Big cats like this flathead often prowl the shallows more at night,
leading to more hookups for lucky anglers like these.
Catfish Basics #172—Some Basic Tips for Night Fishing
Story and photo by Keith “Catfish” Sutton
Master the art of after-dark angling with these essential strategies for catching more catfish.
Forty years ago, most of the catfish anglers I knew fished at night. Today I don’t know many who venture out after the sun sets. Why this is, I do not know. But I am quite sure there are times when the night fisherman will out-do the angler who fishes only during the daytime.
I suggest you give night fishing a try if you haven’t already, then you can see for yourself if there’s any difference in the number of catfish you catch. At times, fishing during the hours of darkness can greatly improve your catch rate, especially if you target your quarry during the wee hours—1 a.m. to 4 a.m.—when most other anglers and recreationists are at home and catfish have moved from deeper water to shallows to feed. Catfish are less spooky when boat and jet ski traffic is minimal, improving your chances of hooking one.
Before you go night fishing, however, there are some basic tips you should learn that will help you make the most of your time on the water. For example, it is usually best to fish those waters you have visited often enough that you have no trouble navigating, even when its dark outside.
The extent to which you are familiar with prime catfish habitat in a lake, pond or river is important when night fishing. If you must search for good fishing spots in the darkness on an unfamiliar body of water, you could get lost, wind up on top of a stump or sandbar, or something worse. You’ll be better off fishing waters you already know or doing some advance scouting during daylight hours. You’ll catch more catfish if you can travel safely and directly to prime bank-fishing or boat-fishing locales you’ve previously identified and marked.
Putting waypoints in your GPS is helpful if you’ll be fishing from a boat, and before fishing, you also may want to flag your fishing areas with marker buoys. The best places tend to provide catfish with distinct travel routes from deeper daytime haunts to shallower near-shore reaches used for night feeding. These include points, humps, creek channels, ledges and ridges.
To avoid problems often encountered when prepping gear in the darkness, have your fishing combos rigged and ready to use, and organize your tacklebox before fishing so you’ll know exactly where everything is. Be sure you have fully charged batteries for all your navigation and fishing lights.
Boat fishermen will want to use a Power-Pole shallow-water anchoring spike or use regular anchors with an adequate length of rope to hold the boat stationary. All night fishermen will also want a good supply of insect repellent or devices such as the Thermacell to ward off mosquitoes. Wear a lifejacket and kill-switch at all times, and let someone know where you plan to fish and when you plan to return.
Winter is not the best season for night fishing. Most catfish are congregated in deep wintering holes then and less likely to be moving about and foraging in the shallows where they’re easily targeted. However, the cold months we’re in now are a good time to bundle up, boat around and familiarize yourself with some of the waters where you might night fish in spring, summer and fall so you’ll be well prepared to find and catch your quarry.
Good luck! I’ll see you downstream.
