Night Sea bass fishing: a guaranteed thrill!

If there's one fishery I've been passionate about for the past few years, it's night sea bass fishing in estuaries. The atmosphere, whatever the weather, is really captivating.

The base

The first rule to remember is to turn on your headlamp as little as possible. We're looking for discretion, so lighting is to be avoided as much as possible; your eyes will get used to the half-light. You may, however, need to turn it on to change your lure, tie a new knot, etc.... Whenever possible, use the more discreet red light and turn towards the bank.

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Sea bass spots at night are the same as during the day (against the current, isolated rock), but are likely to be frequented by larger individuals. Large Sea bass are much less wary at night and don't hesitate to move closer to the edges to feed. They therefore take the place of smaller individuals, a godsend for all shore anglers dreaming of beating their records.

. [caption id="attachment_1467" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Sea bass fishing at night allows you to dream: Here a 70cm fish lured in wading close to oyster beds[/caption]

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Lures

The lures to use will always depend on your fishing area. Favoring shallow areas near oyster beds, I mainly use 3 and 4" shads mounted on lead heads with 2.5, 5, 7 and 10 gram Texas hooks. I fish mainly Bottom bouncing or Straight retrieve / Cast and retrieve. Pretty fish will be much more attracted by easy prey, requiring little movement and therefore a lower energy loss. You trigger attacks by fishing slowly, very slowly. For me, this is the second important rule to remember.

. [caption id="attachment_1466" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Nice fish caught by scraping the bottom slowly. The use of a lead head with Texas hook is essential[/caption].

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I use white soft lures most of the time. I don't really have a preference, as all brands offer good lures. Slit shad, One up, Yum pulse... [caption id="attachment_1465" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Example of an Assembly I often use: a slit shad with a Texan sinker head. But above all, white![/caption]

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Let's get to the blanks...

At night, your eyesight won't do you much good. So we'll be looking for a light blank that will transcribe the maximum amount of information thanks to its sensitivity (to feel the vibrations of the caudal) but also its resonance (to understand the bottom). When fishing from the shore, we'll also be looking for a minimum length, so a size close to 2m20 is for me the best compromise to cope with certain rocks / parks further away from the edges. Depending on your fishing area and the spots you fish, power reserve will also be an important factor. When fishing a vein of water lined with pebbles or an oyster park, the fish will systematically seek to rush into the current or take refuge under the tables.

Rodhouse distributes several blanks meeting these criteria, for all budgets. Below is a non-exhaustive pre-selection of blanks corresponding to the characteristics expected for this fishery:

• • SJ8600 from MHX: Very good value for money. Having used it for a season for this purpose, I can only recommend it. The action is relatively gentle, the blank is very pleasant to use.

• • IMMWS 72ML from Rainshadow : A dry, really scratchy blank, ideal for taking big dumps. The power reserve is also on point!

• S723M by Phenix : A supple, very playful tip allowing the lure to swim naturally, impressive sensitivity and resonance, a real gem... Blank to be preferred for relatively calm areas.

[caption id="attachment_1464" align="aligncenter" width="800"] At night the choice of blank is essential. You need sensitivity, resonance and plenty of reserve power[/caption].

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Conclusion

At night, Sea bass rarely come close to the shore to wander around, they're clearly in search of food and their attacks are generally violent. Add to this the special atmosphere of twilight and you get adrenalin-filled sessions with big fish on the line. By following the rules I've outlined in this article, you'll quickly see results. All you have to do now is set your alarm clock for 2 a.m. and you're ready to go ;-) . Sea bass fishing at night isn't that complicated ...