explain, common situations can become more dangerous and therefore require extra safety precautions. Take your preparation seriously!

Be sure to practice catch-and-release whenever possible.

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