I much prefer bass fishing at night this time of year. It is much cooler and fewer people are on the water, making it more relaxing. Bass seem to react to the calm and feed when things settle down.

Up until the holiday crowds hit the water, late afternoon and evening are good fishing. Running the bank with a buzz bait will often pay off in big fish. The best time for me has been between 7:00 PM and full dark at 10:00 PM. After all light disappears it seems the fish stop hitting on top. That is when I switch to a black worm.

With all the boat traffic and waves beating the bank the fish seem to go deeper and don’t feed even late in the day. My best luck has been after midnight this time of year. By that time of night the water has settled down and the fish start feeding.

Rocky banks and points seem to be the best spots for fishing at night. I think the bass move into them to find crawfish, one of their favorite baits. To imitate a crawfish I use a dark plastic worm or a Baby Brush Hog with the twin tails that wave in the water and send out vibrations like the pinchers of a crawfish.

To make more noise I rig two beads ahead of my sinker and shake my rod tip constantly to make them rattle. Slow movements keep the bait right on the bottom most of the time but I hop it sometimes to imitate a crawfish shooting back when scared. Adding a little Jack’s Juice in the crawfish flavor seems to help.

To beat the heat and catch bass, give night fishing a try. You might like it.