Full Moon Bass Fishing

I went fishing the other night on the day after the full moon. Now this is something that typically I would do as often as getting a root canal without anesthesia. However, with no other options in sight and since I was starting to go through the DT’s, I decided to go ahead and go knowing that that my chances of catching much of anything would probably be limited at best. So I made my lure choices which were pretty easy, tied them on, loaded the truck, got my coffee and off to the lake I went.
               

I didn’t get to the lake until a little after seven p.m. I found the same conditions that greeted me the trip before which were a lot of slop on most of the surface of the lake although the water was somewhat clearer where you could see it. I started with the One Knocker and began casting in the open water. The sun was still high as was the temperature and there was just a slight breeze to break things up. Yes, in good ole So-Cal it is the dog days of summer most of the time and that has to be taken under consideration whenever you go fishing. 
               

At any rate, it took a while for the first strike but I just kept casting, confident that it would result in some bass at some point during the evening. Sure enough, about forty minutes after I got there, I got the first strike. Unfortunately, the @&%* fish completely missed the lure. After a deep breath, I threw it back out there and started walking it back in. No takers on that or the next several casts. So I started throwing the Eeliminator and the Shadiloicious just to mix things up and give the fish a different look. Another bite without a hook-up, this time on the Eeliminator, @%*& fish! Another deep breath and I decided to change spots. After all, one thing about fishing, you can move or change lures or do something when things aren’t going the way you want them to.
               

After a short hike around the near side of the lake I settled into a corner of sorts and started fan casting with the Spook and this time got a strike that stayed buttoned on and my first fish of the night was on my thumb. Two casts later, a big bass missed so I immediately grabbed the rod with the Shadilicious and threw right where that fish missed the Spook. I didn’t get three turns on the reel when he flat out hammered that little swimbait and after a spirited fight, he was on my thumb. A solid four-pounder as the sun was starting to set. 
               

I kept working that corner for the next three hours or so catching three more fish on the One-Knocker and three more on the Shadilicious. The rest of my fish all came after sundown with most of them coming after the moon rose above the mountains. There really isn’t in my view, anything quite like fishing at night under the moonlight. While it’s dark, there is a little bit of light that really helps when it comes to casting and picking where you’re going to put your lure. When you get a top-water strike directly in line with the reflection of the moon on the water it’s really a sight to see. Not to mention being able to watch the fish surface and jump as you’re fighting it to get it in. It is just a bit more exciting than the equivalent day time catch. Furthermore, when you’re using a lure like the Shadilicious at night, it seems as though the strikes are that much more aggressive than during the light of day. 
               

The bottom line is that night fishing, if you haven’t ever tried it, almost certainly will make you a more aware angler and tends to force you to pay more attention to what you’re lure is doing at any point during you’re cast and retrieve. It may take some time to find a location in your area that allows all night fishing, but if you’ve never tried it, jump in and give it a whirl. You may find that you have much less competition on the water from other anglers and that the fish are that much more receptive to what you are offering