Night fishing requires trading in heat for limited visibility

It is natural in summer for anglers to do some night fishing or to at least consider it. 

For some, outings after dark are often productive. Others don’t like it.

Fishing at night is a tradeoff. You get away from the full impact of sun, but you give up a good deal of visibility. We’ll just slide over the additional factor that some folks are just afraid of the dark.

A book could be written about night fishing, and maybe one has.

A few brief points well make apply to night fishing in general and not with any one species targeted.

One, when the sun goes down, the air cools much quicker than the water. You’ll be more comfortable after dark, but the water temperature won’t change more than a degree or so.

Two, if you normally use a bobber for fishing, it will not be as visible in the dark. Swapping the usual red and white bobber for a fluorescent orange one should help a little. Think about skipping the bobber and go to tight-line fishing so you will work by feel instead of by sight.

Three, take light with you. A flashlight is a must. Those cap bill-mounted lights are handy because you don’t have to give up a hand to hold them. Some night fishermen like to use high-output camping lights like propane or gasoline lanterns. These are not our choice, but if they work for you — fine.

Four, know where you are going when it’s dark. Even moving at low speed, a boat can bump into unseen objects if you are careless.

Five, snakes are no more of a problem at night than in daytime. They are out there. Be careful, be alert and go on with your fishing.

LAKE CONWAY

Rick Bates at Bates Field and Stream said the water is clear and at normal level. Bream are being caught on worms and crickets along the bank. Crappie are slow, but a few have been caught on minnows. Bass are fair. Catfishing is fair using trotlines with catalpa worms and shiners. 

Dan Zajac at Gold Creek Landing said fishing is fair for bream, bass and crappie with the best action coming early in the morning or late at night. 

LITTLE RED RIVER

Billy Lindsey at Lindsey’s Resort said the fishing is very good. The water level has been low. They have been turning on one generator around 2 p.m. Power Bait, crank baits and Wow worms seem to be the lures of choice.  

GREERS FERRY LAKE

Tommy Cauley of Fish Finder Guide Service said the water is rising and the surface temperature is falling from the recent rain. Bass fishing is good in and around brush piles in 15-40 feet of water on Texas-rigged worms and Carolina-rigged lizards. Some bass should also be found near the bank with the rising water. Topwater lures, buzz baits and spinner baits fished along windy banks will work for these fish. Crappie are biting well on jigs and minnows fished in brush and pole timber in 15-30 feet of water. Bream are biting well on crickets and night crawlers. Walleye are scattered with the rising water, but dragging a night crawler on a jig head in 27 to 40 feet of water is working fairly well. Catfishing is good on many types of live and prepared baits. Hybrid bass and white bass are hit-and-miss with the best action on spoons, in-line spinners and hair jigs fished under lights at night. 

HARRIS BRAKE LAKE

Greer’s Sporting Goods said fishing has been slow with some bream being caught on crickets and worms. Catfish are biting at night on trotlines with live and prepared bait.

LAKE OVERCUP

Lakeview Landing said the water is clear and a little low. Bream are biting well on crickets and red worms. Crappie and bass are slow. Catfishing is good on goldfish and large minnows.  

Overcup Landing said the water is normal and clear. Bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are slow, but a few have been caught on minnows or red and chartreuse jigs in deep water. Bass are biting well on spinner baits and buzz baits. Catfish are biting fairly well on trotlines with live bait. 

BREWER LAKE

Overcup Landing said the water is clear and at normal level. The bream are biting well on crickets. Crappie are slow, but some are  biting on minnows near brush in 15-20 feet of water. Bass are biting fairly well on spinner baits and topwater baits near brush and along the bank. Catfishing is fair on cut shad and night crawlers.

LAKE MAUMELLE

Roger Nesuda at Jolly Roger’s Marina said the water is 1.6 feet below the spillway. Largemouth bass are 15 to 20 feet deep and are biting fairly well on large spinner baits, jigs and tubes. Spotted bass are 20 to 25 feet deep and biting well on tubes, jigs and deep-diving crank baits. White bass are schooling around the east end of the lake and are fair on spoons, clear Near Nuthins and Rogues. Crappie are being caught about 19 to 25 feet deep on minnows and 1/32nd-ounce jigs. Bream are biting well on worms and crickets in shallow areas and the breakwater at the marina. Saugeye are fair on jigs and Rogues trolled 10 to 15 feet deep. Catfishing is good on minnows, worms and prepared baits in 8 to 15 feet of water. 

ARKANSAS RIVER

Charlie Hoke at Charlie’s Hidden Harbor in Oppelo said catfishing is good in 15 to 30 feet of water on shad. White bass are biting well with some good schooling in the late evenings around jetty tips. Pearl-colored Storm Wiggle Warts are working well on the white bass. Black bass are biting well very early in the morning on black Jitterbugs and Buzzing Toads. Bream are biting well around the grass near sandbars and riprap. Crappie are fair in 25 to 30 feet of water around deep holes near creek mouths. 

In the Little Rock area, Hatchet Jack’s Sport Shop said bream are biting well on crickets, and red worms in Fourche Creek, Big Maumelle River, the Little Maumelle River and Palarm Creek. Bass are biting well on spinner baits and plastics. Catfishing is good on large minnows, shad, cut bait, live bream or nightcrawlers.

WHITE RIVER

John Berry at Berry Brothers Guide Service said the catch and release section below Bull Shoals Dam has been a mixed bag. While some days have been excellent, others have been a bit slow. On higher flows, fish brightly colored flies under an indicator. The hot patterns have been hot pink or red San Juan worms and orange egg patterns. Concentrate along the banks and over any sunken islands or weed beds. The section from White Hole to Cotter has been fishing well. The most effective technique has been to bang the bank with Kelly Gallop Zoo Cougars and other similar oversized streamers. With the heavier flows, use heavy full sinking or sink tip lines. Rim Shoals has fished well this past week in the morning when the water was lower. The hot flies have been hot pink or cerise San Juan worms and orange eggs. The heavier flows have been reaching there around one to two o’clock, when it is best to add longer tippets and more weight. Heavily weighted flies are a plus. If you must wade, there is usually a bit of wadable water as long as the generation is less than 17,000 cubic feet per second.