Have fished lakes with topwater in the summer before but never had the stones to wade out in a flow at night. Am I nuts to try this? And is it likely to be effective this time of year with air temps and water temps where they currently are?
Yesterday was a full moon. Tonight is a little overcast but tomorrow is supposed to be clear. Thinking I may bring an arsenal of spinner baits and other vibration sending lures and give it a go tomorrow.
I do it all the time. Only wade water you know very well; don't take unnecessary risks; tell someone where you are going; wear a headlamp. Baits that make a lot of noise work well as does anything painted black. The topwater night bite is typically very good and exciting as all get out.
One of my favorite things to do, do it all winter long. Like deaz said, know the area, and obviously never Wade high water. Big foots don't normally like wet feet, it takes forever for them to dry, so as long as you are out away from the bank and large overhanging trees you should be OK, but of course don't ever mess with one!
Love night wading! I do it in the summer all the time for smallies. Generally I fish top water baits for them and it's a blast, not to mention it's a great way to catch a big one. I have also caught quite a few eyes on top water fishing after dark in the summer.
I was out fishing a lake last night and saw an incredible amount of topwater action. I saw one go by 10 yards in front of me like a jet ski from left to right... came out of the water 3 times about a foot high chasing after something moving fast. It looked at least as big as the 5.5 lber I got a few weeks ago.
I will tell you also a 3.25 lime Big Joshy on a 1/8th ounce jig orange or pink. Is killer after dark in the Scioto I fish night a ton and while fishing for eyes the smallies say hello. Had a beast on last night over 20" she hit in a slick off main current and jumped 3 times before tearing off in the fast current. What a rush at night.
Nice catches. I wade nights plenty throughout the year. One thing I do is wade ONLY waters I've been to many times during the day and felt comfortable/knowledgeable.
I make sure to carry backup headlamps, last thing you want is no lighting available at pitch dark nights. I tend to wade slower in the nights to avoid taking a spill. There is extra activity at night compared to the day dependent where you go too. I have encountered beavers, snapping turtles, bucks, fox, etc at various locations. Beavers are by far the most surprising at night; at one instance it is very quiet and dark....then, Bam - loud crack in the water which happen to be a beaver smacking his tail on the water.
Be safe and careful.
Just a sidenote. I always send my family gps tracking via mobile app, they can view my position from the moment I leave home until I get back home. Mainly for safety reason, but in case of any emergency they know where I am at all the time.
Thanks for the ID. Might have to start targeting these things. A damn strong fish. A quick web search reveals some folks eat these things. Anyone ever give it a go?
In some instances the bank is inaccessible either due to terrain (steepness) or vegetation. With wading I'm also better able to get the right angle on my presentation. If I want to place a lure right in a current seam I can better do so when I don't have to contend with limitations found standing at water's edge. So access is the primary benefit. An added bonus in many cases to wading is less overhead tree cover. You can stand in the middle of the stream and fan cast at leisure with little fear of having your line wrapped around a honeysuckle. Personally, I prefer wading because it allows me to feel the streambed. I can more accurately gauge depth and bottom substrate by walking it rather than inferring based on sight combined with lure depth and feel. This most often comes in handy upon return visits. And lastly, if I do get hung up, which is nearly a certainty river fishing, I am inclined to go in after the damn thing and manually remove the snag. I lose a lot fewer lures wading than fishing from the bank.
I have a spot on the Scioto that a buddy and I fished two years in a row at night and would have 30+ Smallie nights all on Black Buzzbait. It was an absolute blast. Thing is, I rarely ever caught anything in this spot during the day. But on these warm summer nights, they were there for some reason. We figured out we didn't even need to start fishing until 10:30pm. That was the magic time they started hitting the buzz at this spot. I don't hang out with that guy anymore and haven't tried the night Buzzbait there for 2 years. Anyone want to partner up some night and see if those Smallies still stack up in that spot at night, let me know? Btw they were mainly all 14-17 inch Smallies with the occasional 18.
We'll have to get out there soon. This spot of the Scioto is best for this night time top water when the flow is a little low and slow. Not sure what it is looking like right now.
I have waded at night but as you said only in normal to low water, I get there just before dark so I can actually get a look at the water, also I only wade stretches that I know well, I don't even get close to chest deep water, I have pretty good luck with black jitterbugs.
This is pretty much spot on with what I do. I've never night waded unfamiliar spots, just a lot of danger in doing that, for obvious reasons. I'll either get out top water river/creek fishing an hour before dark or at 10:30 after its been dark for a bit. Bite seems to pick back up after the 'right before/at dark bite' in the spot I go to on the Scioto around 10:30-11:00.
I also walk very very slow, feel my way along, I have night waded alone but it doesn't hurt to have someone with you, the only negative I have found to night wading is on a rare occasion I will have a carp take off from my feet when that happens in the dead of night you will get in touch with your feminine side lol.
LOL...I've had beavers sneak in close (recon style) and smack their tails in the water. Basically, it is very quiet and peaceful with only the sounds of nature/Water flow/etc...then BAM!!! One of these days I am going to develop an appetite for beaver and take up trapping
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