I can’t speak for every fisherman, but August is not a month I look forward to. It’s hot. Hot. HOT. And the fishing isn’t necessarily great.
But years ago, I figured out a way to avoid sweating too much and still get out on the water on a regular basis.
I fished at night. All night. All the time.
Back in the day, as I like to remember it, I fished dozens of night-time team tournaments on Lake Murray with my brother-in-law, Scott Martin. We might fish at least one or two a week through the summer, and it wasn’t tough to figure out that the fishing was a whole lot better at night — and it was a whole lot more comfortable.
That pretty much takes care of the two main reasons why you need to think about fishing at night this month. First of all, fishing at night gets you out of the heat. And the other thing is, fishing at night is definitely your best chance for catching a big bass.
Let’s face it, in August, the water temperatures are in the mid- to upper-80s, and that’s not much fun for the fish. People talk a lot about bass being cold-blooded and being lethargic when the water temperatures are in the 40s, and I’m here to tell you, they’re lethargic when it’s in the high 80s and low 90s.
But waiting until the sun goes down takes care of that factor. As dusk falls and it gets sure-enough dark, the surface water temperature is liable to drop at least 5 or 6 degrees. That may not be enough to get bass up on top or on the bank, but it is often enough to get them to move up from the 20 feet into maybe 10 feet of water.
Earlier in the summer, the fishing can get really good right after dark, and the first few hours can be really, really good. But in August, you need a while to let the water temperature drop and the fish to move up. I think the best time to catch fish is on up into the night, from 11 o’clock to maybe 2 or 3 o’clock in the morning. That’s a little tougher on you, physically, but the fishing is worth it.
Two things I think are keys to having success fishing at night are: getting used to seeing in the dark, and finding places where fish will move up at night.
Except for my running lights, which by law I have to keep on at all times, I don’t have any lights on in my boat. I know a lot of people will use a black light, and I don’t have any problem with that, but I try to keep lights to a minimum in my boat. What happens is, your eyes will get used to the dark. When I was in the military, I learned about night vision, and I learned that your eyes will adjust to the dark enough for you to see what you’re doing.
I try not to look at any lights — I’ve got a real dim flashlight if I really need it — because if you look a bright light, it will take a while for your night vision to re-adjust. You can get away with really fishing in the dark in August because for the most part, you’re going to be fishing offshore structure, where pin-point casting accuracy won’t be required.
Again, early in the summer, you’ll find fish shallow around docks at night, and you can get right up close and flip or pitch. There’s no reason to stay 30 to 40 feet off your target; flipping and pitching is perfect, because it’s dark and the fish can’t see you as well. And there will always be some street lights and lights on the houses or the dock — enough so you can see to cast.
But in August, I fish a lot of different kinds of structure and cover, and I try to fish close to main creek channels or the main river channel. Just like early in the spring when bass are lethargic, they don’t want to have to move very far to get to their feeding spots.
My favorite bait at night is a big Berkley Power Worm, a 10-inch bait. That’s always been my best night-time bait, especially in dark colors; it seems like I’ve done better fishing dark colors like blue flake, junebug, tequila sunrise, red shad and plum. I think it’s a deal where they can see that big, dark silhouette as it falls.
The big variable, to me, has always been how big a worm weight to use. You have to figure that out as you go.
When Scott and I were fishing a lot at night, we would start out fishing different-sized weights, because what the fish wanted could change from week to week or one night to the next. We’d start out with a quarter-ounce or an eighth-ounce, a 3/16th- or 5/16th, and then change up pretty quickly if they started hitting one or the other.
What happens, I think, is that there are nights when the bass want the worm right on the bottom or falling real fast — that’s what you get with a heavy weight. And there are times when I feel like the fish are suspended, and they like that slow fall you get with the smaller sinker.
I fish the big worm on a 5/0 Owner XXX hook and use 20-pound Berkley 100-Percent Fluorocarbon line. I think it’s good in brush because it’s abrasion-resistant, and I can feel real good with it. I think I get a good hookset. If you like to fish a braided line, I think night-time is a good time to try it.
And August is a great time to try fishing at night. If you love to fish for bass but can’t stand the thought of sweating to death in 95-degree heat during the daytime, just make a 12-hour change in your fishing schedule and get the best your lake has to offer.
Davy Hite is a 42-year-old native of Saluda who lives in Ninety Six, S.C. He has fished professionally since 1993. He was the BASS Angler of the Year in 1997 and 2002, and he was won the 1999 Bassmasters Classic and the 1998 FLW Tour Championship. He is sponsored by Triton boats, Evinrude outboards, All-Star rods, Pfleuger reels, Pure Fishing (Berkley), Owner hooks and Solar Bat sunglasses.
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