MIDNIGHT MUSKIES – (The LUNAR ESOX)

###

Are you ready for an adrenalin rush? How about an adventure with some heart pounding and explosive action? Well here is the ticket. Fishing muskies at night, in the dark, can be one of the most thrilling and productive encounters that you can find. will find at the end of If you find day fishing for muskies to be an excitement, magnify that ten times when fishing at night. This is ont for the faint of heart.

When I fish, or take someone out on a guided trip at night, I am launching my boat when many people are taking their boats out. Launching at dusk and fishing until 2 a.m., or later. Fishing for muskies at this time requires a great amount of preparation and readiness. Tackle is streamlined and equipment is limited but placed in an easy to reach location. Hooking up with a musky in the dark is never predictable as you will rarely see the charge, the follow, or the strike. When it happens there will be a detonation and mostly when you least expect it. Sometimes exploding as the bait hits the water, sometimes striking on the retrieve, but many times Mr. Esox will annihilate your bait right near the boat. That is when your ticker takes a three second pause and then goes into hyper drive from the adrenalin rush. It is time to hang on!

Alright, you probably are asking; "the What, the How, the When, and the Where" of this type of fishing; so lets cover the bases. First off let's talk the WHEN. To pick a night, go to your moon calendar, check the three nights of the full moon and the three nights of the new moon; selectively these should be your best nights. That is the night before, the night after, and the night of the new or full moon. This is not saying the other nights will not produce, as they will, but your best dates on the calendar are these consecutive nights. Barring the local weather conditions this is when to go. During the day wind is a condition I like to have, but at night, I personally like calm water. Here in the Northwood's we have a saying "Sundown – Calm down". Moving at night in stealth, casting top water baits can be an awesome experience. Most nights do give us some water like glass and that is when I like it best; if the wind is blowing then you just need to adjust, but top water can still work.

Next let's look at the WHAT: what type of baits, equipment, and rods do you need. Night fishing muskies must be streamlined. Terminal tackle and equipment needs to be greatly reduced. Leave that big musky box at home and only taking a few essential baits. If you are fishing with a partner, and at night you should, combine your baits into one small box, one that can be stowed away. Here is what I like to take. I love topwater so I will take along a Hawg Wobbler, a Tallywacker, and a Top Raider and some type of good prop bait. I will also take a buzz bait and couple of buckltails with me. My preferred colors are: black, or black, and then there is also black. As for the bucktails I use black with silver or gold blades a few spare baits are OK. Dark or black baits actually silhouette better at night and are much more visible to a fish from below. All other baits stay at home. As for rods I bring two seven foot heavy or medium heavy. Keep one in the rod locker as a spare. Long rods help when doing the figure 8, something you should do on every cast at night.

As for terminal tackle bring a couple of extra leaders, a pair of large needle nose pliers, a good set of wire cutters (to cut hooks), replacement hooks, split rings, jaw spreaders, and a good large musky net (I suggest one of those protected nets that resist hook snags). Since you will be fishing at night you will need illumination. Each person should have a head lamp. The new LED lights with multiple brightness levels are good, a good waterproof ".oating" .ashlight. In addition I would suggest a battery powered lantern to keep as a base light on the deck. All of these stored in an area out of the way but within a quick reach that everyone knows. The water, the pop, the coffee and munchies are OK, but stow em'.

Alright lets combine the "HOW and the WHERE". First off night fishing is kind of an extreme, especially musky fishing, there is a certain risk involved. You need to know your water very well. If you have never been on the body of water of which you will be fishing, and you are not familiar with the structure and hazards, DO NOT attempt fishing it at night. You need to know your water, mental notes of all types of parameters such as weed beds, break lines, rock bars, dangers, etc., and a keen sense of direction are highly important. Today's GPS units can be an essential part of this. GPS can mark your trail so you can get back to the boat ramp, plus if it is a lake you are familiar with, you can waypoint all your fishing spots and mark those hazards during the day. GPS accuracy today can mark your waypoints as close as 9 feet.

If you are fishing the nights of the full moon you have the advantage of possibly a moonlit lake which can help, but on a cloudy night or fishing the new moon you will have no light. However do not let this alarm you, you will be very surprised how much you can see on a dark night lake once your eyes adjust; yes you can see in the dark. All those lights of illumination that you are to bring are for once you have a fish on or need to do some work in the boat. Turn your headlamps on when you get a fish on. You use your lanterns and .ashlights when your fish is in the net.

The spots that I am fishing will normally be shallow. I will follow weed lines or break lines in 8 to 14 feet and cast to the shores, I use my front fish locator for this. I may start in known areas to hold fish where the wind was blowing into at the end of the day, as bait fish may have already been attracted there. If you get a fish on and you get him into the net leave him in the net and use it as a live well. Turn on your lantern get the .ashlight out and be careful this is when "Murphy's Law" can strike. Do not spend a lot of time trying to take hooks out, if it appears easy, "go for it"; but I would suggest the cutting of the hooks and barbs, if in doubt. Ensure the safety of you and the better release of the fish. Cutting the hook on the inside area of penetration is best at times, clipping the barb and sliding out the now blunted hook. Releasing this fish safely with the least amount of stress is your goal. You can always put on another set of hooks. Before you release the fish have your partner put your rod to the side clear your work area, get the camera and bump board out. Your partner is ready with the camera the bump board is laid out; take one hand and get a good grip on the gill plate, from the underside, being careful not to grasp the gillrakers, then with the other hand support the belly and lift the fish out. Have your partner take a few photos (SMILE), take your measurements and release the fish. If done correctly the fish should be out of the water at just about one minute.

As a recap: before you start clean out your boat, clear the deck of nonessential stuff, pick your selective gear. Stow your extra rod and tackle box.

The only thing that should be out on the deck is your rod, and bait you are using. Headlamps should be in place but turned off, lanterns and .ashlights also off but in a ready location. Have your net in a position for both of you to reach and your hook removing equipment in an arms reach of both of you.

Knowing your water is probably the most important factor. Motor slowly even if you know the water. As a .rst time experience try this with a guide and see how things are done .rst hand. This is a fun experience. Give it a try!

###

Back