Night Fishing resources, techniques, flies, and reports.

[Fish Sticks]

Anyone else getting out there? @Mike night fishes, any trips this summer mike?

 

[Fish Sticks]

If thunder abates going to give a new pattern a try this evening for smallies, rock bass n fallfish.

Its a spun deer hair bomber body not chenille. Has bomber style comparadun elk hair on the front to push some water as well.

 

[falcon]

Looks to be a good night fly to me. It should push some water on the retreive also.

 

[Fish Sticks]

Looks to be a good night fly to me. It should push some water on the retreive also.

Thanks! This one is a little more slim on the bomber body but

bigger on the compara wing and soft hackle collar

 

[Fish Sticks]

The Wooly Bomber works(atleast last night)! Went to a local warm water stream. Temp was 82 degrees and moon pretty bright as well . All fish caught in extremely shallow slow water, eddies and side channels.

Highlight was a 10” smallie that fought pretty hard and took my picketts pin on the dropper.

Tons of non stop action with redbreast sunfish, green sunfish, and a blue gill or two.

 

[Mike]

I was up on Kettle night fishing two nights in early July following some localized rain events. All stockies caught, including one holdover from last year. Most were still in good physical condition. Came unhooked from one very large fish that I never saw, but it could have been a large fallfish just as easily as it could have been a trout.

 

[Fish Sticks]

I am trying to make better use to the smallmouth water near home to get my night fishing fix. Smallmouth have been harder to come by than trout at night for me but their different fish too so I have been looking into possible differences in behavior, habitat, conditions, and senses/perception that could translate into new techniques and strategies. A lot of it is about lakes not rivers but ai thought the anecdotal 80 degree threshold was interesting.l and something I will pay attention to. It seems night fishermen for smallies go lower in the water column on average. I think someone said as much with their anecdotal findings on page 1. This is interesting and I wonder if its more prey related(crawfish centric) ect.

Night fishing for smallmouth - Bassmaster

Listen to Jim Duckworth, one of Tennessee's most recognized fishing guides, discuss how nighttime can be the ultimate for catching smallmouth bass

www.bassmaster.com

 

[Fish Sticks]

I was up on Kettle night fishing two nights in early July following some localized rain events. All stockies caught, including one holdover from last year. Most were still in good physical condition. Came unhooked from one very large fish that I never saw, but it could have been a large fallfish just as easily as it could have been a trout.

I have night fished kettle as well but not as much as I would like to. April-may in the mainstem above ole bull is an intriguing time of year. I’d like to do 3-4 days of strictly night fishing on kettle next year. What wets do you use?

 

[Mike]

They’re northcentral Pa local wet fly ties provided by a friend and former colleague.

 

[Fish Sticks]

They’re northcentral Pa local wet fly ties provided by a friend and former colleague.

Picket’s Pin has been a favorite for me recently. Do you fish a team of 2 or single?

 

[Fish Sticks]

I like to grade myself after work a stretch at night. I wade back through it with the spotting light and see what did not take my fly on my way back to the car. I of course don’t fish while doing this because fish spook its simply seeing there was no one biting or no one there so i can alter my presentation or location next time.

Night fished for a short bit last night with some friends/forum members after a Dauphin county L.O.C bbq. We got the big old skunk but the spotting post fishing was the interesting part. 2.5ft musky spooked in the light in about 18” of water and shot off bumping one of the guys in the leg on its terrified exit from the flat full of minows and rockbass/sunfish it was hunting in. It was completely white in the light and looked crazy. Think anytime i fish bigger smallmouth patterns now over the 5” range i’m going with wire leader just incase.

And saw a bullfrog nearly the size of a toy poodle puppy

 

[Mike]

They’re northcentral Pa local wet fly ties provided by a friend and former colleague.

I fish two at a time; my friends and former colleagues fish three. I hope to be hitting the upper Delaware with another friend and former colleague and I think he fishes two as well.

 

[Fish Sticks]

I fish two at a time; my friends and former colleagues fish three. I hope to be hitting the upper Delaware with another friend and former colleague and I think he fishes two as well.

