Night Fishing Memories

Used to do a lot of night fishing on Guntersville when I was younger. We would have a couple of black lights rigged up on the boat and watch the lines glow. I remember when I was in high school I think it was Winner that had bass boat with built in black lights on the side called a Nighthawk. Used to think that was the greatest thing ever.

Grew up night fishing on Toledo Bend. My PawPaw and MawMaw would take me out. Catch white perch. Spray down with OFF for the skeeters. And yes, get out of that hot Louisiana sun.
One night we were fishing and heard this weird noise. We saw an old tree spontaneously combust not to far from us. Looked like a Roman candle going off and sounded like a jet engine. It burned like that for about 20 minutes. I have never seen that happen again.

I did a lot of night fishing over the years but haven’t since I moved from NC.

Growing up in Texas we fished a lot of piers along the gulf coast and had a lot of fun fishing salt water. When I lived in NC we did a lot of night catfishing and caught a big blues and flatheads

We had a lot of gas flares at tank batteries in Terrebonne Parish back in the ‘70’s. The speckled trout fishing around them was phenomenal.

We also fished the “monkey bar “ at Wine Island for tarpon at night using whole fresh mullet. And Four Bayou Pass near Grand Isle for bull reds.

Drift fished for swordfish in the shipping lanes in the GOM.
Those were exciting nights. One of those big ships could be on you in a minute if you weren’t watching.

Yellowfins at the Lump.

I also did a lot of trawling and butterfly netting at night for shrimp.


But my favorite was sticking the big flounders during Thanksgiving week. Largest was 7 1/2 pounds. We stuck hundreds of them.

Did it quite frequently in Venice, not as much recently. Leave the camp on Pass A Loutre about 30 min before dark. Head to the main pass rigs so that you arrive just at dark. Fish would turn on about an hour later once the lights had attracted the baitfish.

Would catch specs, white trout and reds. Last few summers it has just been white trout so we haven't been going out as much. Went out last summer and it was still just whites. Could have caught hundreds. Kept enough to eat fresh.

That's all we did in the summer in North Louisiana, D'arbonne, Claiborne .

Black 10 or 12 inch Texas Rigged Worm around the lighted boat docks.

Big Black Spinner Bait with one #5 Hildabrandt copper blade on the dark banks.

I loved it

We used to fish the rigs near Black Bay at night with those submersible green lights. Climbed up on the platform and slept on sleeping bags under the stars after we caught our fill. I was around 10-12sh and loved every second of it.

Some of my best memories growing up . Night fishing on Claiborne. I lived about 25 miles from the lake and fished it 3-4 nights a week in the summer. Many a hawg was caught on “The Hump” fishing a Mister Twister ..

would work all day, meet up buddy after work, he kept his boat ready to go at his shop North of BR.
we would drive to Lake Concordia, launch at Lakeview and fish all night through the morning bite then drive back...

on the coast we would launch at the public launch at the Fourchon...tie up under the bridge (the one that used to go to the beach) hang a lantern just over the water and wear the trout out with flea flies...

Coleman lantern under I-75 bridge over Lake Allatoona for crappie.


I can still smell the mayflies cooking on the hot lid.