When fishing in the Northwoods, be it locals or folks vacationing there are some that only target Bass or Musky, but I would say Walleye would be the favorite species the majority want to pursue for their livewells. I lost count of how many times I’ve been asked, where would be a good location to find/catch Walleye? Depending on the time of year and what I have been hearing from other anglers, I’ll usually try to point them in the right direction but will add “I just wait until dusk and let the Walleyes come to me” but this week is about fishing at night and in the next few weeks, we’ll cover fishing for Walleye, Bass and Musky after the sun goes down.

So, why would anyone want to fish in the dark? In the summer, it will be cooler, the water temperature will lower, there will hardly be any boat traffic, less anglers on the lake, night fishing is very peaceful, if done right and night fishing can be much more productive than during the day. If you have never fished at night, trust me, it is basically the same techniques as you would use during the day, but will take just a little more preparation. When night fishing, you want this to be memorable, so before heading out on the water one of the most important things is know the forecast of the time you will be on the lake. I’ve been out at night fishing; an unexpected storm came through and it wasn’t fun reeling the lines in, raising the anchor, securing the rods and SLOWLY getting back to the dock. Also, there is nothing that will spoil a night of fishing than getting cold, so know what the temperature will be, and dressing accordingly will definitely help.

We’re almost getting to night fishing, but here are a few more things to take into consideration. Knowing the location of where you will be fishing that night is the most important because there could be rocks, stumps or other obstacles under the water that could not only damage your boat while navigating to your location, but you could also become stranded in the darkness. That being said, its best to familiarize yourself with the area you will be fishing, during that day and remember any hazards that could ruin your night. I have always boated to the area I would be fishing before dusk, and besides the items above, by doing so i won’t disturb the area I’ll be fishing, and I can set up the boat before the sun goes down. Remember, you are fishing in the dark so by setting up, I mean removing everything that will not be used, because the last thing you need is catching a nice size fish and not only tripping over something, but you don’t want to break a rod or other equipment that is not secured.

Next, illumination. Make sure all your navigational lights on the boat are operational and having some kind of lighting inside the boat is a must. A lantern to aluminate the inside of the boat will help tremendously and I would strongly suggest headlamps for netting fish, hook removal and locating items in the boat. Now for some fishing locations and techniques. I have found shorelines that drop off to deeper water are great places to start. Add shorelines with rocks or vegetation that transitions to rocks is even better. To fish this area, I would suggest using illuminated bobbers with live (minnows, crawlers or leeches) bait. Why? A person could jig in these locations, but like day fishing, everyone gets a little excited when their bobber shoots under the water so there is something to be said about fishing in the dark and watching a bobber that is sitting on top of the surface and suddenly transforms into a luminated torpedo speeding under the water. There are different types of LED bobbers or glow sticks you can add to a standard bobber, but if you’re fishing with more than two people, I would suggest the LED-bobbers, because they come in different sizes and colors to determine who’s got a fish on the end of their line.

I cannot express enough how relaxing and great night fishing can be, but I want to add, if you do plan a night fishing adventure, it’s always a good idea to bring a fully charged phone and/or let someone know when and where you will be night fishing and approximately the time you should be back. Just saying.

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