Boat or wade fishing? Thats a great stream to night fish I am sure because of the day time pressure

 

[Captain Wader Farts]

I like to grade myself after work a stretch at night. I wade back through it with the spotting light and see what did not take my fly on my way back to the car. I of course don’t fish while doing this because fish spook its simply seeing there was no one biting or no one there so i can alter my presentation or location next time.

Night fished for a short bit last night with some friends/forum members after a Dauphin county L.O.C bbq. We got the big old skunk but the spotting post fishing was the interesting part. 2.5ft musky spooked in the light in about 18” of water and shot off bumping one of the guys in the leg on its terrified exit from the flat full of minows and rockbass/sunfish it was hunting in. It was completely white in the light and looked crazy. Think anytime i fish bigger smallmouth patterns now over the 5” range i’m going with wire leader just incase.

And saw a bullfrog nearly the size of a toy poodle puppy

Rig up that bull frog, bet you would have caught that 2.5ft musky

 

[3sip]

I got out the other night water was still a little too high but it was fishable. Missed 5 but all were reaction strikes in slow water off the fast seams. I was only out till midnight due to conditions. With temperatures dropping this week Wednesday and Thursday should be good.

 

[Fish Sticks]

I got out the other night water was still a little too high but it was fishable. Missed 5 but all were reaction strikes in slow water off the fast seams. I was only out till midnight due to conditions. With temperatures dropping this week Wednesday and Thursday should be good.

Yea when I did my spot light walk back after fishing a central PA spring bait and fish seemed to be holding pretty shallow. I am hoping to get out weekend after next.

 

[JeffP]

Maybe try the Conestoga. My friend has had a banner year. He's gotten involved in water testing and cleanup days. The fishing has been great! He's had 30 bass days and catfish and just got a huge carp. He fishes it somewhere below the Dirty Old Tavern.

 

[JeffP]

My friend had another great day on the Stoga today. This time he used the fly rod. He caught 3 big carp on 6 hookups using a backstabber fly. 25-30 bass on crayfish/bugger patterns. He said quite a few were 14 inches. 10 catfish.This suprises me as the last surveys of the Stoga were not that great. He keeps bugging me to go. I know its dumb, but I can't quite get past that it is below Lancaster city sewage treatment plant.

 

[Fish Sticks]

My friend had another great day on the Stoga today. This time he used the fly rod. He caught 3 big carp on 6 hookups using a backstabber fly. 25-30 bass on crayfish/bugger patterns. He said quite a few were 14 inches. 10 catfish.This suprises me as the last surveys of the Stoga were not that great. He keeps bugging me to go. I know its dumb, but I can't quite get past that it is below Lancaster city sewage treatment plant.

Dang sounds nice. Id have to scope that out in the day time hard though before fishing at night because I have never fished it yet at all. Will have to add that to the long long list of places to fish. Thanks for the report!

 

[Mike]

My friend had another great day on the Stoga today. This time he used the fly rod. He caught 3 big carp on 6 hookups using a backstabber fly. 25-30 bass on crayfish/bugger patterns. He said quite a few were 14 inches. 10 catfish.This suprises me as the last surveys of the Stoga were not that great. He keeps bugging me to go. I know its dumb, but I can't quite get past that it is below Lancaster city sewage treatment plant.

It’s unclear to me what you are referring to as the “last surveys of the Stoga.” I’d be curious to learn from you if some group or agency reps did any survey work between Lancaster STP and the mouth. I established a YOY SMB sampling site near Millersville in about 2008 and it is still used today. Other than some fish flesh sampling done by DEP around that same time, and with very poor results for SMB in terms of numbers electrofished, I am unaware of any other sampling. We did sampling in Lancaster City at the waterworks area many years ago in spring and we did well for large SMB adults, larger than typical Susq R walleye, and Tiger Muskellunge. Thorough sampling by my crew only ever extended from Morgantown down to the Cocalico Ck confluence, so that’s why I’m asking about other sampling farther downstream